Children of Mary is a student group dedicated to the celebration of the Latin Mass and other traditional Catholic devotions including the Rosary, sacred music, and the Liturgy of the Hours. The organization seeks to promote the Catholic culture of the University of Notre Dame, St. Mary’s College, and Holy Cross College through both traditional Catholic devotions and social events.
Jenny Klejeski, a junior and current president of the club, explained that for a young Catholic at Notre Dame, there is great value in experiencing the richness and variety offered by traditional Catholicism.
“Anyone who truly wants to understand Catholicism owes it to themselves to experience everything that the Church has to offer, and this means getting at least a taste of life beyond dorm Mass. The link that many devotions have to the history of the Church makes them an unparalleled way to get in touch with our rich heritage as Catholics,” Klejeski said in an email interview.
To support this heritage, Children of Mary sponsors a Novus Ordo Mass each Saturday morning in the Alumni Hall Chapel, as well as Mass in the Extraordinary Form (the Latin Mass) in the same location each Sunday. Both services take place at 9:00 am and are open to the entire campus community. The group organizes additional masses for special feast days, often accompanied by Gregorian chant provided by the St. Joseph Schola Cantorum.
Senior Dale Parker, the liturgical officer for the club, commented on the importance of liturgy in supporting Catholic culture on a college campus.
“The liturgy is important in promoting Catholic culture because it is the widest medium. Every Western Catholic will hear the same readings at Mass, recite the same prayers and profess the same faith, in common, every Sunday. What a tremendous unifier!” Parker said.
Although many events organized by Children of Mary are liturgical in nature, the group also plans social events to foster a strong sense of community among students living out their faith in their everyday lives. Examples of such events include shoe stuffing for St. Nicholas Day, a weekly social hour in LaFortune, and a guys’ and girls’ social evening. Members also gather by the Grotto on Sunday evenings at 8:00 pm to pray the rosary while walking around St. Mary’s Lake. The group began the year by gathering to bake cookies and writing thank you notes to the Holy Cross priests serving the Notre Dame community. The group also co-sponsors a Eucharistic Procession on campus each April.
“By sponsoring social events in addition to liturgies and prayer,” Klejeski observed, “we are affirming that our Catholic faith doesn’t simply reside in the chapel. It is a part of our lives that we carry with us all the time, even if we’re just hanging out with friends. We want to provide a community of positive friendships, rooted in our common faith and extending outside of the liturgy.”
Children of Mary is not only for those students already interested in and knowledgeable about aspects of traditional Catholicism, but seeks to make these devotions accessible to all young Catholics who may wish to understand and appreciate the deep history of the Church more fully.
Klejeski said, “Whether you’ve been reciting Latin prayers since day one or you’re not even sure how to pronounce ‘Tridentine,’ we’d love to have you come to our liturgies and events. We try to make these devotions accessible and unintimidating, especially the devotions that may be unfamiliar to some student[s], like the Latin Mass.”
“Not all of our events are best classified as ‘traditional’ either,” Klejeski explained. “You don’t need to know Latin to join us in baking cookies for priests, and chant isn’t a prerequisite for joining us at our annual dinner at Bruno’s.”
Those interested in learning more about Children of Mary liturgies and events are invited to “like” the group on Facebook or visit their website at childrenofmarynotredame.wordpress.com.
Mary Kate Thielman is a senior Medieval Studies and Classics major who enjoys caring for her non-carnivorous goldfish named Plato, playing with Play-Doh, and reading Aristotle. Contact her at mthielma@nd.edu.
