Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Stefan worked for a short time as a personal injuries lawyer. While at university, he became involved in a local parish Young Christian Workers (JOC/YCW) group. In 1978, he became a fulltime worker for the movement, working in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and later for the International YCW.
In 2003, he co-founded the Young People for Development (YPD) network, an international group that promotes formation among young people from developing countries following the see-judge-act method.
Later, he completed master’s degrees in canon law and legal theory. From 1997-2000, he coordinated an international project to document the history of the YCW before taking up a position as a project officer with the French Catholic development agency, CCFD-Terre Solidaire.
From 2006-2008, he worked as a pastoral worker in a Melbourne Catholic parish. Since then, he has worked as an editor and journalist for a series of Catholic online publications.
From 2012-2018, he worked on his PhD thesis on the role of Joseph Cardijn at the Second Vatican Council, now published under the title “The Leaven in the Council: Joseph Cardijn and the Jocist Network at Vatican II.”
His second book, “Joseph Cardijn Rediscovered: Mission, Method, Movement” will be published in October 2024.
He now resides in Perth, Western Australia, where he devotes his time to the development of the Australian Cardijn Institute.