Never Abandon Our Lady

I approached God Quad on a sunny spring day in 2011, my family trailing a few steps behind me, trying to keep up. The foliage was starting to blossom, but my eyes were focused only on the Golden Dome up ahead. I was a junior in high school, and this was my first time setting foot on a campus I had longed to be part of for nearly my entire life.

When I finally saw campus in person, the beauty of the place enchanted me, but I also got a strong sense that Notre Dame was a Catholic place. Now, nearly five years after first stepping onto campus, I’ve been able to work on projects crucial to the university’s Catholic identity. But these days, when I pass the Dome, instead of feeling the wonder I once enjoyed, I usually grumble about the decisions made inside by university administrators.

Honoring Biden

Decisions such as the recent one made to honor Joe Biden with the Laetare Medal, an honor the university presents every year “to an American Catholic in recognition of outstanding service to the Church and society.” After Roe v. Wade, Biden quickly fell in line with Catholic Democrats like Ted Kennedy and Mario Cuomo, asserting that, though he was personally against abortion, he would not work to change the law. As vice president, Biden told the Chinese government that he “understands” its one-child policy, which leads to nearly 13 million forced abortions each year.

He has also consistently supported same-sex marriage and advocated for a Supreme Court decision to establish a constitutional right to such unions. He supports the HHS contraceptive mandate and has claimed that it doesn’t violate the religious liberty of Catholic institutions.

In addition, Biden spearheaded the Senate Democrats’ successful attempt to defame Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, almost entirely because Bork would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Had Biden not grossly misrepresented Bork’s record and attacked his character, Anthony Kennedy would not have been appointed in Bork’s place, and the Court almost would have overturned Roe in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992.

The idea that my university—which consistently portrays itself as our country’s preeminent Catholic university—would honor this man with any award is disheartening, let alone an award given explicitly for his “outstanding service to the Church.”

Still Hoping

And yet, I refuse to give up hope for Notre Dame. There is something irreplaceable here, something that we should never abandon, something about the nature, role, and spirit of Notre Dame that will always be Catholic.

Much has been written about the work done by groups like Right to Life, the Center for Ethics and Culture, the Identity Project, Students for Child-Oriented Policy, and the student newspaper the Irish Rover. Much has also been written about the many faculty in all disciplines who are deeply Catholic in their personal and academic lives. Even the administrators who make the decisions like awarding to Laetare Medal to people like Vice-president Biden are deeply committed to their faith, even if they concede too much to worldly ideas in some of their decisions. These are not the only lights I see.

The thousands of small, interpersonal connections made both while and after attending Notre Dame build a network that is, more often than not, distinctly Catholic. Both on campus and after graduation—and even for many who never attended Notre Dame but know and love its spirit—there is a communal experience of loyalty and friendship, frequently deepened by the fact that God is undeniably present here in a unique way.

The Grotto is filled most days with people lighting candles in the hope that Our Lady will hear their prayers. Students of all faith traditions gather at the Grotto after the death of a student to pray decades of the Rosary for the soul of the departed. Many professors begin their classes with a prayer, and a crucifix hangs in each classroom and many dorm rooms on campus.

In every dorm and in many other campus buildings, you’ll find a chapel, and inside, even when all the other lights are out, a small candle flickers in the sanctuary lamp beside the tabernacle. God is present here, and students can and do reach out for Him in a way that isn’t possible at any other major university.

Notre Dame doesn’t remain a Catholic place as a result of administrative decisions or the awards we bestow. It remains Catholic because of its faculty members who are truly Catholic and its Catholic students and graduates who continue to beseech their university to champion our faith. The Catholic identity of Notre Dame will remain here as long as faculty, students, and graduates know why Mary is on the golden dome and are to be found praying in the Grotto.