On Tuesday, June 30, 2022, at 7:00 p.m., Matthew Solarz, a seminarian for the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, will be ordained a transitional deacon at St. Patrick Co-Cathedral. This is the final step before ordination to the priesthood, which is slated for next year.
Matthew, 49, is a native of the western suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. A convert to Catholicism from the ELCA Lutheran church, Matthew was confirmed in 2001 at St. Peter Catholic Church in Lorain, OH. He is the divorced (annulled) father of two adult children, Kelsey Anne Lawrence, 28, of Aurora, CO and William Matthew Solarz, 25, of Lakewood, OH.
Matthew began his seminary formation in 2016 with the Glenmary Home Missioners, a Catholic missionary apostolate to the poor and marginalized in rural Appalachia, but left the community in 2020 after further discerning a call to diocesan parish ministry. “I felt the call to help those in marginalized communities and in remote areas, but I also felt a call and commitment to parish ministry that could not be fulfilled (with this particular community),” Matthew said. “In Eastern Montana, not only can I serve in a diocese that is missionary in nature, but I can embrace my love of parish ministry. I have never felt happier, more blessed, or more welcomed. And the bishop’s dog likes me too, so that’s a plus,” he joked.
He is currently attending Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Hales Corners, WI., and is expected to graduate in May 2023 with two degrees – his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology. He completed his BA at Cardinal Stritch University, a private Franciscan college in Wisconsin, in May 2020 as the honor graduate in the Religious Studies department.
Matthew has spent the past two summers living in Miles City and helping at Sacred Heart Parish under the supervision of the pastor, Father Jolly Pathiyamoola. This summer he is looking forward to moving to Great Falls and will be in residence at St. Ann Cathedral Parish with rector Father Xavier Arimboor until he returns to complete his studies and make final preparations for ordination to the priesthood in 2023.
“Admittedly, I was a little overwhelmed entering the Dakotas and Montana on my first visit in 2020. I had only been west of the Mississippi River twice before in my entire life. But Father Jolly’s warm welcome, the kindness of Sisters Lucy and Lissy, Deacons Bill and Tony, and all of the people at Sacred Heart in Miles City cemented my love for the diocese in a matter of months,” Matthew said. “When I received the call from His Excellency in December 2020 offering to sponsor me as a seminarian, I was overjoyed and remain tremendously grateful.”
Bishop Warfel is pleased to invite parishioners from throughout the Diocese to join in this joyful celebration of Matthew’s diaconate ordination. He invites men to consider a call to the priesthood as Matthew has, and to contact the Vocations Director, Msgr. Daniel J. Wathen at djwathen@gmail.com for more information.
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