Fr. Stephen Barnufsky, OFM, 77, passes away

Fr. Stephen Barnufsky, OFM, 77, of Old Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California, passed away on June 17, 2026. A Franciscan friar for more than 50 years, Fr. Stephen was an attentive pastor and dedicated to the formation of friars and to the service of the fraternity. Funeral arrangements are pending.  

Fr. Stephen was born Feb. 23, 1949, in Spokane, Washington, to Stephen and Betty Barnufsky (née Hattenburg). He entered the Order of Friars Minor on Sept. 26, 1971, in Sacramento, California, and professed simple vows there on Sept. 16, 1972. He made his solemn vows on Oct. 10, 1975, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 19, 1976.  

After ordination, he was assigned to serve as associate pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Delano, California. In 1977, he was assigned to Ascension Catholic Church in Portland, Oregon, where he also served as spiritual assistant to a Secular Franciscan fraternity, accompanying lay men and women in living the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis. While there, he also served as assistant formation director for the pre-novitiate program at the Portland House beginning in July 1980.   

In 1986, he was appointed pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Toledo, Washington. He took a brief sabbatical in 1991 to complete a lay ministry formation program at the University of Notre Dame, strengthening his commitment to collaborative pastoral ministry.  

In January 1992, he was assigned to St. Francis Parish in Spokane, where he served as pastor and guardian of the local fraternity. In January 1994, he was elected to the Provincial Council and appointed secretary of formation and studies, helping guide the growth and discernment of friars in formation. He continued in this role for several years, including during his service as Provincial Vicar, to which he was elected in 1997. He also served as Visitator General of England’s Immaculate Conception Province in 1996, helping his brother friars prepare for their Provincial Chapter.  

In 2003, he was appointed pastor and guardian at San Xavier del Bac Mission in Tucson, Arizona, where he ministered among the Tohono O’odham people and alongside the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. Known for his thoughtful and inspired preaching, Fr. Stephen brought care and attentiveness to Eucharistic celebrations, funerals, anniversaries and daily Mass. During his time there, he also served as Vicar for Native Americans as well as vicar for the local fraternity.  

He retired to Old Mission San Luis Rey in 2019, where he continued to live in prayer and fraternity among his brothers.  

In a 2015 interview with a student journalist, Fr. Stephen spoke simply about his vocation: he became a priest so he could “help people in a lot of different ways and draw closer to God.”  

“That’s the reason I’ve stayed [in the Order], too,” he said.  

“Sometimes your reason for staying is more important than the reason you started. When you start, you have high ideals — and that’s true in any profession — and when reality sets in, it’s not exactly the ideal. You must ask, ‘Why am I doing this? Why am I still here?’ But I think life has been good to me.”  

Fr. Stephen is survived by his sisters, Melinda, and her husband, Bob; Monica and Marcia; his brothers, Matthew, and his wife, Tena; and Greg; and his friar brothers of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Condolences may be sent to Marcia Barnufsky, 1617 Astor, Spokane, WA 99207.