Fifth Annual Eucharistic Procession at the University of Notre Dame

Despite what some naysayers may say, and in spite of a number of recent unfortunate events, liturgical and devotional life on campus at the University of Notre Dame has been improving steadily for more than a decade. Indeed, we are at something of an apogee.

During my own time there I saw student-run grassroots efforts to establish daily Eucharistic Adoration and other such pious exercises take root in a remarkable way. The students there are now reaping the benefits of much of that hard work undertaken by classmates, and by their predecessors the decade before. It has been my experience that Campus Ministry has been very helpful in the recent past to students who want to bring traditional praxis back to campus, especially in regard to the Sunday Tridentine mass now held regularly in one of the dorm chapels.

Another such success story is the annual Eucharistic Procession, a revival of a practice that had died out thirty or forty years earlier. What had originally been the work of a small coalition of student groups has become ensconced as an official event sponsored by the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the principal chapel on campus and with a substantial student and area attendance. Now in its fifth year, it is scheduled for April 26 after the 11:45 mass at Sacred Heart:

5th Annual Eucharistic Procession: In the spiritual tradition of Blessed Basil Moreau C.S.C., the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College are collaborating in the celebration of their Fifth Annual Eucharistic Procession. The procession will be celebrated on Notre Dame's historic “God Quad,” stopping at four altars of Benediction located in front of the statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of the University, Father Sorin, and on the steps of the Administration Building. Students, faculty, religious, and staff of each institution, as well as the general public, will give public witness of their faith and devotion to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The Eucharistic Procession will also be a public prayer to ask God for the following intercessions:
(1) a greater respect of and protection for the rights of all human life from conception to natural death; (2) an increase of vocations to the religious life and priesthood especially in the Congregation of Holy Cross; and (3) blessings upon the students, faculty, administration, and staff of the three sponsoring communities of higher learning. A picnic lunch will be provided by the generosity of the Notre Dame Knights of Columbus Council #1477. [Who know their way, let me add, around a grill. --MGA]

Congregation of Holy Cross: The Congregation of Holy Cross was founded by Fr. Moreau in 1835 and is currently located in fifteen countries on five continents throughout the world. Fr. Moreau, who was beatified in LeMans, France on September 15, 2007, envisioned the brothers, sisters, and priests of Holy Cross to be united in their lives and in their work as a visible imitation of the Holy Family. Blessed Basil Moreau was a proponent of Eucharistic adoration and devotions, and the procession honors his vision for a religious community of educators in the faith. St. Mary's College, Holy Cross College, and the University of Notre Dame, under the guidance of the family of Holy Cross, have been educating the hearts and minds of children and young adults for a combined 369 years.

For more information about this Eucharistic Procession, please contact Fr. Kevin Russeau, CSC at Russeau.3@nd.edu.

I would strongly encourage our readers in the South Bend area to make an appearance. This will be a great moment for the Eucharist and the Culture of Life on campus.