Rev. John J Cavanaugh, CSC

Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, CSC, a past president of the University of Notre Dame, became head chaplain at Saint Mary’s College at the start of my sophomore year. His previous endeavors had included successful years in business prior to his ordination and distinguished tenure in academic administration, but in certain ways it was a time he especially cherished. He was “a people person” possessed of a warmth and charm appreciated by young and old. He relished conversations in his sitting room in Le Mans Hall and welcomed all visitors. Students and their boyfriends gravitated to him for spiritual guidance. This period was fraught with tensions about the draft, the Vietnam War and campus demonstrations. Sudden, violent assassinations of political and spiritual leaders dominated the news. Father Cavanaugh, a personal friend of the Kennedy family, knew the trials that beset us as we went to class or began new romances. He frequently ate in the dining hall with us students and we loved his Irish humor. There was one topic he never tired of talking about: Love. He spoke of it eloquently. His frequent references to love were chiefly about Divine Love, especially as it was reflected in Holy Matrimony, in friendship, even in dating. He often commented on the attraction between men and women, how not only did it make the world go ‘round, it was the oil on life’s gears that made life exciting and wonderful. His rare humility was a blessing to the campus.