Notre Dame Students organize Palm Sunday Prayer Rally



The University of Notre Dame’s student-formed coalition, Notre Dame Response, has announced plans for its first official demonstration on campus: a 2:00 PM prayer rally on Sunday, April 5, 2009 to be held in front of the University’s Main Building following the noon Palm Sunday Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The coalition was formed in response to the University’s announcement, earlier this month, of its selection of President Barack Obama as its 2009 Commencement speaker. The University also plans to award the President an honorary doctor of laws degree during the Commencement exercises.

The main speaker at the rally will be nationally recognized attorney, Harold Cassidy, who has litigated pro-life cases that have advanced the true rights and interests of pregnant mothers. He will address the human rights violations of abortion, and how abortion violates the rights, interests and health of women. Central to that discussion will be remarks concerning the role of Catholic institutions in the abortion debate, and the role and influence in advancing the human rights violation of abortion in the speech Governor Mario Cuomo delivered at Notre Dame in 1984.

Notre Dame Response hopes that through this prayerful and public demonstration on Palm Sunday, the University community will be respectfully reminded to celebrate its Catholic character and to defend those non-negotiable principles for which Notre Dame stands, including an overarching recognition of the inherent dignity and value of all human life. This event is also a response to University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., who last week expressed the hope that the invitation of President Obama will present an authentic “basis for an engagement with him” on those key issues that “we care so much about.”

Additional Information can be found at their website http://www.ndresponse.com/
-

Comments

  1. Anonymous4/1/09, 1:00 PM

    This gives me hope for Notre Dame, even though Fr. Jenkins is wrong, the students are on the right track.

    It used to be that priests taught students, now the role is reversed, the students are instructing the priest.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and are published at the blogger's discretion.

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Image
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Read more

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Image
Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the hou
Read more

Saint Gerard of Brogne: Patron of Abbots

Image
St. Gerard was born to a noble family in Staves, Belgium, in 895. He descended from a royal line of military men and at first felt a share in this call to arms. He trained for the army and, as a page of the count of Namur, he was sent on a special mission to the French court. There, Gerard realized that he was being called to the monastic life. He stayed in France and joined the Benedictines of St. Denis, abandoning his noble birthright and all his worldly possessions. He spent eleven years in France as a monk before becoming a priest. Following his ordination, he left for Belgium in order to found a new abbey on his own estate of Brogne. He was its abbot for twenty-two years and during that period was instrumental in introducing St. Benedict's Rule into numerous houses in Flanders, Lorraine and Champagne.He became known for his engaging sweetness of temper, his strict observance of the Rule of St. Benedict and for the replacement of lukewarm religious practice with true piety.
Read more