Society of St. Stephen
Society of St. Stephen
The Society is a small group of students, men and women, committed to following a common rule of life together in service to Christ. The rule consists of the classical spiritual disciplines in addition to a commitment to Christian unity, campus prayer, and spiritual formation with the college chaplain.
Mission Statement:
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. With his help, we desire to bless the Hillsdale College community and model for all how to follow Jesus on ancient well-ordered paths.
Our Motto
Stephen’s final words of self-consecration to his Master serve as our highest vocation (Acts 7:59):
Domine Iesu, suscipe spiritum meum.
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Our Rule
The rule consists of the classical spiritual disciplines in addition to a commitment to Christian unity, campus prayer, and spiritual formation with the college chaplain.
St. Stephen was among the seven to be ordained by the Apostles in Acts 6 to direct the service ministries of the church. While not explicitly called such in Acts, tradition has long identified these seven to be the first deacons. They were selected on account of their commitment to follow Jesus as his disciples, their sound reputations, and the manifest gifts of the Spirit for wisdom and service (Acts 6:3). Stephen in particular was noted for his grace, power (Acts 6:8), knowledge of the Scriptures (Acts 7:1-50), heavenly countenance (Acts 6:8, 15), and of course his boldness in preaching the gospel (Acts 7:51-53). As a deacon, Stephen has long been held in honor by those who assist in the public worship of God’s people. Ultimately, he modeled in his actual death our Lord’s call to die daily in order to follow him rightly. He is considered the Protomartyr of the church, or first to bear witness to the other-worldly power of the gospel by shedding his own blood. As a model of singular devotion and liturgical service, we look to him as our exemplar of faithful discipleship to Jesus.
Our Patron
About the Seal of the Society
The Seal of the Society captures the theological essence of its Rule. It features a blue cross against a golden field. The azure blue represents the school colors of Hillsdale College, the gold represents the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and the red represents the blood of Jesus and that of St. Stephen mingled with it, a sign of total self-consecration to God.
The Greek cross is a subtle homage to the stylized Jerusalem cross that is the basis of the Hillsdale College Cross. Above all, the cross represents the exalted glory of King Jesus, who conquered the enemies of humankind by his cross and now leads his people in triumphal procession under its banner. It is, as such, the dominant image of the Seal.
The red circle around the cross represents the total embrace of the atoning love of Jesus Christ.
The Bible in the upper right quadrant represents the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the Living Word of the Father.
The upper left and lower right quadrants contain the shorthand name of the Society of St. Stephen, S3.
Suscipe Spiritum Meum is the motto of the Society, the self-consecratory words of St. Stephen which capture the full spirit of true discipleship to Jesus, which is the highest end of the Society.
The flame in the lower left quadrant represents the empowerment of the Holy Spirit of Christ, who lit on the disciples like tongues of fire.
The red accents in the center represent the shed blood of St. Stephen.