Notre Dame students flocked to the Grotto in October to hear actor Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in the Mel Gibson film The Passion of the Christ. Caviezel was quoted in The Observer, the student newspaper, as announcing, “I came here to Notre Dame to tell you students to have the courage to step into this pagan world and shamelessly express your faith in public,” and he said he believed Notre Dame was called to a “major act of faith right now.” Caviezel also said he didn’t like the fact that the stadium expansion obscured some views of the Word of Life (“Touchdown Jesus”) mural on the side of the library. “The image needs to be resurrected so everyone can see it.”
The actor’s appearance was sponsored by the Right to Life club, Student Government, Children of Mary, Knights of the Immaculata and the Orestes Brownson Council.