Campaigns, theology and the of Chaplain Stephen Arbogast

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The ReMarker 10600 October 29, 2020

AROUND THE WORLD From Goldman to chaplain

Before arriving at 10600 Preston Road, Rev. Stephen Arbogast worked in politics, religion, business and academia in various jobs located in cities and countries across America, Europe and Africa.

He was a political campaigner as a teenager and became a Jesuit after college. He’s led a training program at Goldman Sachs and volunteered for the Peace Corps at Benin. He’s been a teaching assistant at Yale and taught history classes at independent schools.

As a teenager, Rev. Stephen Arbogast had no idea his career would take him across the United States and over the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and Africa before ultimately culminating as the chaplain at 10600 Preston Road.

“If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that you don’t know what the future’s going to bring,” Arbogast said. “You really have to be open to whatever is going to come up. Be flexible because you never know when an opportunity is going to come. I think that’s the cool thing about life. If you’re in the right place at the right time, and you’re ready, you can take advantage of the opportunities that come your way.”

After growing up in Lewisburg, PA, Arbogast explored his interest in politics when he was a sophomore in college.

“I ran Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign over four counties,” Arbogast said. “I beat a state rep. I beat a mayor of one of the towns. I won over some business guy and was the youngest elected delegate at any national political convention. I was just barely, by a couple of days, old enough to meet the requirement. You had to be 18 by a certain day, so when I was 17, I started running the campaign and ran my own campaign for Carter at the time.”

In college, even though his whole family is Protestant, Arbogast decided to become Roman Catholic with the intent to join a religious community. He joined the Society of Jesus because Jesuit ideology appealed to him, especially the Jesuits’ historical emphasis on education.

“They basically built high schools and colleges all over Europe and educated the most powerful young men of Catholic Europe at the time,” Arbogast said. “I was very impressed with their effort to build an international school system, and even today, the Jesuit system is probably the biggest and most sophisticated of all the school networks in the world. And I was really impressed by the guys I met.”

Liberation theology, a religious movement from the 1960s that Places he’s lived emphasizes aiding • Pennsylvania (numerous the most marginal places) people in society • Baltimore, MD through political and civic affairs, inspired • New York City, NY • Boston, MA • New Canaan and New him to become Haven, CT Roman Catholic. • Paris, France

“[In liberation • Avignon, France theology], your character is defined • München, Germany • Blaubeuren, Germany • République du Bénin by how you treat the • Grahamstown, South Africa people that need the • Ibadan, Nigeria most help,” Arbogast said. “If you want to • Washington, D.C. • Dallas, TX serve God in the best way, you need to do whatever you can to help them. If you want to help the largest number of people, if you can convince someone who has a lot of power to do something, you can have a huge impact upon society.”

After being a Jesuit for six years, Arbogast decided to leave the Catholic Church because he wanted to move on to try something new.

“I was exhausted and burnt AFRICA TO AMERICA Rev. Stephen Arbogast and a few travellers (top) stop out and wanted nothing to do to rest as they head toward the Plateau du Djado in Niger. Arbogast (above left) with the only three things I reads the gospel at the weekly All-School Chapel Service at the National Cathedral knew about: education, social service and religious work,” School in Washington, D.C. Friends (above right) visit him at the National University of Benin, where he taught about the cultures of global corporations. Arbogast said. “A friend of a friend got me a job at Goldman Arbogast said. “But when I went back to school later, Sachs. It proved to be more interesting than I I didn’t do any of that. I took what I wanted to and expected it to be, and I ended up being there for 12 knew what I wanted to get out of things.” years.” In another two years at Harvard University, he

When Arbogast arrived in New York City, earned a Master in Theology and wrote his thesis on Goldman Sachs was trying to initiate a training African business and professional ethics, enjoying program for its managers as the company was the university’s unique community. preparing to expand globally. Arbogast’s skills in managing and communicating between different I never, never in my wildest dreams groups of employees allowed him to provide would have imagined being here. I was valuable assistance to the training program. born in Dallas, but my family’s not from

“I stayed there as we were building this here. I was here for two years as a child, management training program — arguably, at the time, people said it was the best in the world of its type,” Arbogast said. “I did that for about six years until there was an economic crash, and we laid but I’m not connected to Dallas in any way. It’s a little ironic to me to think that after all these years, I’ve come back. Rev. Stephen Arbogast, Chaplain off my trainees. And then I moved to Boston to be “In one room, you had the world’s expert of this, essentially the chief inside guy responsible for a lot that and the other thing,” Arbogast said. “It’s just so of the internal functions.” cool to be in a place where you’ve got extraordinarily

After a nine-month vacation in France, Arbogast smart, hardworking, talented people who can put took two two-year terms with the Peace Corps and you in contact with anybody. In that respect, it was lived in the Republic of Benin in Africa. Staying in like the Jesuits and Goldman Sachs — if you wanted Benin for four years allowed Arbogast to immerse to know anything or wanted to meet anyone in the himself in the local culture, being more than just a world, you basically had to ask one other person. visitor. In his first two years in Benin, he assisted Anybody was willing to give you half an hour of his farming cooperatives practice modern management or her time.” techniques, and during his second two years, After studying at Harvard, Arbogast taught Arbogast taught at the National Economics Institute at various independent schools, including Groton through the Fulbright Program. School, Trinity School and National Cathedral

“When I lived in the country, there were about School, before finally coming to 10600 Preston Road 60,000 people in the province I was in, and there may in July 2015. have been 200 people that were literate,” Arbogast “I remember when I was in middle school, said. “It challenged me because it made me think sitting in front of the courthouse with my three that what I assumed to be fundamental to the human buddies, and we were imagining what life was experience wasn’t. But once you’re there, it’s just going to be like,” Arbogast said. “We imagined that like a fish in water. It really made me think about the between middle school and high school, there were world very, very differently.” huge changes, and then after college, you got a job,

After his time in Benin, he spent two years at bought a house, got married — basically, nothing Yale University teaching graduate students and happened from the age of 21 until 65, when you getting a Master in Divinity, which allowed him to retire. Well, we had no clue what life was like. That’s be ordained. He was glad to return to pursuing a the cool thing about life — you never know what’s graduate education. going to come around the corner.”

“When you’re younger and you go to school, you don’t necessarily know why you’re going to STORY Sai Thirunagari, Myles Lowenberg school, and you’re taking courses that are required,” PHOTOS Courtesy Stephen Arbogast

McDonald’s Week charity event postponed to March due to COVID-19 health concerns by Morgan Chow fundraising event. Fortunately, a new finding patrons. “It’s just another opportunity for

McDonald’s Week, a Junior Class organization was created to figure out “They’re already working on the us to exhibit flexibility,” Vaughan said. charity event benefiting the exactly what to do. video and we have a theme,” Vaughan “These last few years have really called Austin Street Center, has been moved “We don’t know, even in March, said. “I know our sponsorship team us to put our words into action. I think to March 1-4 after a decision was made what the capacity will be,” Vaughan is trying to get sponsors to sign on. it’s easier to be flexible particularly by the administration with respect to said. “But we have a new committee It’s harder because a lot of Preston- with this because it’s so important the health risks related to COVID-19. this year called the Health and Safety Royal is gone, so we don’t have access to the people at Austin Street, and,

Junior Class sponsors GayMarie Committee. Those guys will work with to as many potential sponsors. So, particularly in this pandemic where Vaughan and Bryan Boucher said this the administration, McDonald’s and we’ve expanded the range a little bit. they’re seeing the need for food and choice was made to give enough time [school nurse Julie Doerge], in terms Fortunately, people know Austin Street need for donations go up. We really for safety guidelines to be met before of city regulation, to make sure what and St. Mark’s and are willing to jump don’t want to let them down when reopening McDonald’s to the school. to do at McDonald’s or how to handle on board, but I think that’s been a lot they really need our help.”

McDonald’s Week raises money food distribution here [on campus].” more challenging now than before.” Vaughan is glad the delay is for the Austin Street Center, which The co-chairs — juniors Sal Abassi, Even with these difficulties, happening so McDonald’s Week can provides shelter and basic needs to Alex Nadalini and Ashvin Nair — Vaughan knows how important still provide for Austin Street Shelter. homeless men and women every year. have already decided on a theme McDonald’s Week is to Austin Street “If it had to be in November, we But according to Vaughan, there are and are in the process of creating a Shelter and believes things will have to wouldn’t be able to have it,” Vaughan still concerns with distancing and video. But there are some things they be adjustable in order for the event to said, “so postponing is definitely a spacing, leading to the delay of the have yet to figure out, especially with even take place. win, especially for Austin Street.”