April 14, 2026 // Diocese

Two Priests Ordained with Congregation of Holy Cross

Lisa Kochanowski

Freelance writer

 

It was an afternoon of joy, reverence and celebration on Saturday, April 11, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Bishop Patrick M. Neary, C.S.C., of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota, conferred the Order of the Presbyter through the ancient Christian sign of the laying on of hands and the prayer of the Church to Father Thomas James “T.J.” Groden, C.S.C., and Father Christopher Nicholas Mulholland, C.S.C.

“T.J. and Chris are generous and compassionate men whose lives already reflect the heart of Christ in service to others,” said Holy Cross Provincial Superior Father William M. Lies. “In these somewhat uncertain times, their witness gives us hope. We are grateful to welcome them into the brotherhood of the Congregation of Holy Cross and confident that their faith, humility and zeal will help make God known, loved and served wherever they are sent.”

At the beginning of the ordination Mass, Bishop Neary said: “This is a beautiful day, not only in nature but especially in this holy place, this basilica. Today our joy is increased because we are here to ordain two of our brothers in Holy Cross to the priesthood, and you have come from near and far to be here today.”

He continued, saying, “We pray in a special way that they can be filled with the joy of Christ, come to His Sacred Heart, and through their witness and through their preaching, and through their teaching, and through their administering the sacraments of the Church, they can draw many more people to the light and love of Christ and to His Sacred Heart.”

Affirmation Presentation

In the Congregation of Holy Cross, the provincial superior — Father Lies, in this case — presents the men to the ordaining bishop and also invites each man to have a layperson present on their behalf.

University of Notre Dame student Peter Verges, a member of Baumer Hall, where Father Groden served as rector, shared a testimony on behalf of the men of the dormitory.

“Deacon T.J., since his arrival in the fall, has embodied a Christlike concern for others,” Verges said. “From meals in his room to intentional conversations … his presence and his laugh are both very powerful. Through these ways and more, including the hours he dedicates to the administration of Baumer, ensuring the best possible experience for us, Deacon T.J. places others above himself. Baumer residents described T.J. as selfless, a welcoming force of encouragement and love, and a father figure,” shared Verges. “In his preaching, Deacon T.J. has led our community to see the living God in our lives. He routinely reminds us that God can do marvels.”

Oliva Kraft, a parishioner of St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, presented on behalf of Father Mulholland.

“Deacon Chris both teaches and lives the word in his everyday life,” Kraft said. “We’ve definitely put him to work in just about every ministry of our church that fits into his schedule — and a few that don’t. Through these ministries, he had told me he has seen people at every stage and phase of their life. He’s seen the joy and the grief that comes with every part of life, and what makes him so special and so set apart by God is the incredible grace he navigates it with. He always has boundless energy and a smile to offer anyone. His homilies always feel kind of like God told him my business, and I’m always sitting there being like, how did he know?”

Newly Ordained

Father Groden, from Glenview, Illinois, is the youngest of three children of the late Louis and the late Susan Groden. His home parish is Our Lady of Perpetual Help, located in the Archdiocese of Chicago. While at the University of Notre Dame, he earned a bachelor of business administration and undergraduate degrees in finance and medieval studies, as well as master’s degrees in education and divinity.

While in formation, he served as assistant rector in Dillon Hall at Notre Dame; served at Our Lady of the Road in South Bend; supported Notre Dame’s Campus Ministry Short Course (OCIA) program; provided chaplaincy care at Elkhart General Hospital in Elkhart; and led youth ministry at St. Joseph Parish in South Bend. His summer placements included parish ministry in Jalchatra, Bangladesh; Spanish language study in Puebla, Mexico; an internship with University Relations at the University of Portland; service at My Brother’s Keeper in Easton, Massachusetts; and pastoral ministry at Christ the King Parish in South Bend. Following his final vows, he has served as rector of Baumer Hall.

“As a priest, I hope to be a faithful steward of God’s mysteries and a generous and zealous worker in the Lord’s vineyard,” Father Groden said. “In the words of Father Jacques Dujarié, the founder of the Brothers of St. Joseph, ‘I am a priest to be the consolation of the widow, the father of the orphan, the support of the poor, and the friend of those who suffer.’ In Holy Cross, we stand with Our Lady of Sorrows at the foot of the cross and help those entrusted to our care to bear the crosses of their lives.”

Father Mulholland, from Atchison, Kansas, is the second of six children of Edward and Valerie Mulholland. His home parish is St. Benedict, located in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Studies at the University of Notre Dame earned him a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an M.Div. degree.

During formation, he assisted with religious education at St. Mark Parish in Niles, Michigan; volunteered with Catholic Charities and the Marian House in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with a winter placement at St. Ignatius Martyr Parish in Austin, Texas; served in youth ministry at St. Adalbert Parish in South Bend, where he assisted with the Spanish language Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA); provided pastoral care through Campus Ministry at the University of Notre Dame; and served as the assistant director of Old College, the Congregation’s undergraduate seminary. Following final vows, he has served at St. Ignatius Martyr Parish.

“I tell the couples I have been preparing for marriage, ‘This is a big year for both of us!’ … I can only pray that the graces packed into this weekend will remain with me so I can continue to examine them one by one for years to come,” Father Mulholland said. “As a priest, I hope to go where Christ sends me and to let His life grow in me. ‘Let them see you, Lord’ is what I pray.”