Right to Life
At Right to Life (RtL)—the largest non-academic, student-run club on campus—we resolve to promote a culture of life in the Notre Dame community through prayer, service, education, and community. Guided by Church teaching and animated by the Holy Spirit, we wholeheartedly believe that all life has value, from conception to natural death.
Our mission is twofold: first, through club programming, Right to Life seeks to build up a community of passionate, pro-life leaders who are unafraid to defend the sanctity of human life at every stage. Whether at lectures with prominent pro-life speakers, RtL bonfires and dances, service events around the South Bend community, or at our weekly Mass to pray for the sanctity of life, Right to Life seeks to be the voice for the voiceless—a true force for good.
Secondly, Right to Life strives to foster a culture of life by supporting student mothers and families in their decision to choose life. From promoting pregnancy resources in dorms to throwing baby showers, providing peer to peer support and offering free babysitting services, the Right to Life community pledges to radically support pregnant mothers as they embrace the gift of life.
Join Right to Life as we seek to make Notre Dame a place of radical love toward every mother, father, and child. Learn more about our events by visiting our website and join our email newsletter and GroupMe to stay connected! We hope to see you at the bonfire, at Mass, at the lectures, and at the March for Life in D.C., but until then, Go Irish, Save Babies!
Students for Child-Oriented Policy
Students for Child-Oriented Policy (SCOP) focuses on promoting the wellbeing and safety of children through education and advocacy. It is pro-family, pro-marriage, pro-adoption, and pro-education, and it is anti-sex trafficking, anti-pornography, and anti-substance abuse. It is known for its petition to ban pornography on campus wifi, and it hosts a myriad of events involving each club pillar each year. Our biggest events of the year are our attendance of the Sexuality, Integrity, and the University Conference at Princeton each fall and WRAP (White Ribbon Against Pornography) Week in the Spring. To inquire or join, please email Andrew Blake at ablake5@nd.edu or Caroline Cure at ccure@nd.edu.
Knights of Columbus
The Notre Dame Knights of Columbus is a student organization and local council of the global Knights of Columbus organization. Since our founding in 1910 by a group of Notre Dame students—including the future Cardinal John Francis O’Hara, C.S.C.—as the first Knights of Columbus college council in the world, Council #1477 has had a long and proud history. Thousands of Knights have volunteered tens of thousands of hours, raised millions of dollars for charity, and made immeasurable strides in their faith.
We encourage all practical Catholic men to consider joining an organization that makes a real difference in the community by becoming a member of the Knights of Columbus. While membership is limited to Catholic men, all are welcome to attend council events and participate in charitable activities.
Contact Grand Knight Max McNiff at jmcniff2@nd.edu for more information.
Children of Mary
Filii Mariae (Children of Mary) is a student group dedicated to enriching the spiritual life of Our Lady’s university by the promotion of Latin liturgy and Catholic devotions drawn from the Church’s tradition. The club’s principal event is the very source and summit of the Christian life: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Each Saturday and Sunday of the academic year, Filii Mariae hosts Latin Masses in Alumni Hall’s St. Charles Borromeo Chapel.
For those who wish to follow the texts of the Mass, hand missals are provided in the chapel for both the Saturday (Ordinary Form) and Sunday (Extraordinary Form) Masses. In addition to offering Latin Mass, Filii Mariae also sponsors traditional Latin Compline (i.e. night prayer) on Sunday evenings.
By offering the liturgy according to both forms of the Roman Rite and including important elements of the Roman liturgical patrimony, Children of Mary offers those in the tri-campus area the opportunity to join a vibrant community of committed Catholics in the worship of God in intentional continuity with the tradition of the Church.
In addition to its liturgical offerings, Filii Mariae also sponsors traditional devotions. On Sunday evenings, the group hosts rosary walks around St. Mary’s Lake (weather permitting) and traditional first Saturday devotions including adoration, benediction, and confessions.
Children of Mary also strives to foster community among its members. In addition to events throughout the year, the club hosts brunch in South Dining Hall every Sunday after Mass.
Saturday Ordinary Form Masses take place in Alumni Hall at 10 a.m. (9:30 a.m. on football home game days). Sunday Extraordinary Form Masses occur in Alumni Hall at 10 a.m. Our regular schedule has already started, so feel free to join us anytime for Mass! More information can be found at https://childrenofmarynotredame.wordpress.com or by emailing mary@nd.edu.
Militia of the Immaculata
Founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917, the Militia of the Immaculata (MI) strives “to lead every individual with Mary to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
There are a variety of reasons why Catholic students who are serious about their faith should join the MI. Firstly, they’ll be able to develop their devotion to the Blessed Mother, whose intercession has provided many graces in their lives. Secondly, they’ll fall into a routine of prayer that will improve their interior life with our nightly rosary. Thirdly, they’ll be surrounded by a strong community of firm believers and great people whose faith serves as an inspiration for all their actions. Finally, they’ll have lots of fun!
Highlights of the semester include a Rosary at the Grotto every night at 11 p.m., our opening MI Mass on September 12, a retreat at the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Marytown on October 5, a Marian procession on October 7, a Marian consecration Mass on December 9, Grotto Evangelization with the Miraculous Medal on home game days, several Marian feast day Masses, and many more! Though members are by no means required to participate in all these wonderful experiences, we would love to have you join us for as many as possible.
With any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at ndmi@nd.edu. Please know of our prayers for you at the start of this college year!
Sorin Fellows
An offering of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture (dCEC), the Sorin Fellows Program provides integral student formation in the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition.
Through this program, Sorin Fellows are supported by the de Nicola Center and provided opportunities to encounter role models and befriend peer mentors who exhibit virtues of integral formation, consider enduring and contemporary issues through the lens of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition, nourish their interior life and appreciation for the spiritual heritage of the Catholic Church, and discern and cultivate their gifts and talents through grant funding and internships. The Center supports over 600 Sorin Fellows at the undergraduate and graduate levels, representing nearly every field of study from across the range of the university’s constituent colleges and schools.
By actively participating in and contributing to the life of the de Nicola Center, Sorin Fellows also play a crucial role in amplifying Notre Dame’s witness to human dignity, authentic human freedom, and the common good in the global public square.
The over 600 undergraduate and graduate student Sorin Fellows on campus have access to superb programming ordered toward personal formation in the Catholic tradition. Programming includes a weekly Mass, periodic Masses each semester, annual pilgrimages (destinations have included Rome, Israel, and the UK to date), and a family tailgate during football season. Additionally, there are dinners at faculty homes, lectures from faculty on topics related to human dignity and the common good, exclusive audiences with speakers for the Center’s annual Fall Conference and with other invited speakers throughout the year, a women’s formation group, and more.
Open to all, applications to the Sorin Fellows program may be submitted year-round and are evaluated once each semester. Once you become a Sorin Fellow, you have access to all the activities listed above, in addition to the de Nicola Center’s competitive pool of funding for professional and personal formation-oriented activities. Sorin Fellows can receive funding for retreats, living expenses for internships, and participation in academic conferences. Start your application now to become involved with an indispensable network of students who care about the university’s Catholic mission!
Ethos
Founded in 2023 at the University of Notre Dame, Ethos is a small-group-based program dedicated to helping men grow in the virtue of chastity as they prepare to become husbands, fathers, and men of God.
When we think of addiction in today’s society, one that rarely comes to mind is pornography addiction; yet 91.5 percent of men today have seen porn in the last month. Men rarely discuss it; most have no one they can turn to to receive help. Lust is even named as the leading cause of divorce in over half of marriages. It’s a silent pandemic that’s hiding in plain sight.
Ethos is here to change the narrative. Based within Notre Dame dormitories, the program consists of weekly meetings, as well as daily accountability calls and readings alongside fellow men walking the same road. It’s a structured, community-based, and data-driven program that leads men to real results—40 percent go completely clean, and over 80 percent see a significant reduction in their usage. Ethos, said one member, “is more than just a program, it’s a movement of renewal.”
If you’re ready to break free from the chains of lust, to grow in chastity, and take a step towards becoming the man God wants you to be, please consider joining your dorm’s Ethos group here: www.ethosnational.org/join.
OCIA – Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
At the heart of the Catholic faith is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ within the community He established, the Catholic Church. Each year, many Catholic students complete their initiation into the Church by celebrating their Confirmation, and many non-Catholic students choose to convert to Catholicism. Other students find themselves curious about Christianity and seek answers to basic questions about faith and the faithful. Whether you’re just starting to explore or you’re ready to take the plunge toward becoming a Catholic, Campus Ministry is ready to accompany you as you discern God’s call to full, active Christian life in the Catholic Church. At Notre Dame, we have two tracks to assist a person setting out on their journey toward becoming a Catholic Christian: the OCIA Process and the Short Course Process.
The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) Process is the default track by which non-Catholic individuals discern and are welcomed into the life of the Catholic Church, as well as for Catholics who are coming back to active practice and desire to be confirmed. OCIA provides a gradual apprenticeship in what it means to be Catholic, offering the opportunity to study Catholic beliefs, learn how to pray, learn the ins and outs of the Mass and the Sacraments of the Church, and explore what it looks like to live an intentional Catholic life.
We also offer the Short Course Process for those who desire to enter the Catholic Church and have already been well-rooted in Christian faith within another Christian denomination, as well as for active, practicing Catholics who are seeking Confirmation. The Short Course serves as a one-semester process of Sacramental Preparation for previously-baptized individuals with substantial experience studying, living, and practicing the Christian faith. The Short Course focuses on what makes Catholicism unique, as well as what it means to believe, pray, and live as a Catholic Christian.
We are always in need of fully-initiated (confirmed), practicing, faith-filled Catholic sponsors to share their faith with those journeying toward becoming Catholic or being confirmed in the Church. If you’re interested in serving as a participant or a sponsor, please email Brett Perkins (brett.perkins@nd.edu) at any time.