In a solemn Mass and Eucharistic Procession, Bishop Kevin Rhoades consecrated the University of Notre Dame to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, September 25.
This follows the July 11 consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart, an effort by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to renew a national devotion to the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord. Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, the chairman of the USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty, referenced the support of many Popes, including Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis, in a 2026 video explaining the reasons for this national consecration.
The USCCB says, “We welcome God’s kingdom of justice, fraternity, and solidarity, remembering that God has a special place in his heart for those who are discriminated against and oppressed, and He asks us, His church, to make a decisive and radical choice in favour of the weakest.”
Besides participating in the consecration of the entire United States to the Sacred Heart, this consecration bears deep significance to the Notre Dame community specifically. Each and every priest of the Congregation of the Holy Cross is consecrated to Jesus’ Sacred Heart.
When Blessed Basil Moreau founded the order in 1837, he envisioned the life of the Holy Family lived out in the devotion of each member of the Congregation. Thus, the priests are consecrated to the Sacred Heart, the brothers to St. Joseph, and the sisters of the Holy Cross to Our Lady of Sorrows. In this way, the Congregation can model itself after the holiness, chastity, and poverty of that most Holy Family. It has always been the mission of the priests of the Congregation to “ground [their] model of priestly charity in the Sacred Heart of Jesus—that heart pierced by the soldier’s lance in the final proof that Jesus offered all, every last bit of His life, for us,” according to their website.
In an interview with the Rover, Father Kevin Grove, C.S.C. Professor of Theology and director of the master of divinity program at Notre Dame, said, “From the founding of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been one of its most important devotions. For Fr. Moreau, the Sacred Heart of Jesus expresses the outpouring of love that came with Word’s taking up our flesh … When our hearts become cold, worn, tired, or despairing, the Sacred Heart brings renewal of zeal, and of love of God and neighbor. Moreau taught that we should place our hearts into Christ’s. It is only fitting that the Sacred Heart statue standing at the heart of our campus has the inscription ‘Venite ad me omnes.’”
Likewise, Father Greg Haake, C.S.C., Vice President of the Office for Mission Engagement and Church Affairs and rector of Coyle Hall, told the Rover that “The devotion—and consecration—to the Sacred Heart is fundamentally a call to love as Jesus did. … ‘Come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.’”
He elaborated, “There’s a promise and a call in there. Jesus promises to console those in need of His mercy and love, but he calls us to imitate that mercy and consolation in the way we live our lives. This means love for the poor and for sinners, for those at the margins or for the vulnerable … to give yourself over to a love that brings peace and that engenders hope … As a University, it nourishes our mission to respond with love to a world in need.”
Father Brian Ching, C.S.C. told the Rover that his team in the Basilica “has been working closely with the organizers of the Consecration, the Bishop’s Office, and Fr. Dowd’s office to plan for the Mass, Procession, and Consecration.” He went on to say, “Both the title of the Basilica and some of the art contained therein invite people to consider God’s love through the Paschal sacrifice, and the statue on God Quad stands as an ever present reminder to us of God’s invitation to abide in his love.”
All Holy Cross priests who provided statements or interviews emphasized the historical role of the Sacred Heart in the University and in the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
The structure of campus itself literally reflects the Sacred Heart; God Quad, aptly named, is in the shape of a heart when seen from above, and one cannot help but notice the flowers in the middle resemble the blood from a piercing through His heart by the lance of a soldier.
In the lead-up to the consecration, on the afternoon of Monday, September 21, a panel hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture and the McGrath Institute for Church Life discussed the theology of consecration to the Sacred Heart.
Professors John Cavadini, Jennifer Newsome Martin, Anthony Pagliarini, and Fr. Grove, discussed the meaning of religious devotion, consecration, the Sacred Heart, and the effect of the consecration on the University of Notre Dame specifically.
Cavadini first spoke of the meaning of devotion and consecration. He told those present that “it is only in this expression of specifically religious devotion that the voice of devotion can be heard in its purity, because there the act of will … can be completely unreserved.”
Martin went on to address the theology of the Sacred Heart specifically, emphasizing the work of Hans urs von Balthasar. She spoke of the suffering Sacred Heart as all enveloping and as the center of God’s acceptance of humanity.
Pagliarini spoke about devotion found in Scripture, and the love that God has for His children. A love so great that it requires an act of devotion from us, this consecration being a perfect example. He even managed to lead the entire group gathered in singing “Love Divine, all loves excelling” during his talk.
Finally, Fr. Grove discussed the importance of the consecration to the campus community and its relation to the Blessed Mother, instructing all to pray as Bl. Basil Moreau did, “Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus, make me love you ever more deeply.”
Anthony DuVinage is a first-year double major in the Program of Liberal Studies and Political Science. He lives in Carroll Hall, and can usually be found either in the PLS lounge or making the long trek back to his room. Otherwise, he can be reached at aduvinag@nd.edu