Mother’s Day holds a special significance at Notre Dame. Our beloved school was inspired by and named for Mary, the Blessed Mother. And one of our own, alumnus and one-time faculty member Frank Hering, is considered one of the founders of Mother’s Day.

In recognition of the University’s special connection to this holiday, the Notre Dame Alumni Association is once again offering alumni, parents, friends, and the campus community a variety of ways to honor mothers in a special way this year.

On Wednesday, April 27 from 2-6 p.m., we invite you to stop by the Fieldhouse Mall (north of LaFortune) for our Mother’s Honor and Remembrance Day celebration. You can add a special intention to our Mother’s Honor and Remembrance Wall, which will be a collection of all the prayers for mothers submitted by the Notre Dame family this year. After the event, the wall will be on display outside the Eck Visitors Center through mid-May.

At this event, you also will be able to pose for fun pictures in our photo booth with signs that help you express your love and gratitude, and then share them on social media. Free ice cream and fun games will be available, and students can send out special Notre Dame Mother’s Day cards. It is a wonderful way to mingle with our students.

The Alumni Association also will hold a prayer service for mothers at the Grotto on Friday, May 6 at 1 p.m. All members of the campus community are invited to attend and help pray the Mother’s Day intentions submitted online by Notre Dame alumni, parents, and friends around the world. If you can not attend the prayer service in person, we invite you to submit a prayer request for your mother, grandmother, or mother figure in your life.

More Mother’s Day resources, including customizable Notre Dame prayer cards, reflections on motherhood from members of the Notre Dame family and a list of Masses for Mothers being held in our communities, will be available online at mothersday.nd.edu after the site launches on May 1.

We hope to see you at these two events honoring mothers this spring! The Alumni Association wishes all of the mothers in our global Notre Dame family a happy and blessed Mother’s Day.