Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman joins the Catholic Church

SOUTH BEND, IND. – Marcus Freeman, the first-year head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, has reportedly converted to the Catholic faith, a process he began since his arrival in South Bend, Indiana.

“Welcome to our newest Catholic, Marcus Freeman,” read an announcement in the Sept. 11 bulletin published by St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger, Indiana.

According to the announcement, Freeman was “received into the Catholic Church after preparing with Father Nate Wills CSC, chaplain of the Notre Dame football team.” 

It was accompanied by a photo of the 36-year-old football coach and four priests, including Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins CSC.
 

“To me, what better time is there to go have Mass? What better time to be able to really be on the edge of your seat to get every word that comes out of the priest’s mouth and to be as close
to God as you can?” 

Marcus Freeman

“Marcus made a profession of faith, was confirmed and received his First Holy Communion. Please pray for Marcus and his family as they celebrate and continue this journey in faith!” the announcement said. According to sources, Freeman, who established a school record by losing his first three games at the famed university, entered the church at the end of August, before the start of the football season.

Freeman’s wife, Joanna, is Catholic, as are their six children Vinny, Siena, Gino, Nico, Capri and Rocco. 

In an interview with the National Catholic Register published Aug. 31, Freeman, who was a Christian before his entrance into the Catholic Church, said that he was grateful to be at Notre Dame because of the school’s emphasis on faith.

“That’s important for me. I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ,” Freeman told the Register.

The successor to longtime coach Brian Kelly, who is now the coach at LSU, Freeman began the football season by resurrecting a Catholic tradition at Notre Dame: the team’s game-day Mass.

Once again, for home games, the team will attend Mass together at the Basilica, leave through the “God, Country, Notre Dame” door, and walk across campus to Notre Dame Stadium. One of Kelly’s reforms had been to reschedule the team Mass for the night before games.

Freeman had fond memories of attending a pre-game Mass he attended as a high school recruit from Huber Heights, Ohio. At a press conference marking the beginning of practice last spring, he said he was “caught by surprise” to learn the team no longer followed the tradition.

“It’s what I remember from my recruiting trip — watching the players walk out of the Basilica on the way to the stadium. I was a little caught by surprise when we didn’t do it last year,” he said, adding that he was restoring the tradition. Freeman did not end up attending Notre Dame, electing to go to Ohio State instead.

Freeman discussed with the Register why he thought it was important for the team to attend Mass together before games.

“To me, what better time is there to go have Mass?” he said. “What better time to be able to really be on the edge of your seat to get every word that comes out of the priest’s mouth and to be as close to God as you can?”