A C A DE MIC N E W S
Join Sacred Heart Major Seminary on Thursday, March 12, 2020 as the Institute for Lay Ministry hosts author
and international speaker Donald Wallenfang, OCDS, PhD. This is a great opportunity to meet Sacred Heart’s
newest faculty member, and to enjoy an engaging presentation on “Gathering Up the Fragments: Pastoral Min-
istry in a Postmodern World.” Visit shms.edu/ministry for more information and to register for the free event.
Dr. Wallenfang’s road to an academic
career was not as direct as others in his
field. In his young adult days, he focused
on athletics, playing quarterback in high
school before switching to receiver dur-
ing his years at Albion College. In addi-
tion to being an athlete, Dr. Wallenfang
began college as a pre-med student and
eventually completed his undergraduate
degree as a trumpet performance major.
He served in parish pastoral ministry as
a full-time youth minister for nine years
before transitioning into academia.
“This path in life greatly shaped my re-
search techniques as well as how I view
theology and philosophy,” Dr. Wallen-
fang said. “I believe that my experience
of the world provides a good background
that will help me in forming seminarians
as well as serving as lay formator.”
Dr. Wallenfang and his wife Megan are
both fully professed members of the Sec-
ular Order of Discalced Carmelites. “Dis-
calced” derives from a partial translation
of a Latin word that means “shoeless.”
This order focuses on contemplative
prayer, living a sacrificial way of life, pro-
fessing to live according to the evangeli-
cal counsels (poverty, chastity, and obedi-
ence), and studying the teachings of St.
Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.
His Carmelite name is Emmanuel
Mary of the Cross, inspired by the life
and work of Jewish philosopher, Emman-
uel Levinas, the Blessed Mother, and Sts.
John of the Cross and Teresa Benedicta
of the Cross.
Wallenfang acknowledges that being
a member of this order is a big part of
his life and lends greatly to his outlook
on philosophy and theology. It also influ-
ences how he and his wife raise their six
children: Ellen Agnes, Aubin Augustine,
Tobias Xavier, Callum Ignatius, Simeon
Irenaeus, and Oliver Isidore.
Influenced by the Carmelite tradition
of contemplative prayer and solitude,
his family gravitates towards cloistered
spaces. They view their home on Harsens
Island as a domestic monastery where
they can focus on raising their family sur-
rounded by the natural elements.
A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Dr.
Wallenfang earned his doctoral degree
in Constructive Theology from Loyola
University Chicago. Before he came to
the Archdiocese of Detroit and SHMS,
he taught Theology at Walsh University
in Canton, Ohio—a position he held for
eight years.
“I was drawn to Sacred Heart because
of the great emphasis on teaching the
New Evangelization,” said Dr. Wallen-
fang. “I was also drawn to Archbishop
Allen H. Vigneron’s Unleash the Gospel
movement.”
Wallenfang had been content in his
position at Walsh University (Ohio) with
no thoughts of leaving when a former
student showed him a video from the
archdiocese that ignited a passion for the
mission of the Church and what was hap-
pening in Detroit.
“I view my entrance into the Sacred
Heart family as an opportunity to fully
engage in an authentically Catholic phi-
losophy and theology program,” he said.
“It is the chance to practice my Carmelite
spirituality through thinking about the
connection between contemplation and
evangelization.”
In addition to teaching, Dr. Wallen-
fang has many publications attributed
to his name. He’s published four mono-
graphs that study the relationship be-
tween phenomenology, metaphysics, and
the Gospel. He has an autobiography in
the works, as well as a book on Carmelite
spirituality titled Shoeless: Carmelite Spiri-
tuality in a Disquieted World set for release
this year (2020).
He actively works with University of
Notre Dame professor Dr. John Cava-
dini to co-edit the Global Perspectives
on the New Evangelization, a book series
with volumes one and two available, and
more to come through 2022. When Wal-
lenfang is not teaching or writing, he
might be found traveling both nation-
ally and internationally giving academic
paper presentations.
Dr. Wallenfang also looks forward to
his time at SHMS and hopes to grow
more deeply in his faith and his everlast-
ing conversion. No matter what activ-
ity, event, or publication, he is currently
working on, he knows to always remain
centered in his Catholic faith.
“The overall goal is union with God,”
he said. “That’s where we’re all headed.”
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