Two weeks after calling on the University of Notre Dame to withdraw its appointment of pro-abortion professor Susan Ostermann as head of one of the school's research centers, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend joined students to pray for life at the university's Marian grotto.
"I'm so proud of you; I'm so proud of all of you," Bishop Rhoades said on the evening of Feb. 24 to the approximately 50 students, faculty and staff gathered at the grotto. "The power of prayer -- that's why we're here at Our Lady's grotto, so we'll pray together for the cause of life and respect for all human life. We pray for the University of Notre Dame, and we ask for the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother as she looks over this campus."
In his Feb. 11 statement, Bishop Rhoades expressed "dismay" and "strong opposition" to the university's appointment of associate professor Ostermann as director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, effective July 1. Notre Dame is located adjacent to South Bend, the state's fourth largest city.
The prayer event at the grotto was primarily organized by junior Gabriel Ortner and sophomore Luke Woodyard.
"The day after Bishop Rhoades sent his letter to the university, I read it and I was deeply inspired by the second to last paragraph in which he called the students to pray for the university's Catholic identity and their faithfulness to the Gospel of life, as bishop put it, and I wanted to do something about that," Ortner told OSV News ahead of the event.
"I thought it was fitting to include the bishop and to have him be able to lead us in prayer for our university," he said, "and have him be able to guide the students as we undergo a difficult test of our Catholic identity in the face of adversity from people within the university's administration."
Ortner said he had reached out to Bishop Rhoades' office and, a couple of days later, met with him in person. The bishop, Ortner said, was "very supportive," and they arranged a time when the bishop would be able to pray with the students for life.
Gathered in the cold near a replica of the French grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, a popular place for prayer on campus, Bishop Rhoades and students prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary as the sun set in the late February sky. Some students stood holding rosaries, some knelt in prayer.
Woodyard said that this event, along with a protest that is being organized by students for Feb. 27 on campus, is part of a corrective movement directed "out of love" toward the university's administration.
"We're going to call for the people at this administration to do the things that they should be doing, and if they don't, things need to change," Woodyard said, adding that the Ostermann appointment was "the straw that broke the camel's back."
"It's part of a long line of university action that's just unacceptable," he said. "So in the spirit of love and charity to our university, we want to come together as students and show that this is our voice, this is what we want. This isn't a couple of random people screaming, this is a movement. This is what a majority of people at this university want."
"The movement is to bring Notre Dame's Catholic character back into focus in a real sense and put it on the front lines," Woodyard said. "Notre Dame loves to talk about their Catholic identity, their broad, vague feel-good term, but what does that actually mean, and how do we put that into action?"
Holy Cross Father Bill Miscamble, emeritus professor of history, was present for the rosary and has been cooperating with the student-led movement with the hope that "prayer can persuade Notre Dame's administrators to rescind (the) terrible appointment" of Ostermann.
Father Miscamble said he was "terribly encouraged" by the students and their leadership.
"They really are showing that they understand the Catholic identity and mission of Notre Dame in many ways far better than the administrators," he told OSV News. "And the fact that they're willing to organize this event and to encourage participation in it is just a real source of hope."
In a statement given to OSV News, Bishop Rhoades said it was "a blessing" to pray with students at the grotto.
"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," he said. "I entrust the Notre Dame community and its leaders to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes. 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."
Among those braving the cold to pray for a deeper dedication to the Gospel of Life at the university was sophomore Connor Douglas, 20, who said that the University of Notre Dame is a "holy place" that has "allowed me to grow in my faith."
As such, "it's important that we stick to the values that the Congregation of the Holy Cross has held for so long, so well, that this diocese has prayed for so diligently," Douglas said. "We need to keep that up now and always."
Nearby, freshman Clare Hettich, 18, chatted with a group of friends following the time of prayer.
"I think it's really important to be here because the Catholic identity of Notre Dame is really what makes us us," Hettich told OSV News. "All the things that we talk about, even that are more superficial -- the community, the fun -- all of that is centered on the fact that we're a Catholic school.
"That's what makes the community so rich. That's what makes the academics so unique. We're kind of the only college that unites such rigorous academics and deep intellectual engagement with also being a Catholic school," she added. "So that's just something that's so important to me to fight for, because if we lose that, we lose what makes us Notre Dame."
Ahead of the protest scheduled for Feb. 27, Ortner said his hope is that "the administration can see that there are a great many people who come from all walks of life who are deeply scandalized by what has happened at this university (and) who were expecting better things from an institution who represents what Catholics are supposed to do and what Catholics are supposed to believe.
"I hope that the administration can have the courage to make difficult decisions as is correct with Bishop Rhoades' guidance and leadership," he said.
