Holy Cross Priest
Throughout his lifetime, Father Hesburgh maintained that all he had ever wanted to be was a Catholic priest, and that all he did was in fulfillment of his vocation to the priesthood.
So he served the poor and fought for justice.
He represented the Vatican in international deliberations and fashioned Notre Dame into “the place where the Church does its thinking.”
And yet, perhaps the persistent theme of his life story was his pastoral nature, his answering the needs of individuals, his personal touch.
Despite his travels, no matter what his location, he never failed to say daily Mass. In his later years, he often said that his life was guided by the simple prayer, “Come, Holy Spirit.”
For a man of abiding faith such as Father Hesburgh, Notre Dame's success always relied upon "Our Lady atop the Dome."