When a young teenage boy learned that his sister was going to become a “Sister,” he immediately thought, “I’m going to get made fun of for this!” Steve Mills was just entering 7th grade and his sister, now Sr. Mary Cecilia, was entering the School Sisters of Christ the King in Lincoln, NE.

Fast forward to May 25th, 2013, which is the day that Steve Mills was ordained to the priesthood in the diocese of Lincoln. He and his sister are just two of the brother/sister/priest/Sister combinations in the School Sisters family. Fr. Tom Dunavan is the brother of Sr. Mary Fidelis and Sr. Mary Agnes while Fr. Mark Tasler (now deceased) is the brother of Sr. Marie Jacqueline.

“Growing up with the sisters has been a blessing,” Fr. Steve said. “I think her ‘yes’ helped foster my ‘yes,’ whether I realized it or not. Being around the Sisters and their joyful spirit really helped me be more open to a vocation.”

Fr. Steve is the youngest of four children in the family. He graduated from the Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln and then devoted two years to the missionary group FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), assigned to the Air Force Academy.  Interacting with priests “helped me to realize the need to be rooted in prayer in order to keep that flame of faith alive, whether or not I was called to be a priest.”

His parents were surprised yet supportive of his desire to enter the seminary. At his ordination, Father Steve’s sister felt “intense jubilation and awe at watching his transformation into a priest of Jesus Christ.” Father Steve has one goal: “to be a faithful priest, pure and simple.”