Stephan Isaac was raised in a devout Catholic household, attended Catholic grade school and high school and has been interested in serving the Church since he was young. But he said he never anticipated how far his faith would take him.
The Easton native has been an active priest in the area for about nine years, the only priest in his large Lebanese family. He served as the assistant pastor at the Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena in Allentown for two years and the chaplain in high schools for nearly seven years.
This summer, he joined Lehigh’s campus as its newest chaplain. He was assigned to serve at the university in May 2024, and his position took effect on June 18. He also took a chaplain position at Bethlehem Catholic High School around the same time.
Isaac said he’s been interested in working with the Catholic Church from a young age, but he initially decided to pursue a different path, believing he was called to become a diplomat and represent the United States Abroad.
“I knew I always wanted to serve people, I just didn’t know in what capacity,” Isaac said. “But ultimately, I went to World Youth Day in 2005 in Germany to see Pope Benedict XVI before I became a senior and came back from that thinking the priesthood is not for me.”
He said he’s been interested in current events, politics, international relations since a young age, but in high school, he started thinking about the priesthood.
During his undergraduate studies at American University, Isaac double-majored in political science and international studies, with concentrations in the Middle East, U.S. foreign policy and American government.
He interned on Capitol Hill with several different organizations, worked for a think tank and participated in presidential campaigns. But he said he felt his heart was not fully in political government.
“When it comes to your vocation and your occupation, you absolutely have to do what you love and what you enjoy in life,” Isaac said. “The Lord just put a burning desire on my heart to give my whole life to Christ and His Church and to lead others to Christ as a priest.
Isaac said if he looked to deepen his faith as he got older, and it wasn’t for his four years at American, he wouldn’t be a priest today.
Throughout college, he engaged in conversations with new friends in college who weren’t Catholic and had meaningful discussions about religion and faith, all of which served to strengthen his own beliefs.
He said when people attacked or challenged his faith, it strengthened his beliefs.
“It forced me to go deeper and to truly understand what I believed and why,” Isaac said. “So in that journey, I came to the deeper realization that the Catholic faith is the fullness of truth, and I want to give my whole life to Christ and His Church, and I want to lead others to Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
After graduating from college with a calling in 2010, Isaac entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Six years later, he was ordained for the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and has been a priest since then.
Now at Lehigh, Isaac said he hopes to engage with students and incorporate new opportunities for service, fellowship and faith formation in the local community.
“We want to have more opportunities for students to grow in their faith, grow in their personal relationship with Christ, grow in holiness and discipleship and just get to know each other,” Isaac said.
Ron Koach, the coordinator of the Catholic Campus Ministry, has been working at Lehigh for the past 32 years. He worked at the Delta Upsilon fraternity as a chef for 16 years and as a live-in advisor for 10 years while also serving the Church.
Koach now works with Isaac and said he has a great personality, which is why the two get along so well.
He said their sense of humor is similar, and the two don’t take things too seriously.
“You need to have fun, right?” Koach said. “If the students see him and I have a laugh, they know it is all right. We’re very chill for kids to feel that we’re just one of the guys.”
Scott Korell, ’28, the president of the Lehigh Catholic Campus Ministry, said Issac is constantly trying to think of new ideas for the program and ensure there are church opportunities for students.
He said Isaac knows how to work with curious people, and he’s done a good job feeding into that with the student body.
Korell also said Isaac infuses the wisdom he has gained from personal experiences into homilies and discussions, particularly during the Newman Center’s weekly meetings.
“He really likes to hang out with the kids and tell personal stories,” Korell said. “He’s super knowledgeable, and he has great perspectives.”
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