About Basilica of the Sacred Heart · Notre Dame, Indiana
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is a Minor Basilica on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. It serves as the University Church for Notre Dame and as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.) in the United States. Consecrated on August 15, 1888, and raised to the rank of Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II on January 17, 1992, the neo-Gothic church is famed for housing the largest collection of 19th-century French stained glass in the world, Vatican painter Luigi Gregori's ceiling and wall murals, the oldest carillon in North America, and the relics of early Roman martyrs enshrined beneath its high altar.
- Established
- 1871
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Brian C. Ching, C.S.C. (Rector)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend
Why belong here
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart offers a rare combination of historic Catholic depth and active student-and-parish life: daily Mass and confessions, the Sunday 10:00 a.m. liturgy broadcast live on CatholicTV, traditional Latin and Spanish Masses, Eucharistic Adoration in the Lady Chapel, and the liturgies of the Congregation of Holy Cross (perpetual profession of vows and presbyteral ordinations). Pilgrims and visitors are drawn to the world's largest collection of 19th-century French stained glass, Luigi Gregori's Vatican-school murals, the oldest carillon in North America, the 5,194-pipe Fritts organ, the relics of Sts. Marcellus and Severa, and the recently refreshed Reliquary Chapel, all in a consecrated worship space visited by more than 100,000 people a year.
Mass times at Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday – Friday: 11:00 a.m. (Basilica) — summer schedule
- Monday – Friday: 4:45 p.m. (Basilica, academic summer session: June 8 – July 17) — summer schedule
- Per the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend and Sacred Heart Parish schedule, additional daily confessions are heard in the Crypt church during the academic year (consult the parish's liturgical schedule page for current times).
Adoration times
- Friday: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Lady Chapel of the Basilica (Campus Ministry)
- Additional weekly Eucharistic Adoration is hosted in the Coleman-Morse Chapel by Campus Ministry during the academic year; sign-ups for a weekly half-hour time slot are available online.
About the Basilica of the Sacred Heart
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the University Church of the University of Notre Dame and the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.) in the United States. A neo-Gothic landmark consecrated in 1888 and raised to the rank of Minor Basilica in 1992, it is a contributing property of the Notre Dame historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The Basilica is home to the world's largest collection of 19th-century French stained glass, Vatican painter Luigi Gregori's wall and ceiling murals and Stations of the Cross, the oldest carillon in North America, and the new Murdy Family Organ (2016). Mass is celebrated and confessions are heard there daily, and the Basilica regularly hosts weddings, funerals, baptisms, Holy Cross perpetual professions, and presbyteral ordinations.
- Status: Minor Basilica (since January 17, 1992)
- Style: Gothic Revival (neo-Gothic)
- Capacity: ~1,000
- Dimensions: 275 ft long × 114 ft wide × 230 ft tall
- Materials: Notre Dame brick, limestone
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places: May 23, 1978
- Open year-round for prayer and touring
History
A modest log chapel served the Holy Cross community in 1842, replaced by Notre Dame's first proper church in 1848. By 1870 Fr. Edward Sorin was planning a much larger successor; the cornerstone was laid in 1871, the first Mass was held in the unfinished building in 1875, and Bishop Joseph Gregory Dwenger of Fort Wayne consecrated the completed church on August 15, 1888, during the golden jubilee of Sorin's ordination. Three major renovations followed — Wilfred E. Anthony's 1931 restoration, the post-Vatican II reordering of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and Conrad Schmitt Studios' comprehensive 1989–1992 restoration that restored much of the 19th-century decoration and conserved the French stained glass. The church was elevated to a Minor Basilica in 1992, and the new Murdy Family Organ was installed in 2016.
- 1842: Log chapel on the new mission; arrival of Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C.
- 1848: First proper church at Notre Dame
- 1870: T. Brady of St. Louis drafts new Gothic Revival plans; Frs. Sorin and Granger and Br. Harding lead design and construction
- May 31, 1871: Cornerstone laid with six bishops present
- August 15, 1875: First Mass in the unfinished church
- 1887: Lady Chapel added
- August 15, 1888: Consecration by Bishop Dwenger on the golden jubilee of Fr. Sorin's ordination
- 1892: Steeple completed (230 ft including the gilded cross)
- 1931: First thorough renovation by Wilfred E. Anthony
- Late 1960s – early 1970s: Liturgical renovation following Vatican II; Gregori Stations put in storage
- 1989: Conrad Schmitt Studios renovation begins
- January 17, 1992: Elevated to a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II
- 2016: Murdy Family Organ (Paul Fritts & Co.) installed
- January 2025: Reliquary Chapel conserved and reopened with relics of Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati
Architecture, Art, and Music
The neo-Gothic exterior of Notre Dame brick and limestone features a 230-foot bell tower and two lateral pinnacles. The interior is a Latin-cross plan approximately 275 × 114 feet with seven side chapels and three apsidal chapels behind the high altar. Luigi Gregori's murals cover the walls and ceiling, with Stations of the Cross in the nave. The 116 stained-glass windows from Le Mans, France, contain more than 1,200 panels and roughly 450 square meters of glass. The 24-bell carillon (the oldest in North America) hangs in the spire, and the 2016 Murdy Family Organ stands 40 feet tall with 5,194 pipes. The high altar was exhibited at the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exposition, and the church also houses an Ivan Meštrović Pietà titled "Descent from the Cross."
- Architects: Fr. Alexis Granger, C.S.C.; Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C.; Br. Charles Borromeo Harding, C.S.C.; from plans by T. Brady, St. Louis (1870)
- Gregori murals and Stations of the Cross (1870s–1890s)
- Carmel du Mans Glassworks stained glass (1873–1888)
- French-imported high altar (1876 Centennial Exposition)
- Oldest carillon in North America (24 bells; 1856 onwards; St. Anthony of Padua bourdon, 1888)
- Murdy Family Organ, Paul Fritts & Co. (2016), 4 manuals, 70 stops, 5,194 pipes
- Ivan Meštrović Pietà, "Descent from the Cross"
Prayer and Worship
Daily Mass and confessions are offered in the Basilica, and the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass is broadcast live on CatholicTV. Summer and academic-year schedules differ; the Vigil Mass on football game-day Saturdays is held 30 minutes after the game for day games and at 4:00 p.m. for night games. The Lady Chapel hosts Friday afternoon Eucharistic Adoration, and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes — a replica of the Lourdes grotto on the edge of St. Joseph's Lake — is the site of daily rosaries at 6:45 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
- Daily Mass Monday – Friday, 11:30 a.m.
- Saturday Vigil Mass, 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday Masses: 10:00 a.m. (Liturgical Choir) and 12:00 p.m. (Folk Choir) in the academic year; 10:00 a.m. (CatholicTV) in summer
- Sunday 3:30 p.m. Spanish Mass (academic year)
- Traditional Latin Masses (Alumni Hall, 10:00 a.m. Sunday)
- Friday Adoration, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. in the Lady Chapel
- Rosary at the Grotto: 6:45 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. daily
Music and Choirs
Liturgical music at the Basilica is led by a team of choral directors and organists who direct the choirs that serve the various Sunday and daily Masses. The Notre Dame Liturgical Choir sings at the Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass, while the Notre Dame Folk Choir sings the Sunday noon Mass during the academic year. Other ensembles include the Magnificat Choir and Community Choir, the Basilica Schola, the Voices of Faith Gospel Choir, and Coro Primavera. The Murdy Family Organ (Paul Fritts & Co., Tacoma, WA, 2016) is the principal organ.
- Liturgical Choir (Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass)
- Folk Choir (Sunday noon Mass)
- Magnificat Choir and Community Choir
- Basilica Schola
- Voices of Faith Gospel Choir (Director: Turrell O'Neal)
- Coro Primavera
- Choir Directors: John Zack; J.J. Wright; Jonathan Hehn; Andy McShane; Patrick Kronner
Basilica Staff and Leadership
The Basilica is led by the Rector, Rev. Brian C. Ching, C.S.C., who was appointed in July 2018 and is also Director of Liturgy in Notre Dame's Office of Campus Ministry (named August 2025). Rev. Peter Rocca, C.S.C., serves as rector emeritus after 23 years as rector. The Basilica staff includes the Senior Coordinator of Operations, the University Sacristan, the Coordinator of Ministries, and the Coordinator of Tours and Hospitality, working alongside Notre Dame Campus Ministry staff chaplains and assistants.
- Rector: Rev. Brian C. Ching, C.S.C.
- Rector Emeritus: Rev. Peter Rocca, C.S.C.
- Senior Coordinator, Operations: Mary Froning
- University Sacristan: Benito Salazar
- Coordinator of Ministries: Megan Urbaniak
- Coordinator of Tours and Hospitality: Katherine Pelster
- Staff Chaplains: Rev. Tim O'Connor, C.S.C.; Rev. Pete McCormick, C.S.C.
- Assistant Vice President of Campus Ministry: Rev. Michael Mathews, C.S.C.
Sacraments
The Basilica celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments on a regular basis, with daily Mass and confessions in the church and the Crypt. Weddings and funerals are celebrated for those with established ties to the University community in keeping with diocesan policy set by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades. The Basilica also hosts the perpetual profession of vows and presbyteral ordinations for the U.S. Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
- Eucharist: daily Mass; Sunday 10:00 a.m. broadcast on CatholicTV
- Penance: daily in the Basilica; additional in the Crypt during the academic year
- Baptism: by request through the Basilica office
- Confirmation: in the Basilica, under the Bishop of Fort Wayne–South Bend
- Matrimony: for those with University ties, per diocesan policy
- Anointing of the Sick: coordinated through Campus Ministry and the Basilica
- Funerals: alumni/alumni spouses, current or emeritus faculty/staff, and registered Sacred Heart parishioners
- Holy Orders and Religious Profession: for the Congregation of Holy Cross, U.S. Province
- Mass Intentions: requested online through basilica.nd.edu (suggested stipend $10 per the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend)
Funerals
The Basilica welcomes funeral Masses for those with specific ties to the University: an alumnus (or spouse of an alumnus), a current member of the University faculty or staff, an emeritus faculty member, or a registered member of Sacred Heart Parish. Eulogies are not permitted during the funeral Mass itself, in keeping with diocesan policy of the Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of Fort Wayne–South Bend; words of remembrance are appropriate at the luncheon or wake service. The Basilica has hosted funerals for such notable figures as Knute Rockne, Regis Philbin, and Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.
- Eligibility: alumni/alumni spouses, current or emeritus faculty/staff, registered Sacred Heart parishioners
- Eulogies and "Words of Remembrance" follow diocesan policy
- Notable funerals: Knute Rockne, Regis Philbin, Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.
Reliquary Chapel and Sacred Relics
The Reliquary Chapel, originally the chapel behind the high altar and consecrated in 1888, houses more than 1,600 relics of nearly 800 saints, displayed in ornate reliquaries for veneration. Notable items include first-class relics of the 3rd-century Roman martyrs St. Marcellus (enshrined beneath the main altar) and St. Severa (venerated in one of the apsidal chapels), a splinter of the True Cross, a piece of the Last Supper table, wood from Jesus's manger, a piece of St. Joseph's robe, and a fragment of Mary's veil. A wax effigy of St. Severa overlooks her remains. The chapel was conserved and reopened in January 2025 with the addition of relics of modern Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.
- 1,600+ relics of nearly 800 saints
- St. Marcellus (3rd c.) — beneath the main altar
- St. Severa (3rd c.) — apsidal chapel, with wax statue
- Splinter of the True Cross; piece of the Last Supper table; wood of the manger
- Piece of St. Joseph's robe; fragment of Mary's veil
- Relics of Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati (added January 2025)
Lady Chapel
The Lady Chapel, added in 1887 by opening the previously bricked-off north end of the 1875 church, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is the principal space for Marian devotion in the Basilica. It houses a large statue of the Madonna, Marian stained-glass windows, and supports frequent Communion and Holy Hours in keeping with Sacred Heart spirituality. On Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. it is the site of Eucharistic Adoration organized by Campus Ministry.
- Added 1887 (completed north end, originally built 1875)
- Madonna statue and Marian stained glass
- Friday Eucharistic Adoration, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Crypt and Sacred Heart Parish
The Crypt church — on the garden level directly beneath the Lady Chapel — is the worship space of Sacred Heart Parish, the oldest continuously operating parish in the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, founded in 1842 together with the University by the Congregation of Holy Cross. Parish Masses are celebrated in the Crypt at 6:45 a.m. Monday – Friday and at 4:00 p.m. Saturday (with football-weekend adjustments), and on Sundays at 6:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. (in the Crypt), and 11:00 a.m. in the Parish Center Chapel. The parish operates religious education and adult faith formation programs out of the Sacred Heart Parish Center, formerly Moreau Seminary on St. Joseph's Lake.
- Oldest continuous parish in the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend (founded 1842)
- Staffed by the Congregation of Holy Cross
- Crypt weekday Mass: 6:45 a.m. Monday – Friday
- Vigil: 4:00 p.m. Saturday in the Crypt
- Sunday: 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. (Crypt); 11:00 a.m. (Parish Center Chapel)
- Sacred Heart Parish Center (former Moreau Seminary on St. Joseph's Lake) — site of religious education and parish social gatherings
Campus Ministry at Notre Dame
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the liturgical heart of Notre Dame Campus Ministry, which coordinates daily and Sunday Masses across campus, the Sunday 10:00 a.m. broadcast on CatholicTV, residence-hall Masses in each of the University's halls, sacramental preparation (including Marriage Prep, coordinated by Suzy Younger), the Faith and Justice initiative, RCIA and religious education, and pastoral outreach. Campus Ministry staff work directly with the rector of the Basilica and the parish and school sacramental teams.
- Director of Liturgy, Rector of the Basilica: Rev. Brian C. Ching, C.S.C.
- Assistant Vice President: Rev. Michael Mathews, C.S.C.
- Staff Chaplains: Rev. Tim O'Connor, C.S.C.; Rev. Pete McCormick, C.S.C.
- Director of Pastoral Care and Assistant Director of Faith & Justice on staff
- Marriage Preparation Coordinator: Suzy Younger
- Coordinator of Ministries: Megan Urbaniak
- Coordinator of Basilica Tours and Hospitality: Katherine Pelster
Visit and Tours
The Basilica is open year-round for prayer and touring. During the academic year and academic summer session (generally mid-August through mid-December, mid-January through mid-May, and mid-June through the end of July), hours are 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; during breaks and inter-sessions (mid-October, the Christmas season, mid-March, and some summer weeks), hours are typically 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. More than 100,000 visitors come through the Basilica each year. Visitors commonly see the stained-glass windows, the Gregori murals and Stations, the high altar, the Murdy Family Organ, the Reliquary Chapel, the Lady Chapel, the Crypt, and the Ivan Meštrović Pietà, and many also pray the Rosary at the nearby Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. when the University is in session; 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. during breaks
- More than 100,000 visitors per year
- Self-guided and guided tours; the Coordinator of Tours and Hospitality (Katherine Pelster) can assist
- Highlights: stained glass, Gregori murals, Murdy Family Organ, Reliquary Chapel, Lady Chapel, Crypt, Meštrović Pietà, Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
Pilgrimage and Cultural Significance
The Basilica is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the American Midwest and a contributing property on the National Register of Historic Places. It is regularly listed among the most beautiful churches in the United States and receives more than 100,000 visitors each year. Prominent historical visitors have included Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) on October 25, 1936, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on October 28, 2021.
- Contributing property of the University of Notre Dame Main and South Quadrangles historic district (NRHP, 1978)
- Visited by Cardinal Pacelli (1936) and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I (2021)
- Site of funerals for Knute Rockne, Regis Philbin, and Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.
- Featured in University of Notre Dame historic tours and on the main walking path of campus
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C.1977–1997
Rector under whose tenure the church was elevated to a Minor Basilica in 1992; later Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend and Bishop of Peoria, Illinois.
- Rev. Peter Rocca, C.S.C.1997–2018
Rector for nearly 23 years; general editor of the U.S. Ordo (Paulist Press), chaplain for ROTC cadets and midshipmen, director of liturgy for the U.S. Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Retired as rector in 2018 and serves as rector emeritus.
- Rev. Brian C. Ching, C.S.C.2018–present
Appointed rector in July 2018; named Director of Liturgy in the Office of Campus Ministry in August 2025. Notre Dame alumnus (B.A. 2007, M.Div. 2013), ordained at the Basilica in 2013, previously Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph Catholic Church, South Bend, and Director of Old College.
