ACU Leads Promotion of Sodalities in the United States

This past weekend, our Director, Fr. Christian Sáenz, S.J., accompanied by our National President, Luis Sánchez, and our pastoral administrator, Erik Vieira, traveled to St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri for a meeting of Jesuit and lay leaders of recently revived Marian Sodalities in the U.S.

The following leaders were in attendance:

Fr. Joseph Hill, S.J., current vocations promoter for the UCS province and previous leader of the Sodality at Jesuit High School, New Orleans

Fr. Matthew Baugh, S.J., director of the Catholic Studies Center at St. Louis University, former leader of the Sodality at Spring Hill College (Jesuit institution in Mobile, Alabama) and current leader of the Sodality at St. Louis.

Fr. Anthony Wieck, S.J., professor and director of Spiritual Exercises at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary

Josh Hinchie, S.J., regent at Loyola University, New Orleans, working with Fr. Nathan O’Halloran, S.J., to establish the Sodality at Loyola. Fr. Nathan previously established the Sodality at Jesuit High School, New Orleans

Jeff Miraflor, S.J., regent and leader of the Sodality at Jesuit High School, New Orleans

Alex Coffey, S.J., regent interested in establishing a Sodality at Rockhurst Jesuit High School

Peter Bell, S.J., regent at Tampa Jesuit High School, with Thomas Killackey, assistant campus minister at Tampa Jesuit

In the photo from left to right

Back row: Fr. Hill, SJ, Thomas Killackey, Alex Coffey, SJ, Peter Bell, SJ, Fr. Wieck, SJ, Josh Hinchie, SJ

Front row: Luis Sánchez, Jeff Miraflor, SJ, Fr. Baugh, SJ, Erik Vieira, Fr. Sáenz, SJ

These Jesuit leaders have expressed significant interest in reestablishing Sodalities as communities of faith to promote in-depth Catholic formation to the youth of our time. In their experience, the Sodality model is an effective method to establish community in youth that fosters long-lasting, authentic friendship while delivering solid, thorough formation that prepares our youth to confront the relativism of our time. Moreover, the historical numbers reflect that Sodalities were effective in developing vocations because it created communities for men to sincerely engage a call to priesthood or religious life without fear.

It was recognized that the ACU is the most organized, effective, and likely the oldest surviving Sodality in the U.S. The ACU is prepared to assist these Jesuits in strengthening, promoting, and establishing Sodalities at Jesuit institutions throughout the U.S.