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The Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers, is overjoyed to celebrate the Jubilee of 19 men called to make God known, loved, and served by bringing the hope of the Gospel to the World. A Mass celebration is Friday, May 23, at 4:00 p.m. EDT, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the University of Notre Dame campus.
Congratulations to Rev. William Hund, C.S.C., celebrating 65 years of Ordination; Br. Patrick Lynch, C.S.C. and Br. Donald Strabowski, C.S.C., commemorating 65 years of First Vows; Rev. William Blum, C.S.C., Rev. Francis Cafarelli, C.S.C., Rev. James Connelly, C.S.C., Rev. James Ferguson, C.S.C., Rev. James Lackenmier, C.S.C., Rev. H. Richard Rutherford, C.S.C., and Rev. John Struzzo, C.S.C. observing 60 years of Ordination; Rev. Charles Corso, C.S.C., Rev. Edward Kaminski, C.S.C., Rev. James Preskenis, C.S.C., Rev. Michael Sullivan, C.S.C., Rev. David Tyson, C.S.C., and Rev. Herbert Yost, C.S.C. honoring 50 years of Ordination; and Rev. Terrence Ehrman, C.S.C., Rev. Peter Pacini, C.S.C., and Rev. John Santone, C.S.C, lauding 25 years of Ordination.
Rev. James Lackenmier, C.S.C.
“My ministry has had two major stages. I spent twenty-five years at King’s College, beginning with a year in campus ministry, followed by six years heading the development program, and finally eighteen years as President. It was an extraordinary opportunity for me to serve a College committed to the sons and daughters of the working class in the heart of a blue-collar post-industrial city. The King’s faculty are primarily teachers and mentors. They love their students and are cherished by them. My years at King’s were extraordinarily happy,” noted Fr. Lackenmier about his ministry work. “There followed about twenty years of ministry within the Holy Cross community. I was Eastern Province Steward for about a dozen years. I served as local superior at Stonehill College, Cocoa Beach in Florida, and Fatima House at Notre Dame. I tried to remember that ‘Superior’ is a title, not a descriptor. The Local Superior is less a manager and more a pastor to his brothers. It is a humbling and rewarding responsibility.”
Fr. Lackenmier can’t imagine a way of life that would have been better for his personal welfare and for the opportunities he has had as a priest. During his years at King’s College, he appreciated the chance to get involved in local and state educational, cultural, civic, and economic-development organizations.
“God has given me long years and good health. It is my prayer to continue with the enthusiasm, if not the energy, with which I began,” shared Fr. Lackenmier.
Rev. Edward Kaminski, C.S.C.
“I learned of Holy Cross and the mission of Blessed Basil Moreau through The Sisters of the Holy Cross, who formed me during twelve years of elementary and high school education in Michigan City, Indiana. I came to Holy Cross to be a brother. Like the sisters, the Holy Cross Brothers are known for their outstanding educational ministry. I wanted to be a teacher and, perhaps, a journalist. During those early post-Vatican II years, when the Church was searching for a renewed ecclesial identity, the notion of priesthood in Holy Cross became a part of my spiritual direction conversation. With province and congregational leadership willing to tackle the canonical gymnastics that such a move required, that opportunity eventually became my reality,” shared Fr. Kaminski.
In the beginning, Fr. Kaminski ministered for ten years in secondary education in Holy Cross high schools administered by Holy Cross Brothers and priests, including a pivotal and transformative year teaching as a Holy Cross brother at Cathedral High School, Indianapolis. Teaching took him from the Midwest to California.
“While on the West Coast, my interest in journalism found its original awakening working with the Catholic communications ministry in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Later, I served as director of communications and editor of the diocesan newspaper for the Diocese of Monterey on the pristine California central coast. Both my desire to teach and to write were realized in my first twenty-five-plus years in Holy Cross,” noted Fr. Kaminski.
In 2002, he relocated to the Phoenix, Arizona area, spending 20 years as an auxiliary priest after the example of Congregation founder Blessed Basil Moreau, assisting in diocesan parishes.
“These desert years were among the best in my life, made possible by the abundant grace of God, an ‘ace’ parish team of incredibly gifted lay ministers, supportive parishioners, and occasional support from the Casa Santa Cruz community (not to mention faithful canine companionship). I retired from full-time ministry in July 2022. In these ‘golden years,’ I continue to assist in area parishioners as the need arises,” said Fr. Kaminski.
Rev. Herbert Yost, C.S.C.
When his seminary application to the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was denied, Fr. Yost discovered a new opportunity to join the priesthood. “Fortunately, my application was denied because I was deaf. ‘Fortunately,’ because the Sisters of the Holy Cross staffed my parochial school (St. Anthony’s in Lancaster, Pennsylvania). They heard about the application and put me in touch with two men who were also Lancastrians: Fr. Bernard Ransing, C.S.C., and Br. Joseph Faul, C.S.C. That led to contact with Fr. William Melody, C.S.C., the vocation director at the time. So here I am, all these years later, blessed and sanctified by all the Holy Cross men I’ve known, past and present.”
Fr. Yost appreciates how the Holy Cross community has great respect for each person’s unique individuality.
“Second, assignments are made in a very balanced way. The present talents of the individual are merged with the particular needs of the local Church or of Holy Cross itself. Just as much emphasis is given to the possibility of one’s future growth. Two of the assignments were total surprises: Holy Cross Novitiate and Holy Cross Association. The latter, especially, was deeply satisfying and enriching,” shared Fr. Yost.
Fr. Yost has spent most of his ministry in parishes. He spent thirty years as the chaplain to the members of the Holy Cross Association and for the past fifteen years has been a priest-in-residence at St. Paul’s Retirement community.
“Our Constitutions call us to be educators in the faith. It’s just as important to be a student. I’ve learned a lot about faith, hope, love, and courage. This is why longevity in assignments has been such a blessing. Learning to love takes time,” said Fr. Yost. “One of the most unexpected blessings of this jubilee year has been the notes and letters from people specifically saying how their lives had been touched by what I said or did. To be honest, it was scary humbling. One can only pray a deeply felt Thank you, Jesus.”
Rev. Terrence Ehrman, C.S.C.
“I have lived most of my priestly life in higher education. After my initial placement as a deacon and first-year priest at Christ the King as the associate pastor, I have prepared for and exercised teaching at the university level. Christ the King, under the mentorship of the pastor, Fr. Tom Jones, C.S.C., provided rich soil to germinate and grow as a fledgling priest,” shared Fr. Ehrman about his ministry work. “In preparation for doctoral studies, I worked for one year in an evolutionary genetics lab at Notre Dame before entering a doctoral program in entomology at the University of Minnesota. After only a year, I switched programs to theology at the Catholic University of America (CUA). In between was a year of teaching at the University of Portland. After CUA, I have been teaching at Notre Dame since 2012. From 2016-2019, I was the assistant director for Life Sciences and Outreach at the Center for Theology, Science, and Human Flourishing. Since 2021, I have been an assistant teaching professor in the Theology Department at Notre Dame.”
Fr. Ehrman found the Congregation’s teaching mission was impactful in forming him as an undergraduate biology major.
“My residence hall had three C.S.C. priests. In the classroom, I had Fr. James McGrath, C.S.C., for botany, Fr. Charlie Weiher, C.S.C., for philosophy, and Fr. Pat Gaffney, C.S.C., for anthropology. I studied in the Greene-Nieuwland herbarium, Nieuwland being a C.S.C. priest accomplished in botany and chemistry. My teaching courses on theology and science fit in the tradition of C.S.C. education in this vital intersection. Today, perceived conflicts between faith and science drive people away from the Church or prevent their entry. I hope my teaching in this realm is a sowing of seeds of the Gospel that opens people’s minds and hearts to know God as the Creator who can be known through His creation. Science and faith are not in conflict. Rather, faith actually provides the best context in which to practice a scientific investigation of nature,” said Fr. Ehrman.
All are invited to attend. For those unable to join us, please connect with us at livestream.holycrossusa.org
