Photo of 2026 Final Vows taken by Peter Ringenberg
On Saturday, August 29, we celebrated the final profession of four Holy Cross religious. Final Vows are a joyful occasion for us in Holy Cross. Religious from around the country descend to Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart to pray, give thanks and support our brothers as they make their Final Vows. Witnessing our brothers dedicate their lives to God reinvigorates our own commitment to God and serves as a motivation for us all to recommit ourselves to the Lord and the mission He has entrusted to us.
There are a handful of days in religious life that are very easy to remember. I remember the day I entered formation. I remember making my profession of First Vows and my Final Vows. I remember getting my first assignment. I remember being ordained a deacon and then a priest. These were big days, marked by years of preparation, surrounded by family, friends and my brothers in Holy Cross.
As beautiful and moving as the Final Vows Liturgy is, religious life is more often than not composed of rather ordinary days. For every memorable day, there are innumerable ordinary days that seemingly blend together. Making time for personal prayer and liturgy of the hours amid other commitments. Going to meetings. Responding to emails. Serving on a committee. Writing recommendation letters. Hearing confessions. Taking care of administrative work. Preparing a homily. Chatting with students as they play ping-pong instead of doing their calculus homework.
These mundane activities aren’t the filling between important moments. These moments are my vocation. Final Vows will always be one of the extraordinary days in the life of a Holy Cross religious. We celebrate it because a man stands before God, his brothers, his family and the Church and offers his life to God. But the promise made on that extraordinary day will be lived on thousands of ordinary ones. A vocation isn’t lived only in milestone moments. It is found in the everyday acts of fidelity through which, day after day, we continue to say yes to God.
By Fr. Ed Dolphin, C.S.C.
Published September 9, 2026 by the Office of Vocations
