In February 1943, Stephen Kane, an Irish-born Catholic military chaplain from Iowa, was captured by the Germans in North Africa. He declined repatriation so he could minister to prisoners of war, subsequently enduring twenty-eight months of imprisonment as a POW, including time as the only American chaplain imprisoned in the infamous Stalag 17. He later served as a chaplain in the Korean Conflict before returning to parish responsibilities. In this lecture, Deacon Alex Solsma will draw on his extensive research to recount the remarkable life of Chaplain Kane and his priestly ministry.
About the Speaker
Alex Solsma is a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. He is currently in priestly formation at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Ambler, Pennsylvania. A native of Sioux City, Iowa, he graduated from the University of Iowa in 2011. He worked as a radio broadcast journalist in Iowa and Wisconsin and was the director of communications at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Alexandria, Virginia, before entering Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in 2021. It is expected that Deacon Solsma will be ordained to the priesthood in June.
