The University of Notre Dame launched the new academic year with its annual Welcome Back Mass. University President Fr. Robert Dowd presided over the mass and delivered a homily that focused on encouraging people to move beyond their comfort zones.
Dowd shared his experience in Nairobi’s Dandora neighborhood, where he lived amidst significant poverty and unfamiliar surroundings.
“Growth, whether spiritual, social, or intellectual, requires that we move beyond the familiar,” he said, urging the Notre Dame community to face the challenges of the new academic year with courage and openness.
Kate Barrett, director of liturgy in Campus Ministry, highlighted the uniqueness of this mass to the Notre Dame community.
“It's pretty unique to specifically ask God to be with us and ask that we are all united in prayer at the beginning of the academic year,” Barrett said. Students, faculty and staff were all in attendance.
The Mass featured music from the University's folk choir, liturgical choir and magnificat choir, along with a string quartet and a trumpet, composed of community members.
The second reading during Mass was delivered in Spanish.
“We’ve been doing that for several years, just recognizing how much more diverse the community is,” Barrett said.
2,400 people attended the Mass, including at least 25 priests, consisting of rectors, priests-in-residence and several faculty members.
As the community embarks on a new chapter, Barrett echoed Dowd’s sentiments, reminding everyone of the importance of prayer and unity.
“We pray together because God loves us, and if we remember that, we can then go out and into things that are less familiar,” Barrett said.
Father Dowd concluded his homily with a call to action, encouraging the Notre Dame community to embrace the unknown with faith and determination.
“May we discern God's call and move beyond the familiar, in order to grow, in order to serve, and in order to be the hope our world needs,” Dowd said.
