NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Holy Cross Father Theodore M. Hesburgh is one of 22 members of Holy Cross celebrating anniversaries of Ordination or Religious Profession during this year’s Jubilee. A celebratory Mass is scheduled for today at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.
Fr. Hesburgh, who celebrates his 96th birthday May 25, is currently the oldest and longest-serving priest of the United States Province. The New York born priest knew as an eighth grader he wanted to be a priest after a Holy Cross priest and three missionaries visited the church.
“I just wanted to be a priest, not necessarily knowing what I would do as a priest, except that I knew I wanted to be a priest,” he fondly recounted. “I don’t know why God does what God does. Once I came here [the University of Notre Dame], I didn’t want to do anything but be a Holy Cross priest.”
Vocation dates for Fr. Hesburgh
- 1934-37: Studied at University of Notre Dame
- Aug. 15, 1935: received into the Congregation of Holy Cross
- Aug. 16, 1936: First Profession of Vows
- 1937-39: Theology at Gregorian University in Rome; Earned bachelor degree
- Aug. 16, 1939: Final Vows
- June 24, 1943: Ordained
- 1945: Doctorate in sacred theology from Catholic University of America
Fr. Hesburgh – the early years (video from Family Theater Productions)
Fr. Hesburgh wanted to become a Navy chaplain after ordination, but furthered his studies instead. His doctorate was one of many degrees Fr. Hesburgh would hold. He ultimately earned the distinction of having received 150 honorary degrees, a Guinness World Record.
He returned to Notre Dame after completing his doctorate and assisted the returning veterans as Religion Instructor and Chaplain of World War II veterans and married veterans living in Vetville at Notre Dame. He went on to other roles at the university including Executive Vice President in 1949 and the University’s 15th President in 1952. Fr. Hesburgh was 35 and held the position for the same number of years – the longest serving President of Notre Dame.
Fr. Hesburgh was one of 16 presidential appointments to serve on the Civil Rights Commission. He knew Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. well and worked with him in advancing the cause of integration in the United States. The Holy Cross priest was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1964 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. He also was given the inaugural Gerald R. Ford Award for leadership in intercollegiate athletics by the NCAA in 2004.
As president of Notre Dame, Fr. Hesburgh increased financial aid for students and opened the University to female students in 1972. He is credited with making the University the nation and world’s most renowned Catholic higher education institution. Fr. Hesburgh also chaired the International Federation of Catholic Universities, which redefined the nature of the contemporary Catholic university.
On April 17, 2013 at the age of 95, Fr. Hesburgh’s long-time dream of becoming Navy Chaplain finally became a reality. Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd, Chief of Navy Chaplains, declared Fr. Hesburgh an honorary Navy Chaplain at a ceremony at Notre Dame.
Fr. Hesburgh remains active. He resides at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Ind., and continues to work daily in his office on the 13th floor of the Hesburgh Library at Notre Dame. Fr. Hesburgh also finds time to fish, his favorite past-time.
Papal appointments:
- 1956-70: Permanent Vatican City representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria
- 1968: Head of the Vatican representatives attending the 20th anniversary of the United Nations’ human rights declaration in Tehran, Iran
- 1972: Spearheaded the construction of the Tantur Institute for Ecumenical Studies in Jerusalem at At the request of Pope Paul VI
- 1974: Member of the Holy See’s United Nations delegation
- 1983: Pontifical Council for Culture
Other accomplishments:
- 2006: Sachem Award, Indiana’s highest honor, in recognition of a lifetime of excellence and moral virtue that brought credit and honor to the state
- 2010: one of 100 recipients of a Centennial Medal from Catholic Charities USA for his work on behalf of the poor
- Founded the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame with Philanthropist Joan Kroc, wife of the late founder of McDonald’s Corp.
- Honorary chairman of the fundraising campaign for the South Bend Salvation Army’s Kroc Community Center, which opened in 2012 and was built by securing a grant from the Kroc Foundation and monies left by Mrs. Kroc to Salvation Army locations across the nation upon her death.
Fr. Hesburgh – vocation story (video from Family Theater Productions)
