Notre Dame, Ind. — Three men, including a seminarian who interned at St. John Vianney Parish in Goodyear (2010-2011), made their Final Profession of Vows with the Congregation of Holy Cross Aug. 25, in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame.
Brian Ching felt a call to religious life while attending a New York high school run by Holy Cross brothers. He graduated in 2003 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame in 2007 and a Master of Divinity in 2012.
“While I could not articulate it at the time, there was definitely something about their way of life that I found interesting and appealing,” he said in a press release. “There was just something different about their approach to teaching and to the students and you could tell that the difference had something to do with their life of praying and living in Community.”
Ching joined Mark DeMott — who was attracted to the religious order while at Notre Dame during a high school confirmation retreat — and Jarrod Waugh in making their final profession of vows. The men took the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience according to the Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross. For the past three to four years, they have been in a period of temporary vows, renewing them annually.
On Aug. 26, John M. D’Arcy, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, ordained all three to the Order of Deacon at the Moreau Seminary Chapel. They will serve as transitional deacons at area parishes and are all on track for ordination to the priesthood next spring.
For more on final vows and ordinations in the U.S. Province, visit the Holy Cross photo and video gallery. There are 1,200 Holy Cross religious in 16 countries on five continents working to educate the hearts and minds of the faithful. Bl. Basil Moreau founded the Congregation of the Holy Cross 175 years ago.
