The campus at the University of Notre Dame is often regarded as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the U.S., and for good reason. The grounds crew maintains painstaking attention to detail during every season, ensuring the lawns are neatly manicured, flowers are perpetually in bloom during the warmer months, and Notre Dame is presenting its best self to any visitors.
It’s not only the campus aesthetic that’s striking to those who have spent time here. Many people talk about the feeling they experience at Notre Dame—something deeply peaceful, welcoming, and profound. The effect Notre Dame has on a person’s spirit is reflective of its deep Catholic roots and rich spiritual history dating back to its founding in November of 1842 by Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., who sought to share with the world the beauty of a setting that reminded him of the purity of Our Lady.
The McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame recently produced a free resource that unites the beauty of campus with the many visible reminders of our Catholic founding and faith housed in it. Notre Dame Campus Pilgrimage: A self-guided tour of Notre Dame’s sacred sites provides an overview of 13 landmarks on Notre Dame’s campus. A reflection and a prayer are included in each stage of the pilgrimage, many of them illuminating how the landmark’s function may have evolved over time.
We designed this resource to provide a glimpse of the rich spiritual life on our beloved campus and provide an opportunity for meaningful spiritual reflection, particularly at a time when our faith can provide us with so much comfort and hope. Those who embark on this pilgrimage will begin their journey at the Log Chapel, a building of immense significance throughout Notre Dame’s history, and wind their way through campus and around St. Joseph’s Lake, concluding with a final stop at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Our pilgrimage is for anyone seeking a connection with Our Lady’s University or an opportunity to engage their faith in a new way. It’s been utilized by students, teachers, parents, diocesan and parish employees, clergy, and youth and campus ministers, among others. While Notre Dame continues to adapt and create protocols to manage the unique situation presented by the coronavirus pandemic, we encourage those who cannot make the pilgrimage in person to make a virtual pilgrimage. All of the materials you will need to complete the journey are included in the downloadable PDF on our website.
Whether you make the pilgrimage remotely or in-person, we would love to hear what you think of it and the effect it has on your spiritual life. Please feel free to reach out to us via email at mcgrath@nd.edu or tag us on social media at @mcgrathnd.
Happy pilgrimage, friends!
If you’d like to download Notre Dame Campus Pilgrimage: A self-guided tour of Notre Dame’s sacred sites, click the button below:
