Petition to get rid of pregame mass

[ndomer4]

Why the struggles at home? I’d like to hear some of your opinions, however I am leaning towards the game day mass being an issue. I’m sure there are other factors at play here, but this is no doubt one of them. Beating Clemson would be one way to quiet these criticisms, but the difference between our performance on the road vs at home is hard to ignore at this point. 
 

Does anyone remember when Kelly removed the pre game mass? I want to say it was in 2017 when ND started their run under BK, but I could be wrong. 
 

Roby Toma had some interesting thoughts on the topic. 

 

https://aleteia.org/2022/04/04/new-notre-dame-football-coach-brings-back-game-day-mass/

Edited October 31, 2022 by ndomer4

[mcgov12]

Would be interested to hear more opinions from players, I personally don’t care one way or the other. If consensus is they don’t want it, cut that immediately 

[irishwavend]

No other team has had a problem with it.  If these guys can’t handle it, they need to grow the f up and stop being pu$$ies.  These excuses are insane.  It’s like the $hittie coaches who whine that academics are the problem….they aren’t.  I know this for a fact.  It’s simply foljs making excuses rather than growing a pair of balls, owning their mistakes, and then correcting them or trying to improve….

[OKelleyIrish]

Friday night or Saturday morning... don't care... 

[ndomer4]

2 hours ago, irishwavend said:

No other team has had a problem with it.  If these guys can’t handle it, they need to grow the f up and stop being pu$$ies.  These excuses are insane.  It’s like the $hittie coaches who whine that academics are the problem….they aren’t.  I know this for a fact.  It’s simply foljs making excuses rather than growing a pair of balls, owning their mistakes, and then correcting them or trying to improve….

Kelly got rid of it for a reason and if I remember correctly, it did have an impact on the performance at home. 
 

if other players have the same opinion as Toma, I can see this being a thing. It seems silly, but that’s what happens when you try to make sense of the Marshall and Stanford games. 

Edited November 1, 2022 by ndomer4

[jessemoore97]

Let the players decide.  I don't know if it really makes a difference come game time or not.

BK getting rid of it and going on a "run" afterwards may not be a reason for winning.  I simply would point to successful seasons in '12 and '15 when they went to mass and won as well.  The '16 debacle wasn't due to pregame mass and if the staff pointed to that as a big reason why that season was so dismal is pretty short sighted.

Remember the successful results of '17 and thereafter had more to do with BK being forced to hire outside his coaching shrub and bring in staff like Elko, Lea, and Balis.  Who really turned around the team in vitally important areas.

[ndomer4]

3 hours ago, jessemoore97 said:

Let the players decide.  I don't know if it really makes a difference come game time or not.

BK getting rid of it and going on a "run" afterwards may not be a reason for winning.  I simply would point to successful seasons in '12 and '15 when they went to mass and won as well.  The '16 debacle wasn't due to pregame mass and if the staff pointed to that as a big reason why that season was so dismal is pretty short sighted.

Remember the successful results of '17 and thereafter had more to do with BK being forced to hire outside his coaching shrub and bring in staff like Elko, Lea, and Balis.  Who really turned around the team in vitally important areas.

Totally agree on the hiring part, but this team looks like a top 15 team on the road but takes a 180 at home. 
 

Why is that? This is why I went to the pregame mass being reintroduced. I’m trying to make sense of something that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. 
 

I would like more opinions from current players, but I find it hard to believe a team that went undefeated at home for over 3 years now loses to Marshall and Stanford at home. When was the last embarrassing home loss? Probably 2014 vs Northwestern and some 2016 games… both when we had pregame mass. 
 

Correlation does not equal causation, but it should spark a discussion. 

[Wharton70]

FWIW - my Friday sequence - mass, dinner, pep rally.

God, Country (the food mostly from our great farms), Notre Dame.

A natural, building progression to focus the effort.

Just a thought.

[Rocketsan]

not sure any of us are entitled to cast judgment one way or another on this particular...

[jimbo]

On 11/1/2022 at 9:48 AM, irishwavend said:

No other team has had a problem with it.  If these guys can’t handle it, they need to grow the f up and stop being pu$$ies.  These excuses are insane.  It’s like the $hittie coaches who whine that academics are the problem….they aren’t.  I know this for a fact.  It’s simply foljs making excuses rather than growing a pair of balls, owning their mistakes, and then correcting them or trying to improve….

I’m having a difficult time reconciling they need to grow the f up and stop being pu$$ies with going to mass. It’s probably just me…. 

[brian_nd88]

1 hour ago, jimbo said:

I’m having a difficult time reconciling they need to grow the f up and stop being pu$$ies with going to mass. It’s probably just me…. 

I'm thinking that there may be someone who might benefit from attending mass, but it is not the football team.  

[cali_domer]

I personally benefit greatly from Mass, but in a reflective way, not really in I want to go crush my opponent type of way.

[OKelleyIrish]

10 minutes ago, cali_domer said:

I personally benefit greatly from Mass, but in a reflective way, not really in I want to go crush my opponent type of way.

So not.... 

"Dear God. Please give me the strength to put my heathen and godless enemies in traction"

[NYGoldenDomer]

Yeaaa...I know when I want to get myself up for a hockey game, I prefer to listen to more heavier stuff.  Having to go to mass before a game would put me to sleep.  Well, mass any time put me to sleep.

[Rocketsan]

Jesus Christ said he had never been to a football match. So we took him to one, my friends and I. It was a ferocious battle between the Protestant Punchers and the Catholic Crusaders.
The Crusaders scored first. Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air. Then the Punchers scored. And Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air.
This seemed to puzzle the man behind us. He tapped Jesus on the shoulder and asked. “Which side are you shouting for, my good man?”
“Me?” replied Jesus, by now visibly excited by the game. “Oh! I’m not rooting for either side. I’m just here to enjoy the game.”

[jessemoore97]

15 hours ago, cali_domer said:

I personally benefit greatly from Mass, but in a reflective way, not really in I want to go crush my opponent type of way.

 

[retch10]

Are we still getting rid of mass?? Haha

[jessemoore97]

20 hours ago, jessemoore97 said:

 

You know this was kinda prophetic last night.

[TexasDomer]

This is all I’m saying on the matter:

after this thread came out, Morrison had his amazing game.  When asked about it post-game, he first thanked his lord and savior.

 

I think God weighed in on the thread and said No.

[ndomer4]

1 hour ago, TexasDomer said:

This is all I’m saying on the matter:

after this thread came out, Morrison had his amazing game.  When asked about it post-game, he first thanked his lord and savior.

 

I think God weighed in on the thread and said No.

Maybe they had the mass earlier in the day? I’m not against mass, just thought it might be better the night before as our guys can get loose and stretch, rather than sitting for an hour prior to a game. Based on Toma’s thoughts, this suggestion wasn’t as far fetched as some might have thought. 
 

I was also just trying to make sense of home losses to Marshall and Stanford. At this time, it is looking like it was growing pains from a new coach and a letdown game after OSU. I think Freeman has learned from both. 

Edited November 6, 2022 by ndomer4

[ND_JACK]

For those of you that attend home games did you notice they did not show the pregame prayer in the locker room on the Jumbotron before the players came out. They started that a couple of years ago and I never was a big fan of putting cameras in the locker room filming pregame personal activities.

[JTennant]

I got grilled for posting against this before season start on rivals. I was raised Catholic and somewhat enjoyed Mass as a young adult yet I gravitated away from the Church and stream online a more modern Church out of Greenwood, IN (Emmanuel.. pastor Danny is awesome).

Let's face it, Mass is a liturgical snoozefest if you're not Catholic.. As you can't participate in Communion and likely don't know or care to recite the creeds and all of the other ritualistic parts of Mass. 

A watered down sermon(Not Joel Osteen watered down) wouldn't be a bad idea or move it to another day. I don't think it's conducive to playing big time college football when it's 3-4 hours before kick.

Growing in your faith with your brothers is a heck of a team building practice but it kinda neuters your intensity prior to kick.

 

Just my 2 cents. 

[Blammm]

On 10/31/2022 at 7:38 PM, ndomer4 said:

but the difference between our performance on the road vs at home is hard to ignore at this point. 

I know for a fact that they used to have mandatory team mass at the team hotel for away games as well.  Not as much fanfare but they did have it.

Religion aside, I do think that it had a positive performance impact as it did break up the schedule enough to make sure that players weren't getting hyped up too far in advance of a game (especially night games).  Sitting around the hotel on the West Coast until your 7:00 PM PT game is not ideal.

[Blammm]

On 11/14/2022 at 3:58 PM, JTennant said:

A watered down sermon(Not Joel Osteen watered down) wouldn't be a bad idea or move it to another day. I don't think it's conducive to playing big time college football when it's 3-4 hours before kick.

Pre-game masses (both home and away) were like 20-25 minutes long. Really stripped down to the basics.