Dear Father Sorin,
On Sunday, March 22, 2009, my partner and I arrived at your University of Notre Dame du Lac. You would not recognize the place after almost 167 years of growth and prosperity. We are staying at the Morris Inn, named for a Presbyterian and his wife who gave a $1 million gift in appreciate for Mr. Morris’ law degree earned in the early 1900s from the University. You will appreciate this gift even more when you learn that Mr. Morris was an orphan in his youth and appealed to the University president, Rev. John W. Cavanaugh, for acceptance. While the Inn bears the name of its benefactors, you will be pleased to know that you are honored by a restaurant, Sorin’s, at which we will dine for breakfast during our stay.
Even though more than a century separates us, I feel we have a lot in common. Like you, I had an aptitude for the religious life—desiring to become a nun in my youth—however, not being Catholic, this aspiration fizzled. Instead, I pursued a vocation as a director of Christian education with children and youth, following a similar path to yours.
Like you, I enjoyed reciting the liturgies of the church, albeit Lutheran, by heart and learning how to attend to the duties of acolyte. I often wandered into the woods behind my childhood home to ponder God and erect altars in His honor. And, on Sundays when our family could not attend worship services at church, we held our own in the living room. I would play the organ to accompany our singing.
Like you, I was called to the ministry and attended a seminary in my young adult years. Upon completing my seminary education; however, I abandoned thoughts of ordination because of my self-avowed, practicing homosexual orientation, which is still forbidden in most mainline denominations. I am sure you are surprised, though, by the fact that women are now ordained in most protestant denominations; but not in your beloved Catholic church.
I’m what is known as a subway alumnus, which is someone who never attended the University as a student but is an avid fan of the school’s sports teams. In fact, that’s why I traveled to Notre Dame this week—to watch the NCAA Division I women’s college basketball tournament. Yes, that’s right Father, there are female students on the campus these days. They have been admitted since 1972, and they even compete in sports just like the men.
In preparation for my visit to your campus, I read the Story of Notre Dame. You made a profound statement, almost a prophecy, in your letter to Father Basil Moreau dated December 5, 1842, who was your mentor and elder in France. You wrote,
You cannot help see that this new branch of your family is destined to grow under the protection of Our Lady of the Lake ... At least, this is my deep conviction. Time will tell if I am wrong.10
I wanted you to know, in case no one has ever told you, you were not wrong. The University of Notre Dame du Lac that you founded in 1842 is the largest, most respected and well-known Catholic institution of higher education in America. In fact, it is world-famous for its academic, athletic, and religious excellence. Congratulations.
Sincerely,
Cheryl A. Hemmerle
Nashville, Tennessee
10Sorin to Moreau, Dec. 5, 1842. This first letter written by Sorin from Notre Dame has been frequently published (lettres circulaires du Supérieur Général de la Congregation de Sainte-Croix, I, 1860, 58-64. Circular Letters of Father Sorin, pp. 259-et ss.). Retrieved from http://archives.nd.edu/hope/hope03.htm.
Captions and Credits:
(Top) Young Father Sorin, courtesy of Notre Dame. (Second) Father Sorin in his later years with the Minims, as he called them, which is French for followers of a Roman Catholic order. (Third)
Charcoal Rubbing of Father Sorin's Gravestone by Marsha R. Base. (Bottom)
Statue of Father Sorin on the Main Quad. (Audio) Voice of the author reading this letter.