SOLTs for the City
Darci Swisher
D
ressed in gray habits, seminarians of the Society of Our Lady of
the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) are hard to miss in the halls of Sacred
Heart—and even more so on the streets of southwest Detroit.
“If you ask people in the community if
they have seen people wearing ‘dresses,’ they
say ‘yes!,’” says Efrain Zumudio, Christian
service director at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, where the SOLTs live and minister. Their
presence, he says, is “impacting the whole
community.”
Detroit, a Great Fit
The SOLTs arrived in Detroit in August
2011 after deciding to move their House of
Studies from Rome’s Pontifical University
of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) to
Detroit. At the same time, Archbishop Allen
Vigneron inquired about the congregation
taking stewardship of Holy Redeemer.
The nearly sixty-year-old missionary society of apostolic life decided Detroit was
“a fit all the way around,” says Fr. Mark
Wendling, SOLT vocation director and rector of the House of Studies. “We serve in
areas of deepest apostolic need. Detroit is
exactly what we do. It was a good ministry
for us to take.”
The society, which is based in the Diocese
of Corpus Christi, includes priests, brothers,
deacons, sisters, and lay members. SOLT
members currently serve at missions in
twelve countries.
obvious joy,” says Fr. Gerard Battersby,
Serving the Underserved
All SOLT seminarians in the Americas Sacred Heart’s vice rector and director of
and Europe now receive their priestly edu- seminarian formation.
Br. Timothy Burnham, who is in his seccation at Sacred Heart. Father Mark notes
that his religious community selected Sacred ond year of theology, says that not only has
Heart specifically because of its innovative his own relationship with Christ been deepprograms in the New Evangelization. One of ened at Sacred Heart, he has learned ways to
his brother priests, Fr. Eduardo Montemay- introduce Christ to those who have heard
or, received his Licentiate in Sacred Theol- about him but do not truly know him.
“Our training in evangelization has given
ogy in the New Evangelization from Sacred
Heart, and Father Eduardo left so impressed me a greater knowledge of the different tools
with the strong academics and professors that are available to spread the Gospel message in our culture,”
that seminarians
says Brother Tim.
were transferred to
His education has
the seminary the fol“Living in southwest
been strengthened
lowing year.
Detroit has been a
by living at Holy ReFive SOLT semiblessing for us.”
deemer. While studnarians are curies are their primary
rently studying at
focus, the SOLT
Sacred Heart while
seminarians have
living at Holy Redeemer: Bros. David Brokke, Richard apostolates at the parish.
“Living in southwest Detroit has been a
Brooks, Timothy Burhan, Nicholas Hamilton, and Jacob Wisenbaker. “The SOLT blessing for us as we’ve been given the opcommunity is such a singular blessing for portunity to serve the Mexican population
all of us, seminarians, lay students, and there,” Brother Tim says. “This has been
faculty alike, modeling as they do the good training for us as future SOLT priests,
evangelical counsels [poverty, chastity, and as we often serve minority groups and those
obedience] lived out in freedom and such who are overlooked in society.”
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