It should be a bridge across all chasms that separate modern people from each other. In the words of Father Hesburgh inscribed in the base of this statue, a Catholic university should be a beacon that reveals faith seeking understanding. This is how the two led the University for 35 years, and it is the same posture of dialogue that Notre Dame adopts towards the world at large. The two stand together in conversation, as if discussing plans or a grand idea.

He wrote, Notre Dame “will be one of the most powerful means of doing good in this country.”īelow the giant mural stands a statue of Father Hesburgh with his good friend and University Executive Vice President, Father “Ned” Joyce, who was also a Holy Cross priest. The modern day saints and scholars who walk through those doors are the continuation of this tradition as we bring the Word of Life, Jesus, alive in our prayer, work, and study.Īdvancing human understanding in a way that also helps us grow in love of God is the fulfillment of the hope-filled vision that Father Sorin described in his letter during the first winter of 1842. Below the mural is the main entrance to the Hesburgh Library and as people walk in and out of the library, they in essence become a part of this mural. The artist put Christ The Teacher at the center of this mural and then surrounded him with scholars, thinkers, teachers, and saints throughout history. In that passage, Jesus is described as the “Word of God” who gives life to all things. The origin of this title is from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. But the actual title of this mural is the “Word of Life.” And it can be seen from inside Notre Dame Stadium. It got its nickname because Jesus has his arms outstretched in the same position a referee uses to signal a touchdown. This mural on Hesburgh Library is commonly called 'Touchdown Jesus.' It measures a towering 134 feet high by 68 feet wide and is composed of more than 5,700 multi-colored pieces of granite. Begin this segment when you are in front of the large mural of Jesus on the south side of the library.

Image touchdown jesus notre dame