Four candidates profess final vows in basilica
As students finished their first week of classes, four men took an important step in their journey towards the priesthood. Before the altar of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Congregation of Holy Cross witnessed the profession of final vows made by four seminarians, including the Baumer Hall rector.
On August 30, Christopher Mulholland, Thomas J. Groden, Soikat Kulentuno, and Promad Rozario stood before packed pews of family, friends, seminarians, and students. Residents of Baumer Hall took up their own section of the Basilica, there to support their rector, Deacon Groden.
Although all four men earned their Masters in Divinity from the University of Notre Dame, only Mulholland and Groden attended as undergraduates. Originally from Bangladesh, Kuluntuno and Roazario received their bachelor’s degrees from Tejgaon College in Bangladesh before deciding to complete their formation in the United States.
Reverend William M. Lies, C.S.C., the Provincial Superior of the U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross, presided over the Mass. He described the ceremony as “a moment of profound grace for [the votaries] and for us, and frankly for the entire Church.”
In his homily, Rev. Lies addressed the virtues embedded in the perpetual vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. He extolled true obedience as “listening together to the Lord to do service to the needs of the world,” and emphasized the communal nature of professed religious life. Drawing from the chosen Gospel passage, Rev. Lies compared the vow of poverty to Simon Peter’s stepping out of the boat and walking across the Sea of Galilee towards Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33).
“Poverty is about the radical trust to step out on the water with empty hands, knowing that Christ alone sustains us,” Rev. Lies said. “Holy Cross poverty is not destitution, but freedom…our security lies not in wealth, not in control, but in Jesus, who always stretches out His hand.”
Addressing the vow of chastity, Rev. Lies described chastity as making “our hearts transparent to the world, a window through which others can glimpse the glory of God.” He explained that in professing their final vows, the candidates do not claim to have mastered the virtues that the vows acclaim, but acknowledge their trust and dependence on God.
Mulholland, Groden, Kulentuno, and Rozario stood before the congregation and professed their intention “to persevere all the days of [their] life in the service of the Lord, in communion with [their] brothers in Holy Cross, with whom [they] wish to live and die.”
As the Liturgical Choir led a chanted invocation of intercession from the saints, the candidates prostrated themselves as a symbol of their total submission to God. Rev. Lies then received the vows of Deacons Mulholland and Groden, while Rev. Anthony Sushanto Gomes, C.S.C., the Assistant Provincial of the Sacred Heart Province in Bangladesh, received the vows of Deacons Kulentuno and Rozario.
Following the reception of vows, the candidates each received a crucifix, and were publicly admitted as lifelong members of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Resounding applause echoed through the basilica as the candidates processed down the aisle.
“I chose not just to enter but to stay in Holy Cross because I fell in love with our community and
our mission,” Deacon Mulholland told the Rover. “Holy Cross is about the Lord’s work of bringing hope to the hopeless. Our charism, educators in the faith, has always taken the form in which we are most needed,” whether that be in village schools, university classrooms, or student mentorship. Mulholland reflected on how his role in pastoral ministry at Notre Dame shaped his formation, explaining that it “brought him close to Jesus’ own heart.”
The following morning, the candidates were officially ordained as Holy Cross deacons at Moreau Seminary. They will complete their formation and receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders as Holy Cross priests later in the 2025-2026 academic year. More information on the newly ordained deacons and their upcoming ordination can be found on the Congregation of the Holy Cross website.
Madeline Page is a sophomore studying biology. She failed to convince her parents to allow her to have a turtle in her dorm room, so as a consolation, she has two plastic jellyfish named Peanut Butter and Billybob. If you would like to meet them, she can be reached at mpage4@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: Basilica of the Sacred Heart
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