One of the true blessings of going to Notre Dame is that I have good friends who have entered the religious life. Last year I traveled to Ann Arbor to see my friend Kristin, now Sr. Louis Marie, profess her vows. Here is a video of the vestition (reception of the habit) of my friend Santiago, now Br. Tomas Martin. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both of my friends in religious life became Dominicans- it’s an awesome order. I am so proud of them! You can see Br. Tomas best around the 8:30 mark- he’s at the front of the line on the left hand side.
I sometimes took it for granted while I was in school, but the rich Catholic culture of Notre Dame really did a lot to cement my faith. Many kids stop going to church in college, but at Notre Dame going to Mass on Sunday was the normal thing to do. More than any other aspect of college, I think I will miss that environment for the rest of my life.
The Dominicans *are* an amazing order. I’m so lucky to be at the only Dominican college in the US. The friars are wonderful, and I know your friends will be happy amongst the other members of this order. A few of my friends are also entering the Dominican life, but I think they’re still at the seminary. I haven’t heard from them in a while ….