“We heard a summons to give over our lives in a more explicit way. It was a call to serve all people, believers and unbelievers alike. We would serve them out of our own faith that the Lord had loved us and died for us and risen for us and that He offers us a share in his life, a life more powerful and enduring than any sin or death.” ~ Congregation of Holy Cross Constitution 1:3
Join us in celebrating thirteen men who have devoted their lives to the Congregation of Holy Cross, called to make God known, loved, and served by bringing the hope of the Gospel to all the world. Congratulations and continued blessings to Rev. Thomas Blantz, C.S.C., commemorating his sixty-fifth anniversary of Ordination; Rev. Robert Antonelli, C.S.C., Rev. James Irwin, C.S.C., Rev. Charles Lavely, C.S.C., Rev. Louis Manzo, C.S.C., Rev. Daniel Panchot, C.S.C., and Rev. James Rigert, C.S.C., commemorating their sixtieth anniversary of Ordination; Rev. Gerald Barmasse, C.S.C., Rev. S. Douglas Smith, C.S.C., and Rev. Francis Zlotkowski, C.S.C., observing their fiftieth anniversary of Ordination; and Rev. William Dailey, C.S.C., Rev. Stephen Kempinger, C.S.C., and Rev. Kevin Russeau, C.S.C., honoring their twenty-fifth anniversary of Ordination.
Below is a collection of reflections and memories by some of the jubilarians.
Reflection: Rev. Thomas Blantz, C.S.C.
“Sixty-one of my sixty-five years as a priest have been spent at the University of Notre Dame. (Of the other four, three were spent in early graduate studies at Columbia University, and a later one in New York and Washington for research.) Each year at Notre Dame brought new experiences, new challenges, a new student body, often a new residence, and always new blessings.
Whether living in a student residence hall or Corby Hall, our Holy Cross community residence on campus, I offered Mass each day and was available for counseling or Confessions. For fourteen years, I was asked by Campus Ministry to offer Mass each Sunday of the academic year in the Extraordinary Form, the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass, for those who, for personal reasons, preferred it.
My principal service on campus was to offer classes in American history, on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and this I did for forty-six years. The daily contacts with students and assisting in their intellectual growth were always satisfying. I have been privileged to officiate at numerous weddings of former students and baptized many of their children. I served as chair of the history department for six years; University archivist for nine years, assisting visiting scholars with their research; Vice President of Student Affairs from 1970 to 1972, years of student unrest and protest and of the decision to admit undergraduate women into the University; and since 2017, I have been living at Holy Cross House, our medical and retirement facility, assisting with Masses and other priestly ministries. I have found each experience most rewarding.
As busy as most days could be, I also always tried to squirrel away time for research and writing. In addition to articles and book reviews, I have been able to publish biographies of Bishop Francis Haas of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Hunter College President George Shuster, and, in retirement, a history of the University of Notre Dame.
Coach Lou Holtz and others have frequently remarked that Notre Dame is a special place, and to have lived there for sixty-one years – and still counting – has indeed been a blessing. I am grateful to the Congregation of Holy Cross for giving me the opportunity to experience such a happy and fulfilling priestly life.
Reflection: Rev. Robert Antonelli, C.S.C.
“When electronic mail first became available, we had to choose a “name.” In my naïve piety, I wanted to put my name close to God’s, and so I chose “abbabob” as my email name. “Abba” is also a title similar to “abbot” or spiritual leader in the early Church; many were hermits in the Egyptian desert. I was director of the postulant program at the time, and some postulants began using “Abba Bob” to refer to me. Some still do! So much for unintended consequences. And in a way, much of my life in Holy Cross has been like a hermit in the midst of the crowd, having spent many years as a librarian at Moreau Seminary or archivist at our generalate in Rome and at the University of Portland in Oregon.
One of my greatest joys was the privilege of being with candidates for the Congregation of Holy Cross in their year of discernment prior to beginning the novitiate. I can now smile at how boring the program must have seemed, seeing that I had only one rule for the program: Honesty! Decisions could only be made on facts known. Even worse, I would repeat ad nauseam simple phrases such as: “Do not ‘should’ on yourself,” that is, instead, use “I want to …” or “I need to ….”, movements that come from within one’s self; “should” comes from an outside source. Or, “Remember the 11th Commandment: thou shalt not compare,” which meant “use ‘different from’ rather than ‘better or worse than.’ ” And I certainly must have annoyed a good many by constantly referring to a poetic phrase from St. Theresa of Avila: “Sólo Dios Basta – Only God is enough.” But I meant it all for God’s glory, and that was enough.
Memories: Rev. Charles Lavely, C.S.C.
Fr. Lavely started his journey to the priesthood as a student at Holy Cross College, formerly a high school seminary on the University of Notre Dame’s campus. During his freshman year, he recalled hanging out with fellow students, playing a game of touch football, when some passersby asked to join the game. He later found out the group was actual players from the Notre Dame football team. While a sophomore, he enjoyed toboggan outings on the grass in the field across from Fatima House, provided by Fr. Langenderfer. Throughout junior and senior year, Fr. Bill Simons “coached” basketball and directed a play each year – “Pirates of Penzance” and “Mikado” in senior year.
From there, he continued to the Novitiate in Jordan, Minnesota, then to Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame, Indiana.
At Moreau, his class was the first to attend all four years in the new building. He delighted in the many new conveniences of a huge library, large tables, and a contingent of religious taking care of the kitchen and infirmary. While in formation, he studied in Rome, taking in all the beautiful sights, cherishing the chance to visit religious treasures, and learning several foreign languages. He was Ordained in Rome, Italy, on December 18, 1965.
Fr. Lavely spent several years at Notre Dame High School in Chicago, Illinois, teaching theology. Ministry work has encompassed mostly serving in parishes, including South Bend churches St. Therese Little Flower, St. Patrick, St. Joseph, Holy Cross, and St. Augustine.
Memories: Rev. Francis Zlotkowski, C.S.C.
Fr. Zlotkowski taught high school mathematics to seniors at Notre Dame of Bridgeport, Connecticut, for two years; served at the parishes of Christ the King, in Trumbull, Connecticut, St James the Apostle, in Spring, Texas, Sacred Heart, Bronx, New York, and at St Mary’s, Taunton, Massachusetts. He spent three years as a vocation director with the Congregation. For the last 30 years, he has been in hospital ministry serving at St. Joseph Hospital, South Bend, Indiana, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and Ascension Seton Health Care in Austin, Texas.
“When I entered in 1964, Mass was in Latin; I made my first profession of vows in 1966 – 60 years ago,” shared Fr. Zlotkowski on why Holy Cross was the right choice for his vocation journey. “Holy Cross has helped me and continues to help me to develop and deepen a rich prayer life. Community prayer is foundational to me, but also growing in many ways to share faith with men who are very different from me. (The community is) challenging and supportive – from teaching seniors mathematics, to vocation work, to an inner city parish, to beginning to learn Spanish in my 40’s. Holy Cross has encouraged me in work I thought I could do and has been supportive in ministries that I found difficult. I enjoy the diversity of men in Holy Cross – both in personalities and in ages.”
A Mass of Thanksgiving is happening on Friday, May 22, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. EDT. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana. All are invited to watch the livestream of the celebration at livestream.holycrossusa.org
