West Side loses an icon

The Rev. Stephen “Steve” Adrian passed away Dec. 21

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | February 2025

On Dec. 21, more than 500 people flooded the Church of St. Matthew on the West Side to pay their respects to the Rev. Stephen “Steve” Adrian, who passed away from cancer on Dec. 1 at age 82. Another 500-plus people watched his funeral service online, a testament to the impact he made on the congregation he served for 34 years and on the West Side community itself. For his lifetime of service to the community he was recognized in 1991 as West Sider of the Year by the West Side Community Organization, the district council for the West Side.

Adrian touched countless lives through ministry, advocacy, and programs he spearheaded that are still going strong today. He had an unwavering commitment to the West Side and his legacy continues through the organizations he assisted and the people he impacted.

“What he did on the West Side went beyond priestly duties,” said Ralph Brown, member of St. Matthew’s and longtime friend of Adrian, in an interview. “He never talked about the West Side, it always the ‘beloved’ West Side.”

His interment was at Riverview Cemetery instead of a traditional Catholic church because it was important for him to stay in his community. Riverview was traditionally a Lutheran cemetery but now is open to all.

Adrian was involved with the Neighborhood Development Alliance, a nonprofit that rehabilitates housing on the West Side and helps people purchase their first home. He also helped lead the consolidation of dwindling schools at local parishes to form Community of Saints Regional Catholic School in 2012, and opened St. Matt’s doors to St. Mary’s Health Clinic, which provides free medical care to low-income, uninsured people not eligible for government programs.

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Brown recalled tender moments, such as when Adrian baptized and performed marriage ceremonies for Brown’s children, and his weekly visits to a senior living center in West St. Paul. Brown said his presence will be missed by those who knew and worked with him.

“There have been a lot of efforts at St. Matthews and Community of Saints to prepare for his final departure and build up our leadership,” said Brown. “We have
a strong cadre of people who share the vision he had for a stronger community.”

Adrian was born on the West Side in 1942 and attended Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary – now the site of the University of Northwestern, St. Paul – before being ordained in 1968. He worked at the Church of the Incarnation and St. Leonard of Port Maurice in Minneapolis before taking the call to St. Matthews in 1978. He retired in 2012 but continued serving in some capacity at a few churches, including St. Matt’s, and took on the role of canonical administrator at Community of Saints, staying for nine years until stepping down last spring. According to Community of Saints Regional Catholic School principal Bridget Kramer, Adrian was part of a group that raised about $4 million for tuition support at the school.

For his 80th birthday, St. Matt’s created a video of Adrian reflecting on his career. It can be found at st-matts.org. Memorial gifts may be made to St. Matthew’s Catholic Church or Community of Saints Regional Catholic School.

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