2.
1.
Revived by Revive
Besides the five seminarians, the SOLTs currently have three priests at Holy Redeemer, which is one of the largest parishes in Detroit and was once the regional base for the Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers. Most Rev. Donald Hanchon, auxiliary bishop of Detroit, began serving as pastor in 1999 after the Redemptorists’ departure, and he stayed until after his episcopal ordination, when the SOLTs arrived.
Fr. Dennis Walsh, SOLT, was installed as pastor of Holy Redeemer in 2011, and has served since then, with Fr. Richard Klepac, SOLT, as his associate pastor. Father Mark rounds out the congregation’ s trio in residence at Holy Redeemer.
“ I’ m feeling well five years in,” says Father Dennis.“ Still, I’ m always seeing a lot more that we need to do.”
He points to the Revive program as one of the SOLTs greatest successes. Revive is a Spanish version of the Alpha program, a twelve-week course on the fundamentals of Christianity, with talks on Our Lady and the saints added to give the program a Catholic perspective. Revive always has a waiting list of people wanting to participate when it is held each fall. Revive includes a three-day retreat
“ The Lord is preparing me to be ready for anything and to serve anywhere.”
midway through that teaches participants more about the Catholic faith, gives them the opportunity to discuss their faith in small groups, and encourages service work.
Brother Tim was amazed at the change he saw in the members of his Revive group.
“ For most members, it was their first opportunity to have real fellowship with other Catholic men and to openly discuss issues of faith,” he explains.“ By the end of the eleven weeks, all the men at my table had developed a bond with each other and felt open to share their faith and their struggles. Each member of my group grew in their knowledge of the faith and came to a deeper relationship with Christ.”
The retreat is especially powerful. Given the economic status of most parishioners, a weekend away is not a luxury they are often afforded— even at a rustic camp, according to Father Dennis. To ensure retreatants are focused on prayer and exploring their relationships with God, mobile phones are even taken away.
The number of parishioners who are now more active at Holy Redeemer proves the Revive program’ s success.
“ People really are taking ownership of the
parish, which is great,” Father Dennis says.“ When I got here, I had to cut back on expenses because of the debt. Now, volunteer teams take care of lawn care. People volunteer to clean the church twice a week.”
Reaching Out from the Heart
Brs. Jacob Wisenbaker and Nicholas Hamilton, both in their first year of undergraduate philosophy, teach religious education to the parish’ s fourth- through sixth-graders as their apostolates. After addressing the children’ s initial curiosity about what brothers are, how they cannot get married, and why they live“ at church,” the two men set out to translate what they have learned in the seminary to non-seminarians— and very small ones at that. This catechetical approach proved to be a challenging task at first, says Brother Jacob.
“ Kids will rise to the expectations we set for them, so I try to explain the truths of the faith and then bring them up as high as they can go,” he says.“ Allowing the kids to stretch their minds has proven most beneficial. Give them a thought to ponder, and their wheels start turning. The lights come on in their eyes as they begin to ask questions, exploring the topic in ways that I have never thought of.
“ The Holy Spirit definitely takes over during the lessons; Brother Nick and I just provide the initial push.”
Brother Nicholas feels that serving in Detroit is invaluable to his future ministry.
34 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Spring 2016