Joel Stepanek

Joel has served in ministry for 20 years and is passionate about empowering parishes, dioceses, schools, and apostolates find their identity, execute strategy, and lead individuals into a relationship with Jesus Christ. He has served as a Vice President for Parish Services for Life Teen where he developed youth ministry resources including a groundbreaking confirmation program, Purpose, and provided training for thousands of youth ministers and parishes in 22 countries. He currently serves as the Vice President for Programming and Administration for the National Eucharistic Congress.

Joel resides in Phoenix, Arizona and is an avid “Spartan”-racer, marathon runner, enjoys cooking and weightlifting, and loves spending time with his wife, Colleen, and three children, Elijah Daniel, Sophia Grace, and Micah James.

He is a sought-after speaker who has spoken to hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout the world from parish halls to large arenas on the topics of discipleship, leadership, organizational health, and the Eucharist.

Joel is the author of several books, including:

Beginning Well: Seven Spiritual Practices for the First Year of Almost Anything

Chasing Humility: 8 Ways to Shape a Christian Heart

XY: An Authentic Masculine Identity 

True North: A Roadmap for Discernment

CANA Talk - Chasing Humility: The Key to Happiness, Holiness, and Freedom

When we hear the word humility, we get uncomfortable. While we agree on the importance of the virtue, we struggle to understand how to live humility. We think humility is deflecting compliments or avoiding talking about ourselves in a conversation, but humility is much more - it is a lens through which we not only view life, but can find freedom from a modern world that is self-reliant, self-absorbed, and self-defeating. This CANA talk offers a fresh perspective on an ancient virtue which unlocks happiness in our relationships, freedom from our ego, and, most importantly, a pathway to holiness.