At 9 a.m. on a chilly, grey morning in South Bend, Indiana, 30 Notre Dame students were camped out on a tree-lined quad. Lawn chairs filled a long sidewalk, as the queued-up students shared food, blankets and conversation.

No, they weren’t pregaming for a Fighting Irish football game. It was Holy Saturday, and the students were taking part in an annual “holy tailgate,” waiting all day in the hopes of securing a seat inside the Basilica of the Sacred Heart for the Easter Vigil that would be celebrated a full 12 hours later.

Seniors Danny Martin and Luke Dardis were at the very front of the line. To get their spot, they had to arrive at 5:45 that morning.

“It’s getting earlier every year,” Martin said.

According to Holy Cross Father Brian Ching, the basilica’s rector, a line to get into the church for the Easter Vigil as soon as doors open at 7 p.m. is nothing new. But the current iteration of Notre Dame students camping out for the entirety of Holy Saturday has been around only since 2022 — and it’s increasing in popularity.

“We have a growing number of students with the piety and liturgical consciousness to be excited about attending the Easter Vigil at the basilica, but who are still 18, so this sort of thing seems fun, even if not entirely necessary,” said Father Ching.

This year’s early start time was also motivated by an expected scarcity of seating inside the basilica, due to a record number of converts who would be received into the Catholic Church at that night’s liturgy. Twenty-five people were baptized during the Easter Vigil, part of a 52-person strong Order of Christian Initiation of Adults class — an all-time high at the Congregation of the Holy Cross-run university.

It’s a good problem for a Catholic university to have. But with so many pews set to be reserved for catechumens and their families, students like Martin didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

“If you don’t get here early, you’re either going to be in the back or not get a seat,” he said from his lawn chair.

Rosaries, Confession and Spikeball

At about 6:45 a.m., Martin and Dardis had been joined by their friend Juan Lawas. Beginning at 11 a.m., Lawas led a group in praying 2,000 Hail Marys — the equivalent of 40 rosaries — as they anticipated the Vigil.

Those who arrived that early would trade off with friends who came later to take their place in line. Those relieved of duty were free to break for lunch or play a game of spikeball on the grassy expanse outside the basilica, known around campus as “God Quad.”

An hour before noon, the line had grown to about 50 people. Students had laptops, books and snacks to keep them occupied, and a few even began passing a football on the quad.

“It’s a vigil of the Vigil,” Martin said. “It makes the entire Vigil so much sweeter if you’re sacrificing your entire Saturday for it.”

Lawas agreed, saying, “It also keeps the focus of the day correct. It’s a day of anticipation, and it’s fine to go do other things, but anticipating the Vigil is what Holy Saturday is about.”

Inside the basilica, confession lines stretched to the back of the church on both sides of the nave as Notre Dame’s liturgical choir rehearsed for the Vigil in the choir loft above.

Elizabeth Krueger, a Notre Dame freshman, emerged from the basilica after waiting about two hours for confession. The wait was worth it, she said, especially after not having her confession heard the day before despite waiting in line for nearly an hour.

“The confession lines are still as long as when I got here,” she told the Register. “So many people want to get their souls clean right before the Vigil — it’s fantastic. God’s grace is so abundant!”

Youthful Piety

Throughout the afternoon, the “holy tailgate” continued to grow. By 3 p.m., about 100 people were camped on the sidewalk. Lawas’s group of students progressed through their 2,000 Hail Marys on the basilica steps, while more students gathered in circles, playing games that ranged from Bananagrams to volleyball. Others read books by authors like St. Thérèse of Lisieux and C.S. Lewis.

At 5 p.m., Father Pete McCormick, the Director of Campus Ministry, showed up with a folding table and a small squad of other Holy Cross priests. Together, they unloaded dozens of pizza boxes ordered from Domino’s and proceeded to go down the line, offering slices and water bottles to the waiting students.

Daniel Ramirez, a Notre Dame student who sings in the liturgical choir, joined his family in line between choir rehearsals. Finishing his pizza, Ramirez told the Register that the pre-vigil turnout is evidence of a strong Catholic identity among Notre Dame’s student body.

“The line shows just how many people here want to engage in their faith, and particularly celebrate these mysteries,” he said, adding that he always finds the number of new converts at Notre Dame “inspiring.”

After dinner, the line swelled to over 150. Students took turns holding each other’s place so their friends could return to their dorms and change. The sweatpants and heavy coats that got everyone through the cold day were swapped for suit jackets and long dresses. Anticipation rose as the clock struck six: Only one hour until the doors opened.

When the basilica doors finally parted, the line began moving up the church steps. As they entered the basilica, the students weren’t focused only on snaring a good seat. Their sights were set on what all this effort was really about: the glory and beauty of the Resurrection.