Notre Dame holds Mass ahead of planned Sacred Heart consecration
Students initiated the consecration after the U.S. bishops consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart in June.
The University of Notre Dame celebrated a Sept. 25 Mass ahead of a planned consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The celebration was set to continue with a procession from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart to a statue of Jesus on campus.
Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend presided and preached, with Notre Dame President Father Robert Dowd concelebrating.
In his homily, Bishop Rhoades said the consecration was the university’s first but devotion to the Sacred Heart had been part of Notre Dame from its earliest years. Blessed Basil Moreau placed the Holy Cross priests under the Sacred Heart’s patronage in 1841, he said, and university founder Father Edward Sorin dedicated the first church he built on campus to the Sacred Heart in 1844.
“Though this will be the first consecration of the university to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, devotion to the Sacred Heart is in the DNA of this university,” the bishop said.
He described the Sacred Heart as an image of Christ’s love and a guide for the university’s mission and encouraged students to use what they learn to serve others.
“Here at Notre Dame, you learn that love must direct our knowledge — love of God and love of neighbor, in particular the weak, the suffering, the poor, and the vulnerable,” Bishop Rhoades said.
He prayed that the consecration would deepen the university community’s trust in Christ’s love and mercy and help its members bear witness to that love on campus.
“The heart of Jesus is truly the delight of all the saints, and I pray that with this consecration today, we will all find joy in contemplating the sacred word of Jesus on the cross; God's love for us is eminently manifested with the self-giving sacrifice of His Son,” Bishop Rhoades said.
After Mass, the congregation planned to process to the statue, which depicts Jesus with open arms. Father Dowd said ahead of the consecration that the statue had been a place of peace and inspiration for him since he was a student.
“Like Jesus, we are called to have a heart that is wide open to God and to others, especially those who are most vulnerable and on the margins of our society,” he said, according to a Sept. 22 Notre Dame News report. “And, at Notre Dame, it is important that head and heart are always working together to address the world’s most important challenges.”
Students from several groups initiated the effort after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops consecrated the U.S. to the Sacred Heart in June.
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