Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has been confirmed Catholic, according to an announcement in the bulletin of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger, Ind. Freeman's wife Joanna and their six children already are Catholic.
In an interview with the National Catholic Register published in late August, Freeman, who was Christian before converting to Catholicism, noted he loves Notre Dame's emphasis on faith. "That's important for me. I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ."
Freeman is also resurrecting a former Notre Dame game day tradition of having his team attend Mass the day of games. The team attended Mass the night before games under Brian Kelly.
From the Catholic News Agency:
Once again, for home games, the team will go to Mass together at the Basilica, leave through the “God, Country, Notre Dame” door, and walk across campus to Notre Dame Stadium.
Freeman had fond memories of attending a pre-game Mass he attended as a high school recruit from Huber Heights, Ohio. At a press conference marking the beginning of practice last spring, he said he was “caught by surprise” to learn that the team no longer followed the tradition.
“It’s what I remember from my recruiting trip — watching the players walk out of the Basilica on the way to the stadium. I was a little caught by surprise when we didn’t do it last year,” he said, adding that he was restoring the tradition.
Freeman discussed with the Register why he thought it was important for the team to attend Mass together before games.
“To me, what better time is there to go have Mass?” he said. “What better time to be able to really be on the edge of your seat to get every word that comes out of the priest’s mouth and to be as close to God as you can?”
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.