Thank You, Father Ted.

Father Theodore Hesburgh passed away at 11:26p.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at age 97. The world lost an advocate for peace and justice, Notre Dame lost a hero, and heaven gained a saint.

Photo from mynotredame.nd.edu.

Father Theodore Hesburgh was and is so many things to the University of Notre Dame community and to the world as a whole. Beyond the 150 commissions he served on, beyond working with popes and presidents and policy makers and activists, he walked the talk: he cared for and ministered to the individual. He himself was a trailblazer, a leader, and an icon, but he viewed himself first and foremost as a priest. A servant. A person. See hesburgh.nd.edu to explore the extraordinary life of Father Ted beyond the simple scope of this post.

Photo from commonwealmagazine.com.

Part of Father Hesburgh's daily prayer routine was saying Mass. He only missed one or two Masses throughout his time as a priest. He said Mass on Thursday, his last day on earth.

Photo from ndsmcobserver.com.

Father Ted quite literally made Notre Dame the place that it is today during his 35 years as president; see this page for some of his contributions to his beloved Our Lady’s University. Beyond the more well-known feats he accomplished, he made time for individual people. There are countless stories told of him accepting students into his office in Main Building at all hours of the evening. These late-night chats have become something like campus legends. After his presidency in his later years, Father Hesburgh became blind. Rather than treat it like a disability, he embraced this new phase of life like he had all the others: as a gift. He transformed a limitation into an opportunity to have personal encounters with undergraduate students by inviting them into his office to read the newspaper to him. Father Ted was a real person, who treated each student like they mattered, because they did.

I grew up hearing Father Ted stories, as my parents were blessed to attend Our Lady’s University under his leadership from 1981-1985. One of my dad’s most cherished memories from his time at ND was serving as Father Ted’s altar boy for the Stations of the Cross in the Basilica during Lent. The president of the University made him feel valued in this role. Similarly, a couple months after Christmas break of junior year, my mom’s landline in Lewis Hall rang. My dad was in the room and answered. “It’s Father Hesburgh,” he whispered, holding out the phone. My mom thought it was a prank. It was Father Hesburgh. “Julie?” “Hello, Father Hesburgh.” “I’m sorry I’m so late getting back to you, Julie, but I wanted to thank you for the lovely Christmas card you sent me this year.” That’s just the kind of person he was.

In addition to the Christmas card phone call story, I have heard my mom speak several times about Father Ted’s devotion to the Holy Spirit. He was complex and accomplished and established in the world in a way not many people have ever been or ever will be, and yet he was still so simple. His favorite prayer was, “Come, Holy Spirit.” So many, including myself, have adopted this mantra of his as their own. 

After growing up amidst stories of this legendary man, I was blessed with the opportunity to meet him at the conclusion of my freshman year at Notre Dame. It was an uncannily special experience being in Father Ted’s thirteenth floor office with him and Father Monk Malloy, his successor, at the same time. At ninety-six years, Father Hesburgh was witty and articulate. He spoke especially highly of women, informing us that he wanted one of us girls in the room to become president someday. “I want to see you women make this place your own. You bring a loveliness to Notre Dame that, let’s be honest, most men cannot and will not bring.” He had wonderful things to say about the men in the room, too, but has a special place in his heart for women, whom he began admitting to the University in 1972. Father Ted repeatedly insisted that Notre Dame women, and all women, for that matter, must “stand tall.” I will always carry this with me.

It’s no accident that the window of Father Hesburgh’s office is at eye level with Mary atop the Golden Dome. He had a particularly special devotion to Mary, which was evident in the way he spoke of the Blessed Virgin and about women in general. He got a particular twinkle in his eye when he glanced out the window in her direction as he looked over her University.

The last several days have marked a unique moment in history. Our campus has been engaged in mourning, honoring, and celebrating the life of Father Hesburgh. As we prepare to celebrate Father Ted's life in a particularly focused way in the upcoming days through various prayer services, his wake, his funeral, and a memorial ceremony, I am struck with the realization that while we have lost a hero here on earth, he has finally been united with Our Father and Our Lady in heaven. This is a peaceful thought, and a joyous reality.

When I had the opportunity to cross paths even for a mere hour with this man, one thing he said stood out to me in particular. I would like to close with it, as I think it says so much about who he was and who he continues to be for our community. "I figure when I get to the pearly gates," he mused as he gazed across at the dome from his 13th floor office last spring, "I will say, 'I worked for the boss's mother, so I think I can get in.'" Father Ted is the heart and soul of Notre Dame. I am personally forever indebted to him as a woman who calls his beloved Our Lady's University home, and we have all been affected by his life's work in countless ways. I hope he enjoyed saying his bit about the boss’s mother on Thursday evening. My guess is the pearly gates were already flung wide open in anticipation, ready to welcome this saint of a man home.

Photo from pinterest.com.

Thank you, Father Ted.