Fr. Stephen N. Karani was born in Gitare village in Nakuru district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. He is the third born in family of 8, three sisters and four brothers.

Fr. Stephen joined St. Mary’s Seminary in Molo Kenya in 1985 for spiritual formation. He later went to St Augustine’s Seminary in Bungoma Kenya to study Philosophy and Religious studies after which he went to St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Nairobi Kenya to study Sacred Theology.

After graduation in 1992, Fr. Stephen was ordained priest on January 9th 1993 at Christ the King Cathedral in Nakuru by Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana’a Nzeki then bishop of the diocese of Nakuru.

While in Nakuru, Fr. Stephen worked as assistant parish priest at St. Francis Xavier parish Naivasha Kenya from 1993-1994; pastor of St. Patrick’s parish Eldama Ravine Kenya 1994-1997; Catholic Chaplain at Egerton University Njoro Campus 1998-2000.He was a member of the Diocesan Education Board for six years. The board is responsible for establishing policy guidelines for catholic private schools and catholic sponsored public schools in the diocese of Nakuru. Fr. Stephen served also as the chairman of the Nakuru Diocesan Priests Association.

Fr. Stephen came to the diocese of Rochester in October 2000 and was on a temporary assignment at Our Lady of the Lakes cluster before moving to St. Mary our Mother parish in Horseheads New York as a Parochial Vicar. He Joined Holy Family Catholic Community in 2003 as Parochial Vicar and became Parochial Administrator in 2005. The same year Fr. Stephen became a priest of the diocese of Rochester through incardination and was appointed Pastor in June 2006.