FIDES: Freshmen In Discipleship, Evangelization, & Service

FIDES (faith in Latin), or Freshmen In Discipleship, Evangelization, & Service, is a select, intense program of faith immersion through which you will have the special opportunity to deepen your Catholic faith through monthly large group sessions with some of our University’s most dynamic theological speakers. In addition, weekly small group sessions link you to faith-filled upperclassmen who act as mentors and help you find your way through your freshman year at Notre Dame and continue your formation as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Special outside faith activities will open your eyes to all that Campus Ministry and the Notre Dame spiritual life have to offer. There simply is no better introduction to the faith life at Notre Dame than FIDES.

In FIDES, we will seek to advance your Catholic Christian understanding of:

Discipleship

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? For one, it means living a life modeled after Christ, in word and in deed. It also means seeking after fellowship in the Body of Christ, supporting and edifying each other along the journey.

Evangelization

Why should we tell others about our faith? What does it mean to be an evangelical Catholic? Sharing our faith with others has been a constitutive element of being a Catholic Christian since the time of Jesus’ Great Commission to the disciples in St. Matthew 28:19-20. In order to share our faith, we have to know our faith: what it means to be a Catholic Christian, how it is important, and why the Catholic message is still incredibly relevant in our world today.

Service

At the Last Supper in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus takes a basin and towel and washes the feet of His disciples (St. John 13:4-15). We, as disciples, are instructed to do likewise. Notre Dame students are well known for the service they give to the less-fortunate, whether in South Bend or on the other side of the world. Service is a constitutive element of your time in FIDES.

Learn more about your Catholic faith. Meet other faith-filled freshmen. Learn what it means to be a Catholic young adult at Notre Dame. Have a formative impact on the faith life here at Notre Dame, and get the inside scoop on Campus Ministry and other faith-based programs in the process.

Contact: Brett Perkins / 574.631.3250 / Perkins.26@nd.edu