Fr. Steve Kuhlmann

A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Fr. Steve Kuhlmann, OP, completed his high school studies in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and his undergraduate studies in statistics and applied math at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Initially, an engineering student, Fr. Steve shifted his focus to the College of Letters and Science to pursue a statistics major. “Trust me; if I had known that my next step was the seminary, I would have majored in something else.”

Fr. Steve’s call to religious life and the priesthood came from his involvement as a student leader for the U of W Newman Center. “I knew that I wanted to join a religious community. I quickly narrowed my interest to the Dominicans or the Capuchin Franciscans, then took a whole year to finally choose the Dominicans because of the greater emphasis on the intellectual life and their preaching ministry.” 

Since his ordination in 1992, Fr. Steve has worked primarily in parishes, including two university parishes. Initially, he also spent a few years teaching theology at St. Vincent Ferrer  High School in suburban Chicago. Most recently, Fr. Steve served as an associate pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in River Forest, IL. “A few of you may remember that I was a member of the first team of Dominicans that came to the St. Thomas Aquinas Center,” Fr. Steve said. “I look forward to working at St. Tom’s again and seeing how much has changed since I left.”