Siegfried Hall on NFL Films

David Ruffer is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.  Like me, he's a Siegfried Rambler. He's also originally from the Washington D.C. area and in high school he attended Gonzaga Prep. which boasts a number of students and alums from Little Flower Parish where I currently reside.

David is finishing up his last season as the place kicker for Notre Dame's football team. But before he walked-on to the varsity squad, he played for Siegfried Hall's inter-hall football team. I knew David's fabulous story from some of the coverage it received when he was first recruited and ultimately given a scholarship.  NBC did a halftime spot on him as I recall.  But I had never seen this fantastic video from NFL Films:



I was thrilled to see the coverage that Siegfried Hall received, including its wonderful rector, my friend and brother, Fr. John Conley, C.S.C., the "Hall of Champions" banner above the front doors, and especially the hall's first ever inter-hall championship trophy. That trophy was won, for bowling, by my section mates way back in 1998!

News of My Demise ...

... has been greatly exaggerated. Though word of my hard-drive's demise are entirely accurate! I'll get to that in a moment.

Since the end of the semester I've spent the majority of my time away from Washington, away from studies, and obviously enough, away from the blog. I've been SO busy that I haven't even had the time to blog about my adventures!

Right after I finished up the last paper of the semester, I drove to Staten Island for a week of R&R with Mom and Dad. My itinerary was decidedly low-key and I enjoyed the unstructured time with my family. I then drove from Staten Island to Notre Dame, where I spent a week doing research in the library and in the University Archives.

My research this summer will focus on Catholic Boy Magazine which was published by the Holy Cross Fathers from 1947 to 1970.  There are several interesting angles I'm contemplating for my study, but the topic that first interested me is what the young male readers of this magazine were being told about the qualities required in a Catholic man. The wonderful cover art produced by Charles Kerins is itself a fabulous source for such an investigation.

While in South Bend, I also had the chance to catch up with a few friends. Most especially, I spent some great time with my classmates Frs. Pete and Jim ... and together, we traveled to Chicago to see the Cubs and the Mets at Wrigley. We were hosted by my friend Kirk who is a doctoral candidate at Notre Dame.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't exactly cooperative ...

Between Kirk on the left, and Jim on the right, you can see that Pete needed to find a Snuggie to get through the game! Then to add insult to injury, the lowly Cubs beat up on the even more lowly Mets. On the way home to South Bend, Jim, Pete and I took solace and warmth in a cocktail or two, and in a fabulous Chicago style pizza!

After my time in South Bend, I returned to Bethesda were I continued my rather intensive work with Catholic Boy Magazine. I also had the privilege of concelebrating the Wedding Mass of two of my fellow graduate students at Catholic University. Seth and Mary are both doctoral candidates in the history department and have been so welcoming to me in my first here at CUA. It was a very happy occasion to celebrate with them.

After the wedding, I was back on the road for a few more days vacation and then for lots of community meetings. I joined three C.S.C. friends, Frs. Gerry, Nate, and Steve for some days of vacation on the Jersey Shore. We had an absolute blast relaxing on the beach, swimming, and visiting Atlantic City and Cape May. The weather was absolutely perfect and the beaches were gorgeous. I even beat the guys in miniature golf!

Unfortunately, all of the wonderful pictures I took were lost when my hard-drive crashed a few days ago. The pictures you've enjoyed here come to us courtesy of Fr. Nate.  Thankfully, I didn't lose any of my academic files or homilies, and the lovely people at the Apple Store here in Bethesda had me back up and running with a new hard-drive in a matter of minutes. I then retrieved all of my data, other than those vacation pictures, from my back-up external hard drive. So, in the end it wasn't a disaster, but it was a great reminder to keep backing up regularly!

Our vacation in Stone Harbor, N.J. was followed by Baby Priest Camp. If you can't recall what that's all about, you can refresh your memory here. My classmates and I have been ordained for four years now, so we are among the "senior" members of the group - which is really crazy to imagine! It was wonderful to be with such a great group of guys.

After a weekend in LaPore, we all drove to Notre Dame to join with all the other members of the Indiana and Eastern Provinces of the Congregation for an Assembly.  Every five years all the members of the Province gather for a "family reunion" involving prayer, a few conferences, lots of food and drink, with a premium on time to relax and to reconnect with "family members" we sometimes go a long time without seeing.

This year, our Assembly marked the merging of two Provinces: the Indiana and Eastern Provinces will become the United States Province of Priests and Brothers on July 1st, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You can read more about the Assembly here.

Finally, at the conclusion of our Assembly I made yet one more day-long drive across I-80 and returned to Staten Island for Father's Day weekend.  This trip made it possible for me to attend a family reunion for my Mom's side of the family, to attend the Presidential Dinner for Holy Cross High School in Queens, N.Y. where my friend Fr. Walter Jenkins, C.S.C. is taking over the presidency, and finally to celebrate Mom's last day of teaching before her well-deserved retirement!

It might be a little bit of a stretch to say that I felt guilty about all of this time away from work, but I definitely did feel a bit out-of-sorts after awhile, and I am glad to be back into a routine. Back in D.C. I'm continuing to work on my Catholic Boy project, and I'm also trying to bone up on my French to fulfill one of the requirements of my graduate program. But I promise that there'll be some more summer fun to report on in the days ahead! ;)

Canonization Weekend at Notre Dame

Before my alma mater publicized its plan to cancel its football program by losing back-to-back games to Navy (again) and Tulsa (yes, Tulsa), I spent the Western Michigan (yes, Western Michigan) football weekend on campus. 

The game was fine - we even won! - but I was much happier to be on campus to enjoy the lovely fall weather and foliage . . .

. . . as well as the festivities for the canonization of St. Andre Bessette of Montreal (which included the Notre Dame Band forming the Cross and Anchors at halftime, and the Basilica being adorned with special canonization banners) . . .

. . . and most importantly, the opportunity to see so many friends and confreres. I was able to enjoy dinner with Fr. Michael Wurtz, csc before he returned to Rome for the start of his school year, and my classmates Frs. James Gallagher, csc and Pete McCormick, csc before they left for Rome for the canonization. 

I was also able to spend some nice time catching up with Fr. Drew Gawrych, csc and a number of the fine men of Old College whom I had the privilege to live and work with last year. Thanks be to God all these brothers and friends seem to be thriving! Though it was a quick trip, and I left campus tired from burning the candle at both ends, I was very glad to have visited the Dome.

UPDATE: The tragic death of Notre Dame student Declan Sullivan came only after my trip to Notre Dame, as the team was preparing for the Tulsa game. I didn't have the privilege of knowing Declan, but this story about the campus' response to his death is a beautiful read. We are blessed with wonderful students!

A Fond Farewell

Before I departed Notre Dame for Bethesda, I had an enjoyable week of goodbyes with friends and confreres . . . at least as enjoyable as goodbyes can be!

I was especially glad to have one last Mass at Holy Cross College and to have the chance to say farewell to Andrew and Dre Polaniecki. I was also honored to preside at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart for the Feast of the Assumption.

Of the many things I'll miss from my year at Notre Dame I will most miss the chance to live and work in the same place as my three wonderful classmates! Who knows when or if this will ever be the case again. Throughout the year we made a point of getting together regularly for a class dinner. I was glad to have one last chance for a meal together, and then for a leisurely stroll around the campus. Thanks guys!

I will also miss terribly the wonderful seminarians I was privileged to work with this past year. I was glad that before I left South Bend I had the chance to see them as they returned to campus for their orientation retreat. I joined the finally professed community of South Bend at a special dinner at our La Porte Center where the seminarians were finishing their retreat and readying themselves for the year ahead. What a wonderfully hopeful sight to see so many men in our formation programs! Please join me in praying for the success of their studies and discernment.

We enjoyed a social and dinner together, and later in the evening were treated to fireworks and a bonfire.

Though I am definitely not known as much of a fashion-plate, I got loads of comments about my University of Portland Hawaiian shirt . . . and most of them were positive ;) The shirt was a gift from my friends in the UP Alumni Office and whatever the reactions I was proud to represent the Pilots!

The next morning I was on the road by 7 a.m. and made it to Bethesda by dinner time. The rest of the week has been spent unpacking and settling in. In my next post I'll have some pictures and details about my new abode hear in the Beltway!

Sunday, Muddy Sunday

Here under the Golden Dome students are gearing up for the final papers, assignments and tests of the semester. So there's lots of pent up energy and frustration to be released, and what better way than mud volleyball!

As part of the An Tostal spring festival, students mark off volleyball courts on the field alongside St. Mary's Lake and then spray them down. This year, the weather also contributed to the muddy conditions as it rained pretty steadily throughout the day.

Mike Palmer and Joe Sheehan (pictured below serving and gloating) both participated from Old College, though neither of their teams advanced beyond the initial rounds. I for one would have been glad!

The Year for Priests - Bishop Kevin Rhoades

As you have noted on the sidebar of this blog, the Church is currently observing a Year for Priests in accord with the Holy Father's wishes for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, patron of priests.

My classmate and Director of Vocations for the Indiana and Eastern Provinces of Holy Cross, Fr. Jim Gallagher, csc has organized a wonderful series of talks to commemorate this Year for Priests. The series began several months ago with a conference by Bishop John D'Arcy. This week, the series concluded with a special Mass, dinner and lecture at Moreau Seminary featuring the new bishop of our diocese, Bishop kevin Rhoades.

Bishop Rhoades gave a simply outstanding presentation on Jesus Christ the High Priest. It was a theologically rich and emotionally moving speech - a real pep-talk for clergy and seminarians. Our men in formation, and those priests who attended, as well as a good number of students, lay faithful and women religious in attendance, were all blessed to share the evening together.

And Bishop Rhoades was given a small token of appreciation - a Moreau Seminary jacket - that we pray he wears in good health. Hopefully he will return to Moreau often!

Notre Dame Eucharistic Procession

I have been on the road this weekend (more on that later) so I missed one of the great events on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Several years ago, a group of devout students and our very own Fr. Kevin Russeasu, CSC organized an outdoor Eucharistic procession. It had literally been decades since such an event had taken place on the campus once called "The City of the Blessed Sacrament." Thanks be to God, this has once again become an annual tradition.

Our Old Collegians and Moreau seminarians served, including the roommate-thurifers-extraordinaire, Chris Brennan and Braydn Harsha . . .

and the procession made it's way from the Basilica to several outdoor altars . . .

. . . at which the faithful adored the Blessed Sacrament and received Benediction. Here Frs. Kevin Russeau, CSC and Jim Gallagher, CSC pray at one of the stational altars:

It looks as if it was a wonderful day. I only wish I could have been there to participate. But I've had a lovely weekend, to be sure, which I'll tell you about before long. In the meanwhile, many thanks to Diane Querciagrossa of Holy Cross College and the staff of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart for these wonderful pictures I've shared with you.

In Service to One, In Service to All

The Knights of Columbus at the University of Notre Dame are celebrating their 100th anniversary, and they have been hosting a series of events to celebrate. As I was away this weekend, I missed several of the main centennial events - but before I departed I was able to participate in one of the most important events: a visit to campus and lecture by the Supreme Knight, Carl Anderson.

I was happy that Ken Hallenius was still visiting after ordination weekend, so he was able to join me for the lecture. If you follow this link you can view some photos of the event. See if you recognize anyone in pictures five and six.

The webpage of the Knights of Columbus has a wonderful article on college councils, including the Council 1477, Notre Dame's 100 year-old council, which is in fact the oldest and largest college council (It should be noted that The University of Portland has one of the newest college councils, which is named in honor of Blessed Basil Moreau, CSC - and Ken Hallenius is a founding member of that council).

Easter at Notre Dame

A Blessed Easter to one and all. He is Risen, as He said - Alleluia!

After celebrating a lovely Triduum at the Basilica, I had the great privilege and pleasure of preaching the Easter Vigil. Having worked as a sacristan at the Basilica for so many Easters, it was a very special honor to be able to concelebrate all of the liturgies as a priest and especially to preach the great Vigil.

After the Vigil we celebrated well into the night at Moreau Seminary. The post-Vigil soiree at Moreau is always one of the highlights of the year.

This year, as I walked to the party, I had a humorous encounter with a Notre Dame student (in the custody of security) who had been 'celebrating' the Lord's Resurrection with some friends and decided to go for a swim in the lake. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I presumed he was reenacting part of the Lord's Passion as recorded by Mark: "A certain young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked." God bless our rectors, is all I have to say!

By Easter Sunday morning, our Old College chapel was appropriately decorated . . .

and we had lovely weather to enjoy the spring flowers that have been in bloom.

For the men who remained during the holiday, Fr. Kevin planned an Easter lunch - and Joe and Dan helped out by getting the turkey into the deep frier.

Fr. Kevin did the carving, with help from Mike and his dad who was visiting from Detroit with Mike's mom, and three of his brothers.

There were, of course, plenty of Peeps . . .

. . . and lots of wonderful people.

The celebration continued at Corby Hall later in the evening with a social and supper - and then it was back to church for the student Mass at 9:00 pm. Thankfully, the University remains on holiday tomorrow, and we can ease back into things on Tuesday. We have a short week to rest up and prepare for Ordinations next weekend!

Siegfried Hockey

Over the past two weeks the interhall hockey season concluded here at Notre Dame, and my Siegfried Ramblers were once more in the playoffs. I enjoyed attending two of the playoff games this year.

In their first game, Siegfried defeated their mod-quad rivals, Knott Hall in a game for the ages. After two sudden-death overtime periods, the score was still tied - so it took penalty shots for Siegfried to win and advance.

I was particularly pleased that one of my Old Collegians, freshman Dan Cruickshank played for Siegfried as a defenseman. Here he is between shifts, wearing number twelve and sitting on the far left:

Unfortunately, Siegfried lost to Dillon Hall in the finals. But again, it was a game for the ages. Siegfried came back from a two goal deficit in the third period to send the game into extra periods. It was in the second sudden-death period that Dillon scored and captured the title.

"Chorus Angelorum Te Suscipiat"

This morning I concelebrated the funeral of Dr. Gail Walton, the longtime director of the Liturgical Choir at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Gail died last week after a long battle with cancer. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Fr. Peter Rocca, CSC the Rector of the Basilica, and preached by Most Rev. Daniel Jenky, CSC the Bishop of Peoria and the Basilica's former Rector. Bishop Jenky's homily, and the superb ministry of the musicians, was a real tribute to Gail's contribution to divine worship here at Notre Dame.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Gail since I was a freshman at Notre Dame, working as a sacristan at the Basilica. We shared many a laugh, and much good food, at the post-Easter Vigil parties Brother Dennis so graciously hosted each year. I also worked with Gail on the staff of Campus Ministry when I was an intern in the office. Gail, and her devoted colleague and friend Andrew McShane, also worked with me and my classmates to provide music for our Final Vows Liturgy in the summer of 2006.

But perhaps my most enduring memory of Gail will be from my Mass of Thanksgiving, celebrated at the Basilica the morning after my ordination. The Liturgical Choir provided music for that Mass and Gail was visible on her director's stand in the loft.

At that Mass I sang the Preface of Easter Sunday as part of the Eucharistic Prayer. Praying though I was, I could clearly make out Gail's open-mouthed expression of surprise that I was actually pulling off such a feat!

After Mass, even before she offered congratulations on my ordination, Gail teased me for holding out on her all those years, never letting on that I had even a modicum of singing ability. I got a great kick out of that; and I think that's how I will choose to remember Dr. Gail Walton: with that look of wonderment and glad surprise on her face, now directed at all the Father has prepared for her.

". . . Not as external agent, but as participant . . ."

Yesterday and today, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has been making a a sort of apostolic visit to the University of Notre Dame. He presided at a Mass of Welcome in the Basilica yesterday and greeted the faculty, staff and students of the University at a reception under the Golden Dome. This evening, he presided at the Holy Cross community's Mass in Corby Hall and joined us for dinner. I am grateful to have been able to concelebrate both liturgies.

Today's Observer does a good job of summarizing the visit, and the bishop's homily from the Mass of Welcome.

Photo Credit: The Observer

The salient point of these celebrations must certainly be what the Bishop said in his homily: “I believe, as Pope John Paul II said, that bishops should be seen not as external agents but as participants in the life of the Catholic university.”

Father John Jenkins, C.S.C. himself noted in his words of welcome, that Bishop Rhoades comes to Notre Dame not merely as our "friend" or our "guest," but as our bishop. He also noted that in the University's gift of a crozier (or pastoral staff) we can see that it is sometimes the role of the bishop to "prod" and direct.

It strikes me that both Bishop Rhoades and Father Jenkins rejected, each in their own way, the terrible inadequacies of the infamous Land O' Lakes Statement, which said:

"To perform its teaching and research functions effectively the Catholic university must have a true autonomy and academic freedom in the face of authority of whatever kind, lay or clerical, external to the academic community itself."

We must hope and pray that we are witnessing the dawning of a new day in the relationship between the University and the Church - a day that rolls back the ill effects of the Land O' Lakes Statement and asserts once and for all that "one cannot have communion with the Church unless it is with the local bishop" (as Bishop Rhoades succinctly put it in an interview with The Irish Rover).

Mundelein Seminary Shootout 2010

Notre Dame's daily, The Observer, also covered the seminarian basketball tournament held this weekend at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. I traveled with all of our Old Collegians, and the majority of our seminarians at Moreau, to attend the 10th annual Seminary Shootout.

Back in the day, yours truly cheered our men on as we won two of the first three championships at this tournament - and then I played on Moreau's third championship team!:

Unfortunately, Holy Cross hasn't had as much luck since Fr. Bill Miscamble handed the reigns over to Fr. Pat Neary. We haven't won the tournament since! - and we tease him about this pretty mercilessly. But, of course, the tournament is about much more than competition. It really is a wonderful chance for seminarians throughout the Midwest to get together for fellowship and fun.

And we had one heck of a cheering section . . .

Mundelein Seminary is also a beautiful location to spend a weekend. The seminary campus was constructed in 1921 by Cardinal Mundelein - and its neo-classical architecture is meant to indicate the compatibility of Catholicism and the American experiment.

I was also very glad to have the opportunity to spend time with Fr. Bob Barron, who teaches on the faculty of Mundelein Seminary. Fr. Bob spent a sabbatical year living with us at Moreau Seminary when I was a newly professed religious. A number of us seminarians developed a fast friendship with Bob and remain grateful for the influence he had on us as we prepared for ordination. We've stayed in touch through the years, but this was the first time we've been able to see one another in awhile.

Fr. Barron not only teaches and writes, he also has a thriving and effective ministry of evangelization through digital media. His radio show, podcasts, webpage, YouTube videos, and now his Catholicism Project are phenomenal gifts to the Church in this country. I encourage you to use these resources, as I do, and to assist Fr. Barron with your prayers and financial support.

Prof. Ralph McInerny - R.I.P.

Yesterday morning I concelebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Prof. Ralph McInerny, the legendary professor of philosophy and author of innumerable scholarly works - who is perhaps best known as the author of the wildly successful Father Dowling murder mystery series.

Prof. McInerny was quite possibly the greatest Thomistic philosopher of his generation. As Fr. Marvin O'Connell noted in his eloquent homily, the milieu that nurtured Prof. McInerny's intellectual life and faith is largely gone - and so it's doubly hard to imagine someone being capable of filling his shoes.

Sadly, as Prof. McInerny himself witnessed, even his beloved Notre Dame has suffered the grave effects of this death of Catholic culture. In his later years, Prof. McInerny often spoke out against the diminishment of Catholic identity on our campus and the loss of a distinctly Catholic contribution to the life of the academy.

As we pray for the eternal repose of his soul, we also pray that the Lord will raise up more philosophers, theologians, scholars and teachers who are zealous for the intellectual patrimony of the Church.

Siegfried Hall . . . Leading the Way, Yet Again

The new bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend celebrated Mass on Sunday evening in Siegfried Hall. This was the bishop's first public Mass on the campus since being installed, and he couldn't have picked a better place to begin his ministry among the students of Notre Dame. I'm sure, too, that Fr. John and the Ramblers showed him tremendous hospitality. Read all about it in the Observer article at the link above.

March for Life 2010

As I mentioned here last week, this past weekend I traveled to Washington DC with over four hundred students from the University of Notre Dame, Holy Cross College, and St. Mary's College for the 2010 March for Life.

Last Tuesday evening we celebrated a special Send Off Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart here on campus. Unfortunately our new Bishop, Kevin Rhoades, was kept away because of car trouble - but our now Bishop Emeritus, John D'Arcy gave a fabulous pro-life homily to send us off in style.

We left campus Wednesday evening just after dinner and drove through the night to DC, arriving in Arlington, Virginia on Thursday morning. Our students stayed at St. Agnes Parish in Arlington . . . but I decided that sleeping on a gym floor, after getting very little sleep on the bus, was a bad idea - so I stayed with a number of Notre Dame faculty and staff at a nearby hotel.

During the day Thursday we had time for sight-seeing and several of us journeyed by Metro to the Franciscan Monastery near the Catholic University of America. Although I've been to DC many, many times I had somehow missed this Catholic pilgrimage site. The monastery contains replicas of the Holy Land shrines of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth and helps raise money for the maintenance of those shrines in Israel.

After checking into our hotel and getting a brief nap and shower, I returned to the campus of CUA and prepared for the Thursday evening Vigil Mass for Life. Held in the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, this Mass has become one of the highlights of the American Catholic calendar.

Over four hundred seminarians attended the Mass in choir, and approximately two hundred and fifty priests concelebrated the Mass. The procession took nearly an hour, and the aisles and apsidal chapels of the Basilica were simply jam packed with congregants. I was lucky enough to get a seat in the sanctuary, just two rows behind the concelebrating bishops and directly behind the Shrine's Rector, Monsignor Rossi. It was a real honor and joy to concelebrate this Mass with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo.

Friday morning the entirety of the Notre Dame contingent gathered at St. Agnes Parish for a Mass with University President Fr. John Jenkins, csc. Especially in light of the very sad decision to honor President Obama with an honorary doctor of law degree, Fr. Jenkin's presence with us was an important statement about the University's stance for life.

After Mass, we traveled by Metro to the National Mall for the Rally for Life. Thankfully, the freezing rain that greeted the day had ended by then - and in fact, by the time our very own Bishop D'Arcy gave the Benediction, the sun was shining.

As you can see in this picture below, the Notre Dame students gathered behind their "Irish Fighting for Life" banner. But as you can also see, there were a number of protestors following the ND group with banners demanding that "Fr. Jenkins Free the Notre Dame 88." (These are the peaceful pro-life protesters arrested at Notre Dame's commencement last year who are being prosecuted for trespassing.)

Although I agree with that sentiment, I was annoyed that these protestors were detracting from the marvelous witness of our students. I was also edified that, yet again, our students handled themselves with such dignity. Indeed they exhibited a tremendous amount of gratitude to Fr. Jenkins for being with them.

Throughout the trip I was glad to spend time with Brett Perkins and Andrew Polaniecki, who is pictured above with me at the rally. Brett works in Notre Dame's Office of Campus Ministry, and Andrew directs the same office at Holy Cross College. I've known Brett since his undergrad days here at Notre Dame, when he entered the Church - and Andrew since his undergrad days here as a member of Old College. Both of these great men are dear friends and supporters of Holy Cross, and our schools are lucky to have them working with us in mission.

I was also most excited to travel with eleven of our Old Collegians. As always they were a lot of fun to be with. They also provided a tremendous witness, on behalf of our Holy Cross community, to our students - leading them in the Rosary during the March, in the Divine Office during the bus rides, and generally displaying the joy to which we are called as believers.

Though the Rally and March are dominated by Catholic colleges and high schools, I was glad to see that Yale and Princeton Universities were also represented.

After the Rally ended, we marched with the members of our diocesan contingent . . .

. . . past the Capital . . .

. . . to the Supreme Court.

I have attended similar rallies and marches in South Bend and Portland, but this was my first time to the National March for Life. I was surprised by a couple of things. First, the sheer size of the March is amazing, and the great distances that many people traveled to attend is most impressive. Second, the fact that it is very much a youth movement is very hopeful. They say the average age of the Marchers was 21. Finally, I was surprised by the total lack of counter-marchers . . . and sadly not surprised at all by the almost total lack of media coverage. This blog post has a bit more on these points and how they all come together.

After the March I was glad to attend a gathering of Notre Dame alumni and faculty, including Fr. Bill Miscamble, csc, and Professors David Solomon and Elizabeth Kirk, among many others. Working as part of the Center for Ethics and Culture, these fine men and women, in conjunction with our students, have done more than anyone else to advance the Gospel of Life in and through the University of Notre Dame. They deserve a great deal more gratitude and support from the University.

Our final event of the March weekend was a Saturday morning Mass with the delegation from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and our new Bishop Kevin Rhoades. I think Bishop Rhoades was very pleased to meet our students and he certainly impressed them with his presence and preaching.

Before departing Washington on Saturday evening, I made the most of the free afternoon and made plans to meet with two of my cousins, Brendan Koeth and Bobby Koeth, who both live and work in the capital. Along with Thursday evening's Vigil Mass this was the real highlight of the trip for me.

Since leaving Staten Island to enroll at Notre Dame back in 1995 I have had to miss a lot of family gatherings and have only been with my extended family at a few special events. But I think it's a testimony to how our parents raised us, and how much we value our family, that all three of us were so eager to spend some time with each other catching up. I enjoyed our conversation and our reminiscing immensely and am hopeful that the next few years of study, somewhere on the East coast, will give me many more opportunities to spend time with my cousins and other family members.