Fourteen students hand-picked by the college chaplain, Father Adam Rick, have committed to live a countercultural life of prayer, fasting, and reflection as part of the new society of St. Stephen.
“The society first emerged out of necessity,” said Rick, who needed an ecumenical group of students he could count on to help with the weekly Evensong prayer services.
The club quickly evolved into something more spiritual than practical.
“I felt called to equip a group of students with classical spiritual disciplines so that they can build a spiritual life ordered by timeless Christian principles,” Rick said. “We read a lot about the good life at this college, and I wanted to provide students with the tools to live a good Christian life through spiritual discipleship and a rule of life together.”
The society hopes to stand apart for students on campus as models of the Christian life.
“The Society of St. Stephen is a fellowship of students seeking to consecrate our lives fully to Jesus Christ by sitting at his feet, walking in step with his Spirit, serving his people, and supporting one another in his school of discipleship,” the mission statement reads. “With his help, we desire to bless the Hillsdale College community and model for all how to follow Jesus on ancient well-ordered paths.”
With this as its objective, the Society of St. Stephen was born, adopting the motto “Domine Iesu, suscipe spiritum meum” or “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Consisting of 14 students, the society is modeled after the example of St. Stephen, a first-century martyr, one of the first deacons, and the patron saint of acolytes. Inspired by the life of St. Stephen, the society strives to instill the spirit of Christian discipleship in those around them through their mission of living in service to others, Rick said.
“He was a model of spiritual devotion, and demonstrated this by offering his life for the gospel,” Rick said. “That kind of singular devotion is what we are after as a society.”
An important function of the society is assisting in Evensong, the ecumenical evening sung prayer service. Members also meet in smaller groups on a weekly basis for the purpose of spiritual discernment and direction.
Senior Claire Hipkins, a member of the society, highlighted the importance of the society’s rule of life.
“As of right now, the society is following a rule of life — specific spiritual disciplines designed to structure our lives around rhythms of prayer and worship — in community,” Hipkins said.
The society is ordered around four principles which instruct its members in integrity, discipleship, honor, and service.
The rules of life vary in difficulty, but all aim to guide the members in upholding the four principles. Some of the rules include a weekly 24-hour fast, limits ofnsocial media and technology use, and weekly service at Evensong. Other rules focus more on bodily health such as proper sleep, good meals, and exercise.
“So far I’ve found holy hour to be the easiest to follow since I incorporated it into my life during Lent this past year,” senior Michael Hoggatt said. “I can’t function properly without it. Let’s be real, though — wearing a tie on Fridays is the easiest rule to follow.”
Other rules have been more challenging, Hoggatt said.
“The hardest rule to follow has been limiting my involvements to maximize spiritual and social time. Maybe it can be helped, but I do this to myself every semester.”
In addition to the entire society, sub-groups meet to challenge one another and cultivate deeper discussion.
“We have triads, groups of three, that meet as a subset of the larger women’s and men’s groups,” Hoggatt said. “These help keep us accountable to the rule in the context of good friends.
At the onset of its their inaugural year, Hipkins said the society is eager to continue its spiritual journey under Rick’s guidance
“Since this is the society’s first year, I don’t know concretely what it will look like for me,” Hipkins said, “But I’m very excited for the challenge and the possibility to grow in my faith in community.”
