The University of Notre Dame announced this week that it has convened a special committee to oversee an external investigation into allegations that Rev. Thomas King, C.S.C., engaged in sexual misconduct while serving as rector of Zahm Hall between 1980 and 1997.
In a statement released on Sept. 24, according to Catholic News Agency, university president Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., and board chair John Veihmeyer acknowledged: “We are saddened that there are members of our community who may have suffered abuse while here and may not have received the support, care, and love they deserve.” According to the school, the investigation will be led by attorney Helen Cantwell of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, a firm experienced in handling sensitive abuse inquiries. The findings, the university confirmed, will be made public to the Notre Dame community.
Notre Dame emphasized that the alleged misconduct is “antithetical to Notre Dame’s values,” urging anyone with information to come forward. The school provided a direct email for victims or witnesses: NotreDameReview@debevoise.com.
The investigation follows public allegations made by Notre Dame alumnus David Tybor, now a professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. Earlier this month, Tybor wrote on Facebook that he was “leading a group of Notre Dame guys who were hazed, harassed, raped, and assaulted” by King while students at Zahm Hall. He further claimed that some university officials had knowledge of the abuse as early as the mid-1990s, according to Catholic News Agency.
While Notre Dame has not disclosed how it first became aware of the accusations, Dowd and Veihmeyer stated: “Our hope is that this external investigation will provide those who may have been affected with the opportunity to be heard.”
The Bigger Picture: The Collapse of Catholic Education
As disturbing as these allegations are, they also raise a broader question: What has happened to Catholic education in America?
From 13,000 Catholic schools and 5.2 million students in the 1960s, we have plummeted to fewer than 6,000 schools and barely 1.6 million students today. Numbers don’t lie. The collapse has gutted Catholic identity, leaving an entire generation adrift.
Even our Catholic universities—once strongholds of faith—have not been spared. Instead of transmitting truth, many campuses now embrace ideologies that run directly against Church teaching:
- Transgenderism and radical gender studies presented as truth
- Homosexual activism celebrated openly
- DEI frameworks replacing the Gospel
- Professors who mock Catholic teaching while ignoring the Sacraments
As the Notre Dame case illustrates, the problem is not only secular influence. It is also the failure of Catholic leadership to protect and form the faithful. When allegations of abuse are silenced or ignored, students lose trust—not only in an institution, but in the very Church it claims to represent.
The Answer: Reclaim Catholic Education
We cannot simply lament the decline. We must fight back. That is why Your Catholic Voice Foundation built Catholic Online School, now the largest Catholic school in history:
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It is a beacon of truth in a world drowning in lies. From children in rural Mexico who say, “Without Catholic Online School, my children would have no way to learn their faith,” to American teens who report, “My high school mocks the faith, but Catholic Online School gave me courage to defend the truth,” this mission is saving souls every day.
But demand is growing. Millions more need this faithful alternative to poisoned Catholic institutions.
What You Can Do
This is a fight for the soul of the Church. Every Catholic has a duty to defend the faith and educate the next generation in truth.
- $25 educates one student
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Through your generosity—whether by direct donation, IRA charitable giving, or legacy gifts—you can secure Catholic education for decades to come.
The Notre Dame case is a painful reminder of what happens when Catholic education loses its anchor. Abuse scandals. Doctrinal confusion. Students walking away from the faith.
But we are not powerless. Together, we can build a future where Catholic education is once again synonymous with fidelity, holiness, and truth.
Reclaim Catholic Education. Defend the Faith. Save Souls.
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