As their Franciscan journey continues, Friar Raad ESHOO (home Diocese of Saskatoon, Canada), Friar Cristofer FERNÁNDEZ (home Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, USA) and Friar Joseph KRONDON (home Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland, USA), professed their solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience on Friday, August 2, 2024. All three are members of the Province of Our Lady of the Angels in the USA. The ceremony took place at the St. Louis Church in Clarkesville, Maryland. The Minister Provincial, Friar Michael HEINE, with his Definitory had earlier granted each friars’ request to profess solemn vows. Thus, in the presence of the Minister Provincial, they proclaimed their vows, “for the entire time of my life.”
The Mass was presided over by the Minister Provincial. “Our Lady of the Angels Province is so blessed to have Raad, Joe and Cristofer as full members of our Order,” he said. “All three come from different backgrounds and experiences yet they are able to live together as brothers in fraternity. In a world that is so divided, the Franciscan friars, and these three in particular, try to [give] witness that living together―even with many differences―is possible. The love of Jesus Christ, and the example of St. Francis unites us in a bond of fraternal love and charity.”
More than sixty friars joined the celebration, including the Most Reverend Michael T. MARTIN, Bishop of Charlotte, South Carolina, USA. Several members of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi from Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA, also attended. Friars Raad, Cristofer, and Joseph completed their solemn vow Retreat in Holyoke. They decided that since Friar Raad cannot travel due to visa issues, they would forgo having their retreat in Assisi and instead, prepare for vows together in Massachusetts.
A native of Mosul, Iraq, Friar Raad said solemn vows, “embody a profound commitment that resonates deeply within me. They represent promises made with unwavering sincerity and conviction, binding me to a path of integrity and purpose. Each vow is a testament to my values and aspirations, a declaration of dedication to a cause or relationship with immense significance.”
Friar Cristofer is the son of immigrants from Honduras and El Salvador. He commented that professing solemn vows “reaffirms and binds the commitment I made [during my] first profession of vows as a Franciscan friar. Through these vows, and with all my imperfections, I consent to God remaking me in [His] invitation to a ‘transfigured existence,’ that is religious life, so that through me God might ‘Christify’ the world!”
Friar Joe, who grew up in Baltimore, not far from where the Province of Our Lady of the Angels is headquartered, said, “Solemn profession is my saying, ‘yes’ to being further conformed to Christ Crucified in the footsteps of Holy Father Francis, and that “yes” being received by the brothers who have helped form me into the man I am today. Solemn vows for me is an outpouring of gratitude to a community [to which] I can only hope to give back a portion of what I have received.”
Kevin A. KEENAN, Director of Communications
