Notre Dame Football Team Wins in their Faith in Jesus with Star Quarterback and Coach Freeman a Catholic Convert!
Leonard spoke to ESPN: “I just started trusting the Lord,” said Leonard, who threw one touchdown and ran for another. “I looked up and said, ‘Jesus, whatever your will is for my life, I trust it 100 percent.’ This offense and this team trust in Jesus and his plan for this season.”
Throughout this season-long journey of excellence included a 13-game winning streak.
“One of the biggest bragging points about this team is we have, like, 40 guys show up to our Bible study sometimes every Thursday,” said Leonard. “That’s really a credit to them.
“It started with, like, five guys, but it’s grown to 40. This team is just so close. And everything that we do, we do as a unit.”
🙏🏻✝️ Wow. Quarterbacks from both Ohio State and Notre Dame praised Jesus Christ after last night’s National Championship game.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 21, 2025
In sports, there’s a winner and a loser—but in a life devoted to Christ, there are only winners.
God Bless these players. pic.twitter.com/SFFx6vhWZF
He wears a wristband citing the passage of Matthew 23:12: “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Too, Leonard’s Instagram account reads, “No God, no peace; Know God, know peace.”
Notre Dame's Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman converted to Catholicism in 2022.
In the South Bend Tribune he said: “I tried to keep it as private as I could,” he said. “Obviously, when you’re head coach at Notre Dame, nothing is private.”
In 2017, Notre Dame’s tradition of celebrating Mass before home games had been moved to Friday nights. Freeman reinstated celebrating Mass on game day.
“What better time is there to go have Mass?” he said during an interview with the National Catholic Register in August 2022. “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?”
“I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ,” Freeman said.
He had made history as the first Black or Asian American head coach to lead a team to a national championship
“I’ve said this before, I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team,” Freeman told ESPN. “It is an honor, and I hope all coaches — minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn’t matter — great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. But this ain’t about me. This is about us. We’re going to celebrate what we’ve done because it’s something special.”
The Fighting Irish brought along holy medals, to the Jan. 20 game, given to them and blessed by team chaplain Father Nate Wills, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Historically, the first time Notre Dame ever gave their players holy medals occurred before the Fighting Irish took on Army on Oct. 13, 1923. Apparently, Army had asked a Hollywood celebrity to conduct a ceremonial kickoff. Undaunted, Holy Cross priest Father (and later Cardinal) John Francis O’Hara told the team “that if they (Army) had this Hollywood star on their side, St. Joan of Arc would be on our side” and handed out medals of the great French soldier, according to a story Father Wills shared on Instagram.
A little over 100 years later, with the Notre Dame band trumpet section booming out the alma mater dedicated to the Blessed Mother, a new edition of medal-carrying, God-loving, faith-expressing Fighting Irish tried to do the same against Ohio State.
Win or lose, Freeman appears to be the right fit for Notre Dame — both as a coach and as a man of faith.
Is Marcus Freeman Catholic?
Freeman is Catholic, as he converted to Catholicism in 2022. He became Notre Dame's head coach after Brian Kelly left for LSU in 2021.
When Freeman began his first full season as Notre Dame's head coach, he signaled how important faith would be to the program when he reinstated the team tradition of pregame mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus.
"To me, what better time is there to go have mass," Freeman told National Catholic Register after restoring the tradition.
Marcus Freeman Catholic conversion
Freeman explained that near the start of his first full season at Notre Dame that he had converted to Catholicism.
"I tried to keep it as private as I could," Freeman said, adding, "When you're head coach at Notre Dame, nothing is private."
Freeman's home parish revealed in September 2022 that the Notre Dame coach had received confirmation and Holy Communion to finalize his conversion to Catholicism.
His wife and six children were already practicing Catholics, so he joined the rest of his family as a Catholic when he decided to convert.
What religion was Marcus Freeman before?
Freeman hasn't gone into detail about his previous faith, but Notre Dame Insider reported he was "raised in both the Christian and Korean church traditions." Freeman identified as Christian before he converted to Catholicism.
Freeman's mother is from South Korea. She met her husband when he was stationed in the country while with the Air Force, and Freeman was born after they moved back to the U.S. together.
Why is Notre Dame Catholic?
Notre Dame was founded by members of Catholic religious order Congregation of Holy Cross in 1842. "Notre Dame" directly translates to "Our Lady," referring to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
According to Notre Dame's admissions site, the school has more than 40 masses each week and more than 75 priests on campus. The university also emphasizes service and says more than 80 percent of students participate in some form of community service before graduation.
"Our Catholic faith not only informs our pursuit of truth, it is part of everything we do on campus," Notre Dame says.
Students do not have to be Catholic to go to Notre Dame. The school welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds.
While a significant portion of the student body is Catholic, Notre Dame's admissions site says "all faiths practiced within our community are welcomed and supported."
Sources: OSV News https://catholicreview.org/notre-dame-players-head-to-championship-formed-by-pregame-masses-saint-devotions/ https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/ncaa-football/news/marcus-freeman-catholic-notre-dame-coach-religion/2701494b20dafe8a47be4e52In 2017, Notre Dame’s tradition of celebrating Mass before home games had been moved to Friday nights. Freeman reinstated celebrating Mass on game day.
“What better time is there to go have Mass?” he said during an interview with the National Catholic Register in August 2022. “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?”
“I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ,” Freeman said.
He had made history as the first Black or Asian American head coach to lead a team to a national championship
“I’ve said this before, I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team,” Freeman told ESPN. “It is an honor, and I hope all coaches — minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn’t matter — great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. But this ain’t about me. This is about us. We’re going to celebrate what we’ve done because it’s something special.”
The Fighting Irish brought along holy medals, to the Jan. 20 game, given to them and blessed by team chaplain Father Nate Wills, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Marcus Freeman: “Being at the University of Notre Dame, it’s a place where growing your faith is encouraged.
— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlo) January 19, 2025
“I have a strong faith & there’s often times we talk about you have to trust beyond evidence, trust beyond knowing… we’re not shy about it.” pic.twitter.com/aNgqkKOv6S
Historically, the first time Notre Dame ever gave their players holy medals occurred before the Fighting Irish took on Army on Oct. 13, 1923. Apparently, Army had asked a Hollywood celebrity to conduct a ceremonial kickoff. Undaunted, Holy Cross priest Father (and later Cardinal) John Francis O’Hara told the team “that if they (Army) had this Hollywood star on their side, St. Joan of Arc would be on our side” and handed out medals of the great French soldier, according to a story Father Wills shared on Instagram.
A little over 100 years later, with the Notre Dame band trumpet section booming out the alma mater dedicated to the Blessed Mother, a new edition of medal-carrying, God-loving, faith-expressing Fighting Irish tried to do the same against Ohio State.
Win or lose, Freeman appears to be the right fit for Notre Dame — both as a coach and as a man of faith.
Is Marcus Freeman Catholic?
Freeman is Catholic, as he converted to Catholicism in 2022. He became Notre Dame's head coach after Brian Kelly left for LSU in 2021.
When Freeman began his first full season as Notre Dame's head coach, he signaled how important faith would be to the program when he reinstated the team tradition of pregame mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus.
"To me, what better time is there to go have mass," Freeman told National Catholic Register after restoring the tradition.
Marcus Freeman Catholic conversion
Freeman explained that near the start of his first full season at Notre Dame that he had converted to Catholicism.
"I tried to keep it as private as I could," Freeman said, adding, "When you're head coach at Notre Dame, nothing is private."
Freeman's home parish revealed in September 2022 that the Notre Dame coach had received confirmation and Holy Communion to finalize his conversion to Catholicism.
His wife and six children were already practicing Catholics, so he joined the rest of his family as a Catholic when he decided to convert.
What religion was Marcus Freeman before?
Freeman hasn't gone into detail about his previous faith, but Notre Dame Insider reported he was "raised in both the Christian and Korean church traditions." Freeman identified as Christian before he converted to Catholicism.
Freeman's mother is from South Korea. She met her husband when he was stationed in the country while with the Air Force, and Freeman was born after they moved back to the U.S. together.
Why is Notre Dame Catholic?
Notre Dame was founded by members of Catholic religious order Congregation of Holy Cross in 1842. "Notre Dame" directly translates to "Our Lady," referring to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
According to Notre Dame's admissions site, the school has more than 40 masses each week and more than 75 priests on campus. The university also emphasizes service and says more than 80 percent of students participate in some form of community service before graduation.
"Our Catholic faith not only informs our pursuit of truth, it is part of everything we do on campus," Notre Dame says.
Students do not have to be Catholic to go to Notre Dame. The school welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds.
While a significant portion of the student body is Catholic, Notre Dame's admissions site says "all faiths practiced within our community are welcomed and supported."
We need more men like Marcus Freeman.
— Jeremy Wayne Tate (@JeremyTate41) January 20, 2025
“You go to Mass — and our entire team goes to Mass, Catholic or not Catholic — and you realize that we are all embracing and believing in Jesus Christ as our savior.”
- Marcus Freeman pic.twitter.com/MM5QmDnR2Y
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