Chaplain’s Corner: Fr. Nate Wills, C.S.C.

“At the end of the day, before football and after football, their identity is a beloved child of God and nothing that they say or do can change that.”
—Rev. Nathan D. Wills, C.S.C. ’03 M.Ed., ’05 M.Div., Ph.D.

Professor. Founding Director of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Higher-Powered Learning Program. Keough Hall’s priest-in-residence. Football team chaplain.

If you’ve been to a Notre Dame Football home game in the recent past, chances are good you’ve seen Fr. Nate on the jumbotron. He says the Lord’s Prayer with the team—and the entire stadium—before kickoff. He’s a fixture of the team, never missing a moment for deep conversation and spiritual guidance between downs.”

“The invaluable presence and care provided by team chaplains like him, on and off the field, are possible because of your generosity to the Rockne Athletics Fund.

Like many Notre Dame chaplains, Fr. Nate wears many hats at the University, from teaching courses in education to serving Keough Hall as its priest-in-residence. He’s on the faculty of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program and is director of the ACE Higher-Powered Learning program. But he’s probably best known as the chaplain for Notre Dame Football.

A double-Domer, Fr. Nate holds two degrees from Notre Dame (Master of Education and Master of Divinity), as well as a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was ordained a priest in 2006. It was Rev. Pete McCormick, C.S.C., who first invited Fr. Nate to become the football chaplain, following in the footsteps of Rev. Paul Doyle, C.S.C., and Rev. Mark Thesing, C.S.C., most recently.

Fr. Nate blesses holy medals and distributes them among the football team and staff before games—a practice shared by many of Notre Dame’s chaplains. The medals depict an image of a Saint, which changes for each game. This tradition is over 100 years old and serves as a reminder to reflect on each Saint’s holiness. The first holy medal was given by John Cardinal O’Hara in the 1923 football game against Army.

Fr. Nate published his first book this year: Pray Like a Champion Today. “I started off the book talking about the responsibility of a chaplain to point to Jesus in the world. But what was ironic was that [student-athletes] ended up pointing me to Jesus. These are ways in which I’ve been edified and drawn closer to God. So I felt compelled to talk about that,” he described in an NDWorks Podcast.

Q&A with Fr. Nate

Before each game, you share a holy game medal depicting a Saint with football student-athletes and staff. How do you select the medal for each game?

I inherited a great and comprehensive spreadsheet from my chaplain predecessor, Fr. Mark Thesing. He devised a five-year rotation of saints so guys wouldn’t get repeat medals during their time at Notre Dame. I use that as a rough guideline, though I sometimes swap saints in and out to try to create a nice variety. Some saints fit beautifully with the particular opponent, location, or feast day, but all of the saints remind us that there are unique and beautiful paths to Jesus and living a life of holiness.

Want to follow along with each game medal? Follow Fr. Nate on Instagram, where he posts the medals for each game: @praylikeachampiontoday

If you were on the Notre Dame football team, what position would you most like to play?

Oh boy. Maybe a tight end? I admire the versatility of that position and the way it creates opportunities for the offense. We’ve had some great TEs during my time as chaplain, but let’s face it, if I tried to do even 10% of what Tommy Tremble, Michael Mayer, Mitch Evans, or Eli Raridon do on the field, I’d snap my ankles in a second!

What is one of your stand-out memories as a chaplain?

This is my eighth season as chaplain, and I have so many great memories! There are big moments like our victory over Clemson in 2020 or the way our team rallied in faith and hope amidst the attack in New Orleans this past season. But honestly, I have such fond memories of little moments, like when Tommy Kraemer crutched over to me during our 2019 Navy game.

Tommy had a number of excellent questions for me, including potential challenges of being a soldier and a Christian and the morality of drone strikes. Amidst our amazing conversation, my phone blew up with text messages. Apparently, we had been on the NBC broadcast and people were sending me screenshots. Little did they know that we were having a great conversation about theology, ethics, and living out the Gospel!

Tommy Kraemer, a former Notre Dame offensive lineman, fondly recalled his conversations with his team chaplain. “I don’t think anyone has had a greater impact on my faith than Fr. Nate,” he shared. “I was blessed to serve as the confirmation sponsor for my former teammate, Hunter Bivin, as a student-athlete. Each week, Hunter, Fr. Nate, and I would meet for about an hour and a half, diving deep into the Catholic faith—its history, teachings, and what it truly means to live as a Catholic man. Those conversations with Fr. Nate were always genuine and sincere.

“Even outside of those meetings, he and I would chat on the sidelines during games about random topics that would pop into my head. But never once did he laugh them off or brush them aside. Instead, he’d pause, think, and offer a thoughtful, beautiful answer. That kind of patience and compassion made a lasting impression on me.

“Fast forward six years, and Fr. Nate baptized my son, Oscar, in the Basilica—a moment that brought everything full circle.”

Hunter Bivin shared his own full-circle moment with the chaplain: “When you come to Notre Dame, you meet people that will change your life forever. Fr. Nate has profoundly shaped my life, from guiding me through my conversion to Catholicism, to officiating my wedding at the Basilica, to baptizing our daughter, Mia, in the log chapel. But most importantly, he’s a friend that I’ll cherish forever.”

Team chaplains like Fr. Nate play an invaluable role in student-athletes’ lives, and their presence is sustained by your unwavering generosity. Thank you for keeping them connected to their faith as they become champions in the classroom, in community, and in competition.