Father Matt Solarz

Fr. Matt Solarz joined the Roman Catholic church in 2001, a convert from decades spent in the ELCA Lutheran tradition. A second vocation to the priesthood, he entered seminary in 2016 at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Hales Corners, WI.

He earned a BA in Religious Studies from Cardinal Stritch University, a Franciscan college in Fox Point, WI in 2020 and completed his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) at Sacred Heart in 2023.

No stranger to rural ministry or evangelization on the margins, Fr. Matt began his seminary journey moving from his lifelong home in Ohio to join the Glenmary Home Missioners, an apostolic society in rural Appalachia. He discerned out of religious life in the missions to diocesan parish ministry in 2020 when he joined the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. He presently serves as pastor of St. Leo the Great in Lewistown and Holy Family in Winifred.

Fr. Matt has been a vocal advocate for the Catholic Foundation since he joined the diocese as a seminarian in 2020, and is grateful for the opportunity to serve on its Board of Directors. “Serving the Catholic Foundation is about more than stewardship. It’s about nurturing faith, uplifting communities, and ensuring that generosity continues to guide future generations of Catholics here,” he said.