5.
3.
“The Lord is preparing me to be ready for
anything and to serve anywhere,” he says.
“Here we encounter a variety of persons in
many stages of life and faith.”
One “life-changing” instance took place
one afternoon, when a woman came into
the rectory crying and desperate for someone to talk to, only to learn all of the priests
were out hearing confessions. Brother
Nicholas was able to convince her to sit
with him on the stoop, and the two engaged in deep conversation.
“I learned how to communicate God’s
love with a person who was so far in the
depths of distress that even the mention of
God would send her into a fit of anger,” he
says. “By living here, I am learning something similar to St. Paul, that all of Creation yearns for the coming of Christ; that
each person desires to love and be loved,
completely, heart, mind, and soul.”
Bustling Ministries
Bishop Hanchon is pleased that the SOLT
seminarians are so involved in the life of the
parish. The positive comments he hears about
the SOLTs from Holy Redeemer parishioners
reinforce what first he thought when finding
out about the community: On that day, “God
smiled on me,” he says.
“Father Dennis has continued the progressive renovation of the church and grounds,
has stabilized the grade school, and given the
parish a path forward.”
4.
Captions:
1. Fr. Dennis Walsh, SOLT, pastors the
3,174 registered parishioners of Holy
Redeemer Parish.
2. Grade school religious education
students learn a lesson about God’s love
from Br. Jacob Wisenbaker, SOLT.
3. Fr. Mark Wendling, SOLT, is responsible
for the spiritual formation of the SOLT
seminarians.
4. Br. Nicholas Hamilton, SOLT, catechizes candidates for the Sacrament of
Confirmation.
5. Holy Redeemer’s directors of religious
education Marcella Solis and Martín Solis
chat with Br. Richard Brooks, SOLT, in the
parish’s grade school.
Indeed, the parish seems to always be bustling with activity. Each Tuesday night, 160
parishioners attend Bible study—a parishioner studied The Great Adventure Bible study
course and is now guiding others through it
in Spanish. Men’s and women’s intercession
groups meet weekly to pray for the parish, as
well as each time Revive is in session.
Two years ago, parishioners requested
Eucharistic adoration. In addition to
morning adoration in the church, an adoration chapel was set up in a front room in
the office. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Thursdays, “people are in and out” constantly, Father Dennis says.
An extension of the Image of God crisis pregnancy center was established in the
church basement a year ago. Father Dennis
says that women of the parish had already
asked him about pro-life activities when
Deacon Joe Iskra called from the primary
location at Detroit’s St. Augustine and St.
Monica Parish to see if Holy Redeemer had
interest and space.
“Right away, we probably had twelve ladies who wanted to be involved in this crisis pregnancy center,” he notes. Today, he
adds, the women receive help from people
outside the parish, and even outside the
southwest Detroit community.
help him both incentive and energy for
Christian service work at Holy Redeemer,
which i