Members of the January Freshman Retreat gather silently in a circle at the Grotto, holding candles and mentally reflecting on their personal struggles. Snow falls softly.
A man visiting the grotto notices the retreatants and watches them with both interest and compassion. After a moment, carrying his own candle, he joins the circle. More retreatants arrive; the circle grows. Candlelight flickers on meditative faces.
The man steps forward to speak to the students. "I am a graduate of Notre Dame on a visit. I'm returning to Puerto Rico early tomorrow morning and decided to stop at the Grotto one last time. It seems the Holy Spirit has brought us together here."
He proceeds to recall Pope Francis's Apostolic Exhortation, number 24: the 5 actions the Church must do in order to go out and meet people. "Number one: primerear. It is a verb Pope Francis made himself. It means be the first. Be the first to go and love; be the first to do good. Number two: involucrarse. Get involved--with your campus, your friends, the Church's activities, causes about which you are passionate. Number three: acompañar. Accompany. Be part of the journey with others. Walk together; show compassion. Be side-by-side. Number four: fructificar. Produce fruits. Do not act for the sake of acting; look for results, look to better the world. And finally, number five: festejar. Celebrate together! Feast together; be joyous of God's work and will in your lives."
He then thanks the circle for their time and stands inside the Grotto's gate. When each retreatant steps inside to set their candle down, he blesses them with the sign of the cross.

In very few places could such a holy, interconnected, and relevant encounter occur. Beautifully enough, Notre Dame is one of them.