Today, on the second feast day of Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau, the University community will begin to celebrate Moreau and will continue to commemorate his ideals throughout the week with events entitled "Holy Cross: Faith in Our Future."
The Catholic Church beatified Moreau at a ceremony in LeMans, France, last September, according to Observer archives.
Beatification is a step toward canonization, or proclamation as a saint by the Catholic Church, according to a press release.
It was at this ceremony that the Church declared Jan. 20 - the date of Moreau's death in 1873 - as his feast day, according to a press release.
John Cavadini, chair of the Notre Dame Theology department and director of the Institute for Church Life, said that beatification means that there is permission for a "public cult."
Last year, a Mass and the conference "A Great Cloud of Witness: Saints in the Catholic Tradition" celebrated the feast day, according to Observer archives.
This year, the celebration began with prayer vigil service in the Lady Chapel of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart last night.
"The idea was to try to keep some tradition going associated with his feast day each year," Cavadini said.
Today, Father David Tyson provincial superior of the Indiana Province of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, will preside at a Mass that will take place in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at 5:15 p.m.
Along with the Mass, a panel discussion entitled "Men in Black: Holy Cross Stories" will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Washington Hall, according to a press release.
Different religious congregations have their own spirituality and approach, Cavadini said, and Moreau's feast day allows for reflection on what would be a particularly Holy Cross approach.
Panelists will be "reflecting on their vocation to Holy Cross," he said.
During the event, audience members will be able to listen to the speakers' presentations and will have the opportunity to ask questions.
"People will get a sense that they are not just priests," Cavadini said. "They are priests in a particular congregation of Holy Cross and [people will get the sense of] what that means to them."
Cavadini will also deliver the inaugural Blessed Basil Moreau Lecture on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Jordan Auditorium of the Mendoza College of Business.
The lectureship is a way to "commemorate the feast day with an academic event," Cavadini said.
All of celebrations throughout the week are designed to provoke thought about Moreau and his values.
"The idea is not just to commemorate Basil Moreau and his ideals, but to develop them, to help our community think about how those ideals take root here now," Cavadini said.
