News of Alumni: Stephen Grant ’77

Stephen Grant ’77 recently wrote an essay for America Magazine about his experience at Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery in South Carolina that offers a unique monastic guest program.

The essay—called “Why a happily married father of six became a monk (for a month)”—talks about his 30-day monastic experience of living in silence and detaching from work and family life. He writes: “During my first couple of weeks at the monastery, I felt immense gratitude nearly every day and nearly every hour of every day. I felt privileged to reside in such a beautiful place, to live in silence and to brush against the gentle disposition, intelligence and wisdom of the monks. Every sunrise and sunset, a sign of God’s presence. The horn of a freight train blaring from across the Cooper River, a temporary reminder of the noise and distractions of the outside world. Each passing nod by a fellow resident, a further embrace into the community. I wondered whether I had missed my calling.”

Click here to read the full essay. Congratulations, Stephen!
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