Student initiative promotes faith, community nights
When he first arrived on Notre Dame’s campus, Owen Dorweiler found himself surrounded with a great wealth of faith resources provided on campus, but he saw a need for a streamlined and accessible Mass, sacrament, and event schedule. As a result, Dorweiler, now a sophomore, spearheaded the student-led project Unify to create and inspire a unified Catholic culture on Notre Dame’s campus in Fall 2023.
Originally named “CatholicND,” the project began with a website listing Mass times, confession schedules, and adoration times, largely promoted by 11:00 p.m. Rosary attendees.
After observing the various Catholic communities at Notre Dame, Dorweiler developed Unify to provide an interactive environment for these groups to come and commune in faith together. Dorweiler told the Rover, “ [With Unify], Catholic students can come together in community just because we’re Catholic, not because we’re involved in these specific Catholic clubs and organizations, but just because of our faith.”
As a student-based initiative, Dorweiler added that the Unify website sought to bolster attention to Notre Dame’s Campus Ministry by virtually spreading the message of Ministry events to the greater tri-campus student body. Unify has also established a website page for Saint Mary’s College (SMC) and Holy Cross College, allowing students within the tri-campus community to explore faith-based opportunities.
According to its website, Unify is a “Catholic resource for students, by students.” Its page includes daily announcements with a tentative weekly schedule outlining the various times and locations where Mass, confession, and adoration are taking place on Notre Dame’s campus.
The website also boasts an updating calendar that allows students to add one-time events to their personal calendar.
Since the website’s development in September 2023, Dorweiler has been able to track a significant increase in user engagement with Unify. He told the Rover, “There’s at least 3,500 students that probably have used the site. So it’s really beautiful to see how people are using it.”
In its newsletter, Unify offers students the opportunity to share a reflection for the week. Junior Josh Weimer, writing for the September 2024 reflection, said, “While this beautiful group [Unify] aims to bring Catholics together in worship and community, another aspect of unity within the Christian life is a union between our own will and the Lord’s will.”
He continued, “We were all made to be in relationship with Christ, and He desires us to be united with Him. This not only manifests itself in our everyday practices, habits, and prayer life but also in our interior relationship with Him, especially regarding our trust in Him.”
Nora McNabb, a SMC sophomore, is a contributor for the SMC page, updating the Unify website with SMC’s upcoming Mass times, adoration times, and Faith Talk Fridays.
McNabb emphasized to the Rover the importance of valuing a unified Catholic community across the tri-campus: “At the end of the day, we’re all united, because we’re all the body of Christ.”
After its name change to Unify in February 2024 to avoid confusion with similarly named websites, it has since expanded its mission to offering monthly Unify Nights consisting of a candlelit Mass, adoration, praise and worship, and fellowship.
With Unify encouraging tri-campus participation, Unify Nights grant students the opportunity to spend their Friday nights adoring Our Lord in the Eucharist among fellow students. Dorweiler remarked, “Our idea was, let’s create this event that has community, that has adoration, and that also has Mass, but it’s just centered around Christ and giving students this opportunity to just encounter the Lord every week.”
Dorweiler stated that the previous two Unify Nights have received high attendance. With its growing popularity, he hopes to offer more Unify Nights throughout next semester and create more locations for events to take place. He continued, “Having something regular that students can go to builds up that more regular community.”
Sophia Cousins, a SMC sophomore, has previously participated in Unify Nights as a vocalist in the praise and worship portion of the event. Cousins shared with the Rover, “I think what strikes me the most about [Unify Nights] is the fact that 20 to 50 people will come on a Friday night just because they wanted to pray and because they love Jesus.”
Cousins continued, “[Unify Night] gives people who want to do something beautiful with their Friday night the opportunity to do that, and also to meet other people who are excited about that.”
As for the future plans of Unify, Dorweiler reflected on the growth it has achieved since its founding, and he is committed to empowering the Catholic culture of Notre Dame, with unity, faith, and community at the forefront.
Dorweiler continued, “We don’t know what God wants for Unify … the websites that we started with, and then there’s all this community forming now that I never even pictured when I started the website freshman year. So we don’t know how big He will take it, but we’re excited.”
According to the poster for Unify Nights, the events are hosted at Siegfried Hall at 8:15 p.m. The third and final Unify Night of the semester will take place on April 30.
For more information about Unify and the daily faith events happening within the tri-campus community, visit their website or contact nd.unify@gmail.com.
Emily Colen is a sophomore from Grosse Pointe, MI, studying Speech Language Pathology with a passion for words—both spoken and written. For your thoughts on whether matcha lattes are best enjoyed in the spring—or just belong on a Pinterest board—you can reach her at ecolen01@saintmarys.edu.
Photo Credit: Notre Dame Campus Ministry
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