About Father Silas

Father Silas Henderson is a native of East Tennessee and is a member of the United States Province of the Society of the Divine Savior (the Salvatorians). He currently serves as a member of the provincial council, the spiritual director of the Salvatorian Center, and as the province’s Director of Planning. He currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Brother Silas was ordained to the diaconate in 2021 and, in 2023, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men as the Chair of CMSM’s Region 5. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 24, 2024.

With nearly 20 years in religious life (including 11 years as a Benedictine monk before becoming a Salvatorian), Father Silas holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Saint Joseph Seminary College, St. Benedict, Louisiana, a Master of Theological Studies from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana, and a Doctor of Ministry degree (in Liturgy) from Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

Father Silas first became involved in adult faith formation and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults while serving in parish ministry in Louisville, Kentucky. Since then, he has offered parish missions, workshops, retreats and other faith formation programs in more than a dozen states. In his ministry as the director of the Tucson-based Jordan Ministry Team (a Salvatorian ministry focused on initial and continuing faith formation and catechesis), he was privileged to offer in-person and online programming for permanent deacons, parish leaders, religious educators and catechists across the United States in both in-person and online programs. He has also been a featured presenter at the Southwest Liturgical Conference, the Dallas Ministry Conference, the Diocese of Fresno Diocesan Congress, and the “Together in Hope” Conference, as well as collaborating with Liturgy Training Publications for a special series of reflections on the liturgies of Lent and Holy Week at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

In his retreats and workshops, Father Silas focuses on discipleship and spirituality as he reflects on Mary and the communion of saints, the liturgy, Sacred Scripture, and the sacramental life of the Church.

Father Silas is the author of four books, including Saint Aloysius Gonzaga: With an Undivided Heart (Ignatius Press) and Lights for a Waiting World: Celebrating Advent with the Saints (Abbey Press Publications), and he has published nearly 150 articles and reflections in a variety of prominent Catholic publications, including America Magazine, Give Us This Day, The Priest, Loose-Leaf Lectionary, CareNotes and PrayerNotes, and Pastoral Review, and he written extensively for LPi and Aleteia.org, offering commentaries on the Readings for the Sunday Mass and Aleteia’s “Today We Celebrate” series.

If you would like to invite Father Silas to speak at your parish, school, or special event, please click here.

Rose Hernandez, Director of Formation and Evangelization (Diocese of Fresno)

“Having Bro. Silas provide formation opportunities for our leadership and catechists has been a blessing. His knowledge and engaging presentation skills make him a favorite in our diocese.”

Endorsements

Sue Haertel, SDS (Wauwatosa, Wisconsin)

“Bro. Silas Henderson is able to explain complex concepts in accessible ways. Whether it is a conversation about the weekend’s Gospel or a retreat, Brother Silas expands my knowledge and inspires my prayer life. I am a better Christian because of his teaching.”

Timothy Johnston, Pastoral Associate, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (Chicago, Illinois)

“Bro. Silas is a truly skilled catechist. His dep love for sharing the faith is evident in his dynamic and knowledgeable presentations. From retreats to parish missions to clergy formation and everything in between, Bro. Silas is able to provide parishes with meaningful ongoing spiritual and theological formation.”

Peggy Guerrero, Spiritual Director (Tucson, Arizona)

“Bro. Silas allows the individual and the group to find the ‘growth point’ within the process and builds on that for the benefit of everyone invovled. He also brings his ability to observe within a setting, and provide for growth from his deep background, knowledge, and faith. He has a keen sense of the ‘life, faith, life’ journey that each person and institution is making.”

Stephanie Munsen, Director of Campus Ministry, Divine Savior Holy Angels High School (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

“Bro. Silas presented at the faculty and staff professional development in-service at my Catholic high school. Teachers are a hard crowd on the first days back from summer vacation, but Bro. Silas did an amazing job. A veteran faculty member said it was the best presentation she has been a part of yet. Every time I hear Bro. Silas speak, I leave wanting to tell everyone what I heard. He has a gift for preaching to the heart of an issue in a way that resonates deeply but also is a new way of me thinking about the faith.”

Places where Father Silas has presented or preached (2009 to present):

  • - Archdiocese of Las Vegas Faith Formation Department, Las Vegas, NV

  • - Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Permanent Deacons (Ongoing Formation), Milwaukee, WI

  • - Archdiocese of San Francisco Schools Office (Elementary School Principals), San Francisco, CA

  • - Archdiocese of San Francisco Schools Office (Staff), San Francisco, CA

  • - Basilica of St. Josaphat, Milwaukee, WI

  • - Blessed Francis Jordan School for Formators, Rome, Italy

  • - California Catholic Administrators Association (Diocesan School Superintendents)

  • - Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee, WI

  • - Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Eloy, AZ

  • - Church of the Epiphany, Louisville, KY

  • - Conference of Major Superiors of Men (Winter Leadership Gathering), Houston, TX

  • - Congregation Sinai, Milwaukee, WI

  • - Corpus Christi Church, Tucson, AZ

  • - Daughters of St. Paul Book and Media Center, Culver City, CA

  • - Diocese of Dallas (RCIA Training Workshops), Dallas, TX

  • - Diocese of Dallas Deacon Formation Program, Dallas, TX

  • - Diocese of Dallas Ministry Conference, Dallas and Irvine, TX

  • - Diocese of Fresno (Diocesan Staff Formation Day)

  • - Diocese of Fresno Congress, Visalia, CA

  • - Diocese of Salt Lake City, Permanent Deacons (Online Retreat), Salt Lake City, UT

  • - Diocese of Springfield Deacon Formation Program, Springfield, IL

  • - Diocese of Tucson Catholic Schools Office, Tucson, AZ

  • - Diocese of Tucson Common Formation Process, Tucson, AZ

  • - Diocese of Tucson Pastoral Center (Chancery Staff Formation Day), Tucson, AZ

  • - Divine Savior Holy Angels High School (Faculty and Staff), Milwaukee, WI

  • - First Congregational Church, Long Beach, CA

  • - Generalate of the Society of the Divine Savior, Rome, Italy

  • - Holy Spirit Parish—St. Stanislaus Church, Stevens Point, WI

  • - Immaculate Conception Church, Yuma, AZ

  • - Immaculate Heart High School (Faculty and Staff), Oro Valley, AZ

  • - Institue for Carmelite Studies (Online Workshop)

  • - Jordan University College (Public Lecture), Morogoro, Tanzania

  • - Liturgy Training Publications (Online Workshops)

  • - Manhattan Beach Community Church, Manhattan Beach, CA

  • - Mater Salvatoris Scholasticate, Morogoro, Tanzania

  • - Mayslake Ministries (Online Workshops)

  • - Most Holy Trinity Church, Tucson, AZ

  • - Mother of Good Counsel Church, Milwaukee, WI

  • - Mother of the Savior International Formation House, Madrid, Spain

  • - Notre Dame Schools, Milwaukee, WI

  • - Paulist Evangelization Ministries (Online Workshop)

  • - Presbyteral Assembly, Louisville, KY

  • - Redemptorist Renewal Center, Tucson, AZ

  • - Redemptorist Retreat Center, Oconomowoc, WI

  • - Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, Hales Corners, WI

  • - Salpointe Catholic High School (Faculty and Staff), Tucson, AZ

  • - Salvatorian Sisters Residence, Milwaukee, WI

  • - Southwest Liturgical Conference

  • - St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, CA

  • - St. Anastasia Church, Los Angeles, CA

  • - St. Anne Church, Alburquerque, NM

  • - St. Anthony High School, Milwaukee, WI

  • - St. Anthony of Padua Church, Reedley, CA

  • - St. Augusta Church, Lake Village, IN

  • - St. Augustine High School (Faculty and Staff), Tucson, AZ

  • - St. Charles Apache Mission School, San Carlos, AZ

  • - St. Christopher Catholic Church, Marana, AZ

  • - St. Cyril of Alexandria Catholic Church, Tucson, AZ

  • - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School, Tucson, AZ

  • - St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Tucson, AZ

  • - St. Francis of Assisi School, Yuma, AZ

  • - St. Genevieve Catholic Church, Chicago, IL

  • - St. John the Evangelist School, Tucson, AZ

  • - St. Joseph Abbey, Covington, LA

  • - St. Joseph Academy, Milwaukee, WI

  • - St. Joseph Catholic Church, Dale, IN

  • - St. Joseph Catholic Church, Wauwatosa, WI

  • - St. Louis Catholic Church, Caledonia, WI

  • - St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, Milwaukee, WI

  • - St. Margaret Mary Catholic Community, Louisville, KY

  • - St. Matthew United Church of Christ, Wheaton, IL

  • - St. Meinrad Archabbey Retreat Center, St. Meinrad, IN

  • - St. Odilia Catholic Church, Oro Valley, AZ

  • - St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Mount Pleasant, WI

  • - St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Los Angeles, CA

  • - St. Paul United Methodist Church, Louisville, KY

  • - St. Pius X Catholic Community, Wauwatosa, WI

  • - St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr Church, Chicago, IL

  • - St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Chicago, IL

  • - St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Community, Tucson, AZ

  • - Santa Cruz School, Tucson, AZ

  • - “Together in Hope” Conference (Online Workshops)

  • - Turkish American Society of Wisconsin, Greenfield, WI

  • - Westwood Hills Congregational Church, Los Angeles, CA