The infallibility of the Pope, the immaculate conception and the ascension of Mary, the Syllabus of Errors, the Index of Proscribed Books, etc., are not what the tradition is about. Catholicism is not to be defined denominationally, but etymologically. It is because the university has committed itself to this definition that prominent Protestant historians and philosophers find themselves now comfortably teaching at Notre Dame. Among them immediately come to mind the names of Nathan Hatch, George Marsden and Alvin Plantinga. In the early 70's, when aspirations to become a major research university were beginning to take shape, Notre Dame decided that it would remain primarily an undergraduate residential university and made a concerted effort to give residential life a Catholic tone.
Every residence hall has a chapel and a Religious as rector.
She or he is a spiritual mentor and religious leader whose major task is to make a dorm a home. Although participation in religious services is voluntary, statistics show that 87 percent of the students attend mass at least once a week. There are no fraternities or sororities at Notre Dame. Dorm loyalties are so strong, however, that no one seems to miss either of them. Most observers believe that the Catholic identity of Notre Dame is most visible in the amazing amount of volunteering being done by its students, and in the cohesiveness of residential life.