As the University of Notre Dame continues to draw criticism for its promotion of a pro-abortion professor, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, led students in the Rosary Feb. 24 at the campus’ grotto to pray for the preservation of the school’s Catholic identity.
About 50 people joined the bishop in prayer at the outdoor grotto despite the frigid temperature, according to an EWTN News report by freelance journalist and Notre Dame student Abby Strelow. A flyer for the event, shared by X account Sycamore Trust, states that students were invited to join Bishop Rhoades “as he prays for the Catholic identity of Notre Dame as well as the students and faculty working to save it.”
Bishop Rhoades has previously spoken out against the university’s appointment of Associate Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, issuing a statement Feb. 11 saying she is unqualified for the position for several reasons related to her pro-abortion advocacy.
In the Feb. 11 statement, he said the Catholic school’s appointment of Ostermann “understandably creates confusion in the public mind as to Notre Dame’s fidelity to its Catholic mission. Many faculty, students, alumni, and benefactors of Notre Dame have reached out to me to express their shock, sadness, confusion, and disappointment. I share their feelings as well as their love for Notre Dame.”
His presence at the grotto Feb. 24 reiterates his solidarity with the many Notre Dame students who have expressed concern and distress over the appointment. In a statement after the prayer, the bishop asked all the faithful to pray for Our Lady to intercede for the university.
He also said it was a blessing to pray the Rosary with the students following Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and added, “I am grateful for Notre Dame's pro-life witness reflected in the students and faculty who work to foster a culture of life through their organizations, programs, and daily example.”
“I entrust the Notre Dame community and its leaders to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes,” Bishop Rhoades said. “I invite all the faithful to join in prayer — perhaps by lighting a candle at the Grotto — asking our Blessed Mother to intercede for Notre Dame and its proclamation and service of the Gospel of her Son, the Gospel of life.”
“It was a blessing to pray the Rosary this evening with students at the University of Notre Dame at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, following Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. I am grateful for Notre Dame's pro-life witness reflected in the students and faculty who… pic.twitter.com/Wrtee0Xsvr
— Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (@diocesefwsb) February 25, 2026
The prayer with Bishop Rhoades comes days before a student-planned candlelit “March on the Dome” demonstration calling for the university to rescind Ostermann’s appointment. As Zeale News reported, the rally is organized by students Luke Woodyard and Gabe Ortner, along with Notre Dame Right to Life, the Knights of Columbus Council 1477, The Irish Rover newspaper, and other student groups.
Bishop Rhoades’ statement on the appointment has encouraged the students to continue to mobilize, as Woodyard stated in a press release about the march: “The Bishop did not urge us to sit silently and watch our Lady’s University fall before our eyes; he gave us a clear call to action.”