Josh Sisolak (left), who grew up in Ashland, Montana and recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame, is about to begin orientation to become a Maryknoll lay missioner. Josh’s father, Ed Sisolak (center), was a Maryknoll lay missioner in Thailand from 1995-1999. Josh’s mother, MariaLuz Sisolak (right), was a Maryknoll staff member in the Philippines.

It wasn’t a foregone conclusion that Josh Sisolak would become a Maryknoll lay missioner like his dad. His father’s stories of mission in Thailand in the late 90s—before Josh was born—stories Josh had heard all his life—certainly laid a foundation for the possibility.

But there was more to it than that. The experiences of childhood friends from a nearby Native American community, theology studies at a Catholic university, a love of volunteer service, and the keen interest in others that comes with telling stories as a videographer were all stepping stones on Josh’s early life path that led to this moment.

“It’s very special for all of us at Maryknoll Lay Missioners to see a father pass the torch of mission to his son, especially as our organization is approaching our 50th anniversary next year—we have so much history to celebrate and such a tremendous legacy to nurture into the future,” says Elvira Ramirez, executive director of Maryknoll Lay Missioners. “Josh will be missioned to Bolivia for three and a half years, where he will join the community of Maryknoll lay missioners who walk in solidarity and service with marginalized individuals and communities.”

Josh graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2024 with a degree in film, television, and theater and a minor in theology.

“I’ve known about Maryknoll for as long as I can remember because my dad was a Maryknoll lay missioner [Ed Sisolak – Thailand 1995-1999],” says Josh. “I grew up hearing about my dad’s experiences as a lay missioner and the impact that it had on his life and in forming the character and faith that he has today.”

“My dad has been a major role model to me and an example of living as Christ calls us to. It is through him that I was able to understand what it means to be a Maryknoll lay missioner, and thus make the choice of whether that was something I felt called to be,” he says.

For most of Josh’s life, he lived in Ashland, Montana, near the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Since most of his classmates were from the Crow and Northern Cheyenne tribes, he says he was able to experience different traditions and rituals, including the intersectionality between Catholic faith and Native culture. “While not Native American myself, I believe that this experience gave me a glimpse into the lives of those who experience hardship and oppression,” he says.

While studying at the University of Notre Dame, Josh worked as a videographer and video editor for Notre Dame Studios and for Notre Dame’s marketing and communications department. He also participated in a variety of volunteer service opportunities, from providing academic tutoring to high school students within the justice system to packaging meals for children who needed them.

“I began my discernment of becoming a missioner about two years ago while I was still an undergraduate,” he says. “Knowing Maryknoll well meant that I didn’t have to search for very long. The organization’s commitment to being in communion with and serving those on the margins offers a radical way of living out the Catholic faith in today’s world.”

Since graduating from college earlier this year with a degree in film, television, and theater and a minor in theology, he has been working full-time as a substitute teacher and teacher’s aid at St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana.

Starting Oct. 14, Josh will spend three weeks in El Paso, Texas—where the mission services department of Maryknoll Lay Missioners relocated in 2023. In November, Josh will participate in the collaborative lay missioner formation program of the Franciscan Mission Service in Washington D.C., where he will join one of the Franciscan Mission Service’s candidates, along with a missioner candidate from Lay Missionary Helpers, based in Los Angeles, California. Then, after finishing the orientation program at Maryknoll, New York, Josh will be sent forth in the collaborative Mission Sending Ceremony at the Maryknoll Sisters’ chapel on Dec. 7.

“We wholeheartedly welcome Josh at a time when we celebrate the nearly 1,000 lay missioners who have been sent through Maryknoll Lay Missioners, and we are blessed and energized by his response to be a missioner in today’s world,” says Ramirez. “Much has been accomplished, but there is still much to be done and much hope for the future!”

Learn more: Father-and-son missioners reflect on their past and future

ABOUT MARYKNOLL LAY MISSIONERS

Maryknoll Lay Missioners is a Catholic mission-sending community committed to nonviolence through prevention, intervention, reconciliation, and restoration of all creation. We are long-term missioners and missioner families in nine African, Asian, and American countries. Striving to create an inclusive and anti-racist world, we live with those most excluded in society to transform unjust structures together. Learn more at mklm.org.