By Jonah McKeown
CNA Staff, Jan 2, 2025 / 14:30 pm
Notre Dame football fans gathered in a New Orleans hotel ballroom on Wednesday morning for Mass, coming together in prayer for those affected by a tragic terrorist attack in the French Quarter on New Year’s Day.
The Mass, a tradition for Notre Dame fans, was initially scheduled for Jan. 1, a holy day of obligation. It drew around 500 attendees to the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, located just a short walk from the French Quarter.
Father Nathan Wills, chaplain for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, emphasized the power of prayer in times of tragedy, stating that it is essential to come together in faith and seek solace in the Lord. The college football Sugar Bowl game between No. 2-ranked Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame, scheduled for that day, was postponed to the following afternoon.
“In the midst of tragedy, we come together in prayer and faith in Our Lord. There’s no darkness that he can’t overcome. That’s the hope, seeing everybody praying together and singing together,” Wills told the South Bend Tribune.
Notre Dame alumni and fans come together for Mass down in New Orleans. The room is jam-packed.
“This is what we do in the wake of tragedy—come together in prayer.” @WTHRcom pic.twitter.com/b7YbJwthvk
— Dominic Miranda (@DomMirandaTV) January 1, 2025
Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texan and Army veteran, tragically drove an electric pickup truck into a crowd of people at a New Year’s celebration on Bourbon Street, resulting in the loss of 14 lives and injuring numerous others.
