For just the third time in its 182-year history, the University of Notre Dame Friday will inaugurate its new president, the Reverend Robert A. Dowd.
That’s despite Dowd testing positive for Covid Wednesday.
Since its founding in 1842 by Father Edward Sorin, Notre Dame has been led by priest presidents and that’s not changing anytime soon.
Dowd is Notre Dame’s 18th president and the fourth to serve in the past 70 years. It’s only the third inauguration because the university didn’t start having ceremonial inaugurations until 1987. That’s when the Congregation of Holy Cross started letting a lay board of trustees elect the president, following Father Theodore Hesburgh’s 35-year tenure.
On Thursday the university announced that Dowd tested positive for Covid Wednesday after feeling mild cold symptoms for a few days. Dowd will be masked when near others indoors at the various inauguration events, with some minor modifications made to the scheduled programming.
Dowd takes over for Father John Jenkins, who retired in June after 19 years at the helm. He will preside over a 10 a.m. inauguration Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and an inauguration ceremony is set for 2:45 at Purcell Pavilion.
Both events will be live streamed but the public cannot attend the Mass in person.
