Take 5 with Father: A life worth living

Father Stephen Hauck, pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Prosper. (NTC photo/Juan Guajardo)

HE IS: Father Stephen Hauck, pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Prosper since 2018. Previously he was parochial vicar at St. Michael Parish in Bedford.

FOUNDATION: Growing up with his father in the U.S. Army, Fr. Hauck and his five siblings moved often, including overseas. He said the two constants in his youth were faith and family.

CHILDHOOD LESSONS: Experiencing the Catholic Church in other parts of the world taught him the universality of the Church. Wherever his father was stationed, he and his siblings served as altar servers or lectors and assisted the poor.

“Faith was being lived at home, wherever home happened to be,” he remembered.

HEARING A CALL: After graduating from Lamar High School in Arlington, he pursued a career in computer programming. Although the pay was good, the work was not fulfilling. He began spending time in Eucharistic Adoration each day on his way home from work.

ANSWERING THE CALL: Fr. Hauck entered the seminary in August 2006 and was ordained a priest on May 20, 2017. 

CALL ME JOYFUL: “In this day and age there are challenges, but this is a wonderful vocation. This is a life worth living, and it is filled with a lot of joy because you do get to encounter Christ.” 

BEST THINGS ABOUT BEING A PRIEST: His daily activities are “very meaningful” to him. “It is challenging, but I like that.” His work is also “meaningful to others,” and he enjoys ministering to people at different phases of their lives. Also, no two days are the same — some days he administers four different sacraments.

NEW ROUTINES: Most of Fr. Hauck’s parishioners have recently moved to Texas, which is a good opportunity to “start over with your faith. Re-establish routines that are meaningful.” 

LOVES LITURGY: “The reason we have a liturgy — there should be a familiarity. It’s an opportunity to go deeper. The litugy speaks to us. At the heart of it, it’s a relationship with the Lord.” 

For Fr. Hauck, celebrating daily Mass is “the appropriate space for increased intimacy and depth of relationship. You can’t get to a deep relationship without familiarity.”

AT EVERY PARISH: “Our people’s expectations should be to find Christ, to be able to encounter Christ, most especially in the Eucharist but also in His people.”