Notre Dame University consecrated to Sacred Heart of Jesus

The University of Notre Dame consecrated itself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on September 25. This marks the first time the institution has performed this act in its 184-year history.

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend presided over the celebration, which included a Mass and a Eucharistic procession across the campus. The event took place before hundreds of students, professors, and community members. After the Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the procession moved to the statue of the Sacred Heart located in front of the university's main building, where the consecration occurred.

Four students proposed the consecration after learning that bishops in the United States had consecrated the country to the Sacred Heart in June. The students brought the proposal to priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and the university adopted the idea for the entire community. Notre Dame president Father Robert A. Dowd, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, participated in the ceremony.