At Indiana University, an extraordinary football season became the backdrop for something even deeper: a moment of spiritual renewal on campus. As St. Paul’s Catholic Center experienced striking growth alongside the team’s rise, its pastor, fr. Patrick Hyde, OP, reflects on evangelization, student discipleship, mercy, and the unexpected ways grace can work through public excitement, personal humility, and shared victory.
How has the ministry at Indiana University changed over the years?
I have served at St. Paul Catholic Center since 2016. In my first three years, I served as director of campus ministry and the parochial vicar. I have served as pastor since 2019. The biggest change over the years has been our shift toward a primarily student-focused ministry. When the Friars came to Bloomington in 2005, campus ministry was one of many programs. As our ministry here has developed, the emphasis on evangelization, community, and intellectual formation led to a significant increase in student participation. Over time, we merged religious education for children and youth ministry with another parish in town so that we could focus most of our energies on evangelizing campus through relationships with students.
What has it been like accompanying students spiritually during a season of such public excitement on campus?
Overall, the response of our students has been phenomenal. At a time of unprecedented football success, our campus ministry is experiencing unprecedented growth and success. Having the starting quarterback as an active member of our community during the season presented a unique opportunity for us to share both the Gospel and our growing community with so many.
You’ve described the experience as “cleansing” and “cathartic.” What do you think this season represented for IU fans who had been discouraged for years? Are there any spiritual lessons to be had in the story of the program?
For decades, IU football always seemed to find ways to lose games and disappoint their fans. Whenever the spotlight was shown on our team, the ensuing result was mostly terrible. For our team to be successful and to be dominant in the most trying and difficult of circumstances was a kind of hard reset on our outlook for the team. Though very different, this experience parallels our encounter with the mercy of God. The world permits everything yet pardons nothing. To run afoul of the prevailing mores is often catastrophic. We tend to look at our relationship with God through this lens, but the mercy of God is boundless. When we experience it, especially in Confession, our outlook on life is transformed.
The story of stepping away during the timeout—and missing the decisive touchdown—has resonated with many people. What did that moment teach you about expectations, timing, and humility?
A few weeks ago, I was on a flight where the person next to me watched TikTok videos the entire flight. It really got me thinking about how technology and social media attempt to boil life down into a disconnected series of events and experiences through constant stimulation. Life, however, is much grander and richer when viewed with an eternal gaze; when we look at everything as an unfolding of the great mystery of God’s love for us.
Odd as it may sound coming from a big sports fan, I have not been upset for one second about missing the most important play in IU football history. I believe wholeheartedly something greater will (and perhaps already has) come about because I was not there.
After the game, you were tapped on the shoulder during the on-field celebration by IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza. What did that brief encounter mean to you as his pastor?
As a pastor, it is rare to celebrate the moments of success and accomplishment with the people we serve and love. Simply to be on the field with the team and the staff was a great gift. To be able to share the experience with Fernando, and a few others of our Catholics on the team, was a wonderful blessing.
The experience also made me reflect on the joy of the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son upon the return of his younger son. The joy of victory, sweet as it may be, pales in comparison to the joy of our Heavenly Father and the Church whenever a sinner is reconciled to God.
How can the witness of a disciplined, team-oriented football program speak to students navigating pressure, performance, and uncertainty in other areas of life?
Nobody is perfectly in control of their circumstances. We can, however, commit everyday to the life of grace and virtue, of striving daily to love, serve, and honor God through simple actions a little bit more each day. Instead of focusing on the spiritual or moral mountain you desire to climb, all you need to do is be faithful to the life of a Christian disciple. God will take care of the rest.
As a preacher, how will the experience impact your ministry and life in the Order?
If anything this experience has only reinforced the path I was already on as a preacher. We have worked really hard to create a ministry that prioritizes building relationships with our students, creates opportunities for our students to encounter Jesus primarily in the Eucharist and Confession, and provides a clear path of discipleship formation. I see this experience as a clear indication that we are on the right path because we are leading souls to Jesus and His Church while building meaningful relationships.
