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About St. Stephen Catholic Church
Our Mission Statement
We are gathered by the Spirit to celebrate God's love and to root our lives in His word. As Catholics, we seek to strengthen our bonds with our fellow Catholics, our bishop, and the Holy Father. Because we are a pilgrim parish, we reach out to new members in a spirit of friendship, fellowship, and Christian love. Because our parish encompasses different communities, we strive to become one community in God and to answer the needs of our parish family.
We will strengthen the bonds between ourselves and those of other Christian faiths, and we will search for fellowship with those who profess no faith or have grown weary in the practice of it. We hope that our church can become ever more a place where all are welcome, whatever their faith.
A Brief History of St. Stephen Church 
The history of St. Stephen Church is closely tied to the history of the Catholic Church in Chattanooga and growth in the East Brainerd area. On November 1, 1960, St. Stephen was officially made a mission parish of O.L.P.H. The first Mass was said in the new parish on November 6, and members included 79 families. Mass was celebrated in the auditorium of the school building. In 1961, St. Stephen was made an independent parish and for 35 years parishioners waited for a new church (and savings to cover the cost of a new church were accumulated over this time). Finally, in 1993, Bishop O'Connell gave permission for construction. The new church of contemporary-traditional design was dedicated on October 22, 1995.
Over the years, the number of families has grown to over 655.
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