Stéphane Germain's ordination to the priesthood will take place at Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 10 a.m.

“’Set me as a seal upon your heart', says the Beloved of the Song of Songs. This is what, on this day, my soul asks of Jesus Christ, the one and only divine Shepherd,” reflects Stéphane Germain, as he prepares for this next phase in his vocation.

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About Stéphane Germain  

Born in Quebec City in 1975, Stéphane Germain grew up in a family of three children and was surrounded by cousins, uncles and aunts and a large, tightly knit family. Over time, while most members of his family were dropping off from observing Sundays, the teenaged Stéphane would ask his parents to drive him to church to attend Mass, coming home afterwards on his own.  

He was confirmed at the age of 12 and for two years was part of a youth group that met regularly to study the Bible – a habit that he has since kept up. At 18 years of age, he became acquainted with a lay community based in France, and he left to live with them for one year, where he learned the prayer of the Psalms and got to know Christians who were seriously committed to practising their faith in the world. He studied cultural animation before returning to Quebec with the inspiration to transform the world through theatre. Once settled in Montreal, he became involved in the Centre Étudiant Benoît-Lacroix in the role of animator, and here he met many other young people who were hungry for the Word of God. With them he created events and activities with the aim of deepening their spiritual relationship with Christ and the Church, meanwhile developing a growing awareness of his gifts for teaching, offering accompaniment and bringing people together.  

He was 25 years old when he received the call to the priesthood, but he was not yet ready to respond to it. He continued to explore religious life in his association with the Capuchins, leaving after completing his novitiate.  

The conviction that the theatre was one of the most effective means for developing human relations with a Christian spirit, he did university-level theatre studies in Chicoutimi. In 2007, he again felt the strong call to the priesthood; he decided to enter the Monastic Communities of Jerusalem (Fraternités monastiques de Jérusalem), becoming involved first in Montreal and later in Paris. Founded on the basic elements of monastic life, including silence, lectio divina and, of course, regular prayer, this important experience lasted seven years, until in 2014, during a retreat in Burgundy, he at last embraced the call to the priesthood and the impulse to work as a priest in Quebec. A year of transition followed, in which he began studies in philosophy, worked as a catechist and member of a pastoral team, and led a youth group.  

Now, he has completed seven years of preliminary studies at the Grand Séminaire. For Stéphane, “Christian life is a path to liberation (…), making us more human and more divine.”  

The Church’s current situation and the spiritual life of the people of Quebec are of concern to him, but he chooses to move forward with confidence, certain that the Lord is leading His Church and that He will provide all that is needed to those who want to follow and serve Him in perseverance and humility.