By Kevin Keenan, Our Lady of the Angels Province, Fransiscan Friars Conventual
As their Franciscan journey continues, Friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv. of Sacred Heart Chaldean Parish in Saskatoon, Friar Cristofer Fernández (from the diocese of Arlington), OOFM Conv., and Friar Joseph Krondon, OFM Conv. (from the Archdiocese of Baltimore), made their solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience on Aug. 2, 2024, at St. Louis Catholic Church, Clarkesville, Maryland, USA.
Each friar’s request to make solemn vows was granted by Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv., and the Definitory. They proclaimed their vows, “for the entire time of my life.”
(From left to right:) Friars Krondon, Fernández, and Eshoo stand in silent reflection. (Photo courtesy of Our Lady of Angels province)
“Our Lady of the Angels Province is so blessed to have Raad, Joe and Cristofer as full members of our Order,” said Heine, who celebrated the Mass.
“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 be a witness that living together, even with many differences, is possible. The love of Jesus Christ, and the example of Saint Francis unites us in a bond of fraternal love and charity.”
More than 60 friars joined the celebration, including Friar Bishop Michael T. Martin, bishop of Charlotte, North Carolina. Several members of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi from Holyoke, Massachusetts also attended.
Eshoo, Fernández, and Krondon completed their solemn vows retreat in Holyoke, Massachusetts. They decided that since Friar Raad is not allowed to travel due to visa issues, they would forgo their retreat in Assisi, Italy, to prepare for vows together.
Friar Raad Eshoo of Saskatoon
Friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv. makes his solemn profession of vows to Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heiner, OFM Conv. Friar Raad reads the vow formula while placing his hands between the provincial minister’s, which are resting on the Book of the Gospels. (Photo courtesy of Our Lady of Angels province)
A native of Mosul, Iraq who later was a parishioner at Sacred Heart Chaldean Catholic Church in Saskatoon, Eshoo 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 Raad Eshoo felt a call to serve God in childhood, but was unsure how to pursue it. One snowy night in 2017, he googled the name St. Francis of Assisi, which produced the Our Lady of the Angels Province website. This Franciscan Conventual jurisdiction encompasses Canada. An e-mail exchange with a vocation director led to a “Come and See” weekend. That three-day experience allowed Eshoo to live with Franciscan Conventual Friars. On the first day, he says that he felt an immediate sense of belonging and understood that he had found his vocation. – Report from journalist Peter Rachert, Markham, ON.
Friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv., was born in Iraq, and his home parish is Sacred Heart Chaldean Catholic Church in Saskatoon. He is the son of Eshoo Shamoon and Maria Yousef, and has six siblings. Friar Raad has a BA in Theology and Religious Studies from the Catholic University of America, and has been teaching at Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore during his fraternal apostolic year. He will be finishing his studies at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo courtesy of Our Lady of Angels province)
Friar Cristofer Fernández
The son of Honduran and Salvadoran immigrants, Fernández said making solemn profession “reaffirms and binds the commitment I made at first profession of vows as a Franciscan friar. Through these vows and with all my imperfections, I consent to God remaking me in the invitation to a ‘transfigured existence,’ that is religious life, so that through me God might ‘christ-ify’ the world!”
Friar Cristofer Fernández, OFM Conv. makes his solemn profession of vows to Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heiner, OFM Conv. (Photo courtesy of Our Lady of Angels province)
Friar Joseph Krondon
Friar Joseph Krondon, OFM Conv. makes his solemn profession of vows to Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heiner, OFM Conv. (Photo courtesy of Our Lady of Angels province)
Krondon, who grew up in Baltimore, Md., not far from where Our Lady of the Angels Province 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 I can only hope to give back a portion of what I have received.”
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For more information about the Conventual Franciscans, visit the website at www.olaprovince.org or contact Vocation Director Friar Reto Davatz at friar.reto@gmail.com.