Feast of St. Stephen
Today is the Feast of St. Stephen, which is Br. Etienne’s Namesday. “Etienne” is French name for “Stephen.” It was a big month for Br. Etienne (and his beard), as he made solemn vows on December 15th, and now celebrates the feast of his heavenly patron. I asked Br. Etienne to respond to several questions so that we can get to know him better.
Name: Br. Etienne Huard
Date of profession (simple vows): August 15, 2010
Date of solemn vows: December 15, 2013
Place of Birth: Duluth, MN
High School: Bishop Carroll High School (Wichita, KS)
Current monastic assignment: Student, 1st Theology at St. Vincent Seminary (Latrobe, PA)
Hobbies/interests: Photography and Weaving
Hidden Talent: I can turn my right foot 180 degrees
Place you would like to travel: Paris and Athens
Favorite food: Lasagna
Favorite movie: Shawshank Redemption
What is a phrase you say often: Very nice
Reason for choosing your monastic name: In honor of my father, Stephen, who passed away
Favorite quote from Scripture: Matthew 16: 24-27
What is the best way to go about discerning one’s vocation?
To make a choice and live it for some time, enough time to allow the novelty to go away, and see if you can deal with the sacrifices that it will ask of you. But, even more importantly, is to make a choice. If you can’t make a choice in moving toward discernment, you will never make a choice to choose.
What role do monks’ play in the Church and the world?
I think the biggest role is two fold: firstly, is that monks are to pray, to pray without ceasing. We play a part in the Church by praying for the Church. Secondly, is that we become a radical sign of God’s love and God’s forgiveness. You cannot be monk without have to know and learn both of these.
Posted in Daily Life, Listen, My Son, Meet a Monk