Portraits

If history had repeated itself, Sr. Sisilia Soelistyane, S.Sp.S., a newly appointed formator for her province in Indonesia, would have gone to Ghana for training. Instead, Sr. Sisilia was asked to be the first in her local community to train in the United States. She was nervous, but wanted to open her heart to what was being asked of her. Now a student at the Institute of Religious Formation (IRF) in Chicago, Sr. Sisilia’s life is unfolding in whole new ways. “Coming here is like nine months in the womb,” she said. “It’s nine months of learning.”

For CTU alumnus Rev. Eddie DeLeón, C.M.F., preparing for Sunday Mass recently became a more daunting, but rewarding experience. “When I preach at Mass, there are world-renowned Scripture scholars in the audience, as well as the dean of the Yale Divinity School,” Fr. DeLeón said, smiling. “Not to mention, students may fact-check my homily!”

In August 2011, Fr. DeLeón became the first Latino priest to serve as Assistant Chaplain at Yale University’s Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel. There, he supports all 5,600 graduate students with Catholic intellectual life, spiritual direction, marriage counseling, and other faith services, as well as plans and executes outreach for Yale’s Latino student population.