Archbishop Tobin to lead pilgrimage to Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is known for its Hesburgh Library’s “Word of Life” mural—more commonly known as “Touchdown Jesus.” Pilgrims on the archdiocesan pilgrimage to the university on July 19 will visit Hesburgh Library and its famous mosaic mural. (Photos by Matt Cashore /University of Notre Dame)
By Natalie Hoefer
Update: This event is sold out! To be put on a wait list, please contact Carolyn Noone at cnoone@archindy.org or by calling 317-236-1428 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1428.
Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin will lead a one-day pilgrimage to the University of Notre Dame near South Bend on July 19.
The archbishop cites several reasons he chose to lead this pilgrimage.
“First, I like the idea of pilgrimage, which I see as a metaphor for our lives, which begin in a concrete place and are heading to a sacred destination,” he says.
Next, he notes that he is “aware that many in the archdiocese cannot consider a pilgrimage to Rome, the Holy Land or even the California missions because of time and cost.” As with the one-day pilgrimage he led two years ago to Vincennes—the cradle of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis—the archbishop hopes “that some of my brothers and sisters in faith will benefit from another single-day excursion.”
Finally, Archbishop Tobin states that, “while Notre Dame is associated with high academic standards and championship teams, it is also a place where the Catholic faith is treasured and celebrated. I look forward to presiding at the Eucharist with my fellow pilgrims in the stunningly beautiful Basilica of the Sacred Heart.”
Notre Dame was established near South Bend in 1842 by eight priests of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. The land for the university was donated by then-bishop of the Vincennes Diocese, Bishop Célestine Guynemer de la Hailandière.
During the pilgrimage, participants will enjoy guided tours of some of the university’s more famous structures: the gold-domed Main Building, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Hesburgh Library and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
The day will begin at 7:15 a.m. at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center, 1400 N. Meridian St., in Indianapolis, where pilgrims will receive a bag breakfast and board a coach bus for the 7:30 a.m. departure.
Upon arrival at the northern Indiana Catholic university, a guide will lead the pilgrims on an hour-long tour of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Built between 1871-88, the Basilica was designed in the Gothic Revival style. Its impressive bell tower supports a 12-foot golden cross and a carillon of 24 bells, 23 of which comprise the oldest carillon in the United States. Carmelite nuns from France designed and created the 116 stained-glass windows in the Basilica starting in 1873. Inside, the Basilica has three altars, seven chapels and a crypt.
After the tour, pilgrims will participate in a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Tobin in the basilica at 11:30 a.m.
Pilgrims will next enjoy lunch at the campus’ Morris Inn, then embark on a one-hour-and-fifteen-minute walking tour of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, the Main Building and Hesburgh Library. Please note that the guide-led tour of these beautiful sites will be taken on foot rain or shine, so pilgrims should wear comfortable shoes.
The grotto, built in 1896, is one-seventh the size of the shrine in France that marks the location where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette le Soubirous in 1858. Below the statue of Mary at the Notre Dame grotto is a stone from the original shrine in France.
Another hallmark feature of Notre Dame’s campus is the Main Building with its gold-domed top. The building, which stands next to the Basilica, was constructed in 1879 after a fire destroyed what had been the main building housing nearly the entire university. The dome was added in 1882 and re-gilded in 2005. Gracing the dome is a 19-foot, two-ton statue of Our Lady—“Notre Dame” in French.
A little to the east of the Main Building is the Hesburgh Library, built in 1963 and named for Holy Cross Father Theodore Hesburgh, president of the university from 1952-1987. The library is most known for its “Word of Life” mural facing the football stadium. The mosaic mural depicts saints and scholars through the ages, with the predominant figure being Christ with his arms raised in an open blessing—a gesture whose visibility from the football stadium has caused it to be unofficially christened “Touchdown Jesus.”
The tour of these three well-known sites will last from 2-3:15 p.m., followed by a visit to the university’s bookstore.
The bus will depart from Notre Dame at 4:15 p.m., and is scheduled to return to the Catholic Center by 7 p.m.
The cost is $99, which includes transportation, breakfast, lunch and the tours. There are 50 spots available.
To register for the pilgrimage, log on to www.archindy.org/pilgrimage. For questions or more information about the pilgrimage, call Carolyn Noone at 317-236-1428, or 800-382-9836, ext. 1486, or e-mail her at cnoone@archindy.org. †
