To kick off the 10th annual Walk the Walk Week, the University of Notre Dame hosted a candlelight prayer service in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart attended by students, faculty, staff and local community members on Monday (Jan. 27). University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., presided over the evening of prayer and reflection. Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America and 2024 Laetare Medalist, offered the keynote reflection.

In his opening prayer, Father Dowd invited the audience to remember Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to build the Beloved Community — a community based on love, justice and equal opportunity, where all people are treated with dignity and respect and where poverty, hunger and homelessness are eliminated.

“May your Holy Spirit remind us all that you show no partiality toward nationality, race, ethnicity or gender. For us to do so is to go against your great commandment of love toward one another.

We pray that the Church will not be complicit in injustice by being silent, but that it can rise up with a prophetic voice that speaks with integrity and advances the values of your Kingdom,” said Father Dowd.

Following a reading from Luke’s Gospel (Luke 18:1-8), Babineaux-Fontenot offered the keynote reflection, focusing on the question at the center of this year’s Notre Dame Forum, “What do we owe each other?”

Exploring this theme through the lens of the names we have each been given, Babineaux-Fontenot shared stories of the names in her family, including those of her son, her husband and her own name. Babineaux-Fontenot, who hails from Louisiana, is named after her great-grandmother, Clarice Richard, a woman of extraordinary courage and fortitude, who, as an enslaved woman, protected her daughter by bearing an inhumane punishment on her behalf. Babineaux-Fontenot reflected on the significance of carrying a family name that reflects such great love in action.

Babineaux-Fontenot also explored the significance of the terms “Christian” and “Catholic.” She observed that in calling ourselves Christian, we are called to love as Christ loved.

“I’m struck by the fact that He did not only tell us to love the people we like. He told us to love and pray for our enemies,” Babineaux-Fontenot said. “I understand that this can feel like a tall order, but He also taught us that we should seek redemption because He understood that none of us would be perfect at any of this.”

In closing, Babineaux-Fontenot reflected on Catholic social teaching, with its emphasis on a preferential option for the poor and a commitment to serve the most vulnerable. As CEO of Feeding America, Babineaux-Fontenot described witnessing kindness, generosity and compassion in action.

“I am buoyed by what I see in us and by what I have the opportunity to do with us,” she said. “If I had to boil down the lessons that I hope you hear from what I believe Christ is telling us, if it had to be reduced to just one word…it would be love.”

Following Babineaux-Fontenot’s reflections, Father Dowd invited student readers to offer prayers of intercession.

“God calls the people of the world into one human family, trusting in the Lord’s desire that we might all be one,” he said. “Let us offer our prayers to God for justice, healing and peace.”

Intercessions were offered in multiple languages including French, Igbo, Irish, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.

The University’s Voices of Faith Gospel Choir provided the music for the prayer service.

At the conclusion of the service, those in attendance were invited to participate in the annual candlelight march to the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue. Walking along paths lit by luminaria, marchers placed their candles at the foot of the statue in silent prayer for peace, justice and unity.

Babineaux-Fontenot has served as CEO of Feeding America since 2018, and has spent decades as a leader and advocate dedicated to combating hunger, addressing food insecurity, and strengthening local communities. Feeding America is a national network of more than 200 food banks and 60,000 charitable and faith-based partners, and works to rescue, store and distribute food to more than 49 million people facing hunger each year. Babineaux-Fontenot has led the organization through a number of challenges, including navigating a global pandemic and the ensuing increase in food insecurity. Under her direction, Feeding America became the nation’s largest charitable organization in 2022, according to Forbes, and the network distributed 5.3 billion meals in 2023.

A recording of the prayer service is available online. Visit walkthewalk.nd.edu for information on upcoming events.