Fourteenth season of gameday tradition draws record crowds
The McGrath Institute for Church Life presented its 14th season of the Saturdays with the Saints lecture series titled “Saints and Their Miracles.” This year has seen unprecedented numbers of attendees on a consistent basis, with crowds of 250 to over 300 people attending each lecture on Saturday mornings before home football games. In previous years, closer to 150 fans showed up for the lectures.
Saturdays with the Saints is McGrath’s unique gameday tradition. McGrath describes these lectures as “combin[ing] the university’s rich traditions of Catholic faith and spirited game days.”
A senior in Johnson Family Hall told the Rover that Saturday with the Saints is “a cherished tradition where students and visitors of Notre Dame come together to celebrate the unique Catholic identity of our university” and “learn from those who walked the path best at a time when we need to be reminded of our distinctly individual calls to sainthood.”
The lectures took place in the basement auditorium of Geddes Hall and, due to increased attendance this season, McGrath also broadcasted a live stream in two classrooms. Attendees stood both inside and outside of the auditorium.
In an interview with the Rover, Timothy P. O’Malley, Associate Director for Research at the McGrath Institute, acknowledged the high numbers of fans who attended, calling it “a reminder that at the heart of the human condition is a desire for something more, an attraction to holiness.”
O’Malley also elaborated on the theme “Saints and Their Miracles,” saying, “The focus on miracles is an irruption of divine glory into a world that has been increasingly flattened. There’s more to reality than the visible.” Moreover, O’Malley argued that the “more” can manifest “through remarkable signs mediated through the bodies of saints: saints who fly, saints who bleed, saints who heal.”
The lecturers for Saturdays with the Saints typically hail from Notre Dame, including from the McGrath Institute itself.
Featured in this season’s lineup of distinguished speakers was Santiago Schnell, the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science, who presented “Our Lady of Lourdes and Her Healings” as the first lecture.
In an interview with the Rover, Schnell said, “Reflecting on Our Lady of Lourdes allows a Catholic scientist, like myself, to meditate on the intersection of faith and science.” He described Lourdes as “a site rich in accounts of the supernatural and scientific scrutiny alike. The Lourdes Medical Bureau, for example, rigorously investigates healings, applying strict scientific criteria to distinguish between natural phenomena and inexplicable cures.”
Schnell told the Rover that, in his presentation, he contemplated the relationship between miracles and the structure of the universe, sharing that “miracles need not violate natural laws but rather reveal a harmonious relationship between divine will and the order of nature.”
Ultimately, Schnell argued that Lourdes can help with bridging faith and reason: “Lourdes invites scientists to contemplate miracles within a rational framework, suggesting that faith and science, rather than being in opposition, can together illuminate deeper truths.”
O’Malley, who is well-known for his popular “Nuptial Mystery” theology class, presented “Bl. Carlo Acutis and the Many Miracles of the Eucharist.” His presentation was especially timely in light of the announced canonization of Acutis in the 2025 Jubilee Year. O’Malley’s talk focused on Acutis’ devotion to the Eucharist and his promotion of Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions. O’Malley remarked that Acutis, whom he described as “more mystic than meme,” perceived in those events “the recapitulation of the Incarnation: God still dwells among us. History bears the marks of this loving presence transforming everything.”
Another presenter from McGrath was Abigail Favale, Professor of the Practice, Theology and Literature, who presented “St. Bernadette and the Incorruptibles.” Favale, who developed and is now teaching the new theology course “Catholicism and the Sexes,” is a Catholic feminist who also investigates the topic of gender in light of the teaching of the Catholic Church.
In an interview with the Rover, Favale connected her presentation with her academic pursuits, remarking that “the phenomenon of incorrupt saints … does connect with [her] work on the significance of the body in Catholic theology. … There are so many incredible examples of saints’ bodies that did not go through a normal decomposition process, with no natural explanation. And many people, even many Catholics, don’t know these stories.”
Other presenters from this season included Anthony Pagliarini, Associate Teaching Professor in the theology department, who discussed the stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi, and Therese Cory, Associate Professor of Thomistic Studies, who presented “Exploring Miracles with St. Thomas Aquinas.”
This year also featured an outside speaker, Carlos Eire, Professor of History and Religious Studies from Yale University, who published a book on saints titled They Flew: A History of the Impossible in 2023. He presented “St. Teresa of Ávila and St. Joseph of Cupertino: Saints Who Flew and Did Other Impossible Things.”
Attendees at the lectures are offered free t-shirts, which change each year based on the theme for that season.
The lectures are recorded and can be found online at the McGrath website.
Kathryn Bowers is a senior majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies and theology from Dallas, Texas. You can reach her at kbowers2@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: McGrath Communications Department
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