On Palm Sunday, a prayer rally will be held by the student coalition at the University of Notre Dame opposing the decision of school officials to honor and host pro-abortion President Barack Obama at commencement on May 17. The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) is urging the more than 225,000 signers of the petition at NotreDameScandal.com to join the student effort by offering up Holy Rosaries with the primary intention that Notre Dame rescind the commencement invitation to President Obama.

“These faithful students need the prayerful support of everyone who is concerned that the damage done to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity by honoring President Obama will be irreparable,” said Patrick Reilly, CNS President. “This Sunday afternoon, as we reflect on the beginning of Holy Week, let us all join our hearts to these Notre Dame students and lay our prayers at the feet of Our Lady, asking her to intercede with her Divine Son and spare the university named for her this grave dishonor.”

Last week, nearly a dozen Notre Dame student clubs announced a joint effort to express their “deepest opposition” to Notre Dame President Fr. Jenkins’ decision to honor President Obama at this year’s commencement. The students launched the website NDResponse.com, which includes resources and information about student resistance to the slated honorary doctor of laws degree and commencement speech.

The prayer rally will take place in front of the campus Main Building on April 5 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time after the noon Palm Sunday Mass at Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Events in the rally include: invocation, address by the ND Response Chairman, keynote speaker, Rosary, announcements, and a bringing flowers to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. The students are inviting “all those who share our concerns to support our efforts by joining in this respectful display.”

Earlier in the day in an opinion piece for the Notre Dame student paper The Observer, Dr. Charles Rice, emeritus professor of law at the University, suggested that Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins resign. He wrote, “The invitation should be withdrawn. It implies no personal animosity to suggest that Fr. Jenkins and the other Fellows and Trustees responsible for this fiasco should resign or be removed.”

Echoing the students’ call for a prayer rally, Professor Rice also expressed his desire for a similar response to the Notre Dame scandal on the day of commencement. “You can petition or write to our leaders. But the appeal should be made instead to a higher authority,” he said. Professor Rice recommended that, during the time of Commencement on May 17, students, faculty, staff and friends of Notre Dame “pray a continuous Rosary of reparation at the Grotto.”

“The objective is simply a union of prayer to make reparation and to petition Notre Dame, Our Lady, for Notre Dame, our University,” Rice added.