Notre Dame Law School Celebrates 35 Years of Father Mike Show and Raises Funds for Women’s Legal Forum
The Notre Dame Law School community gathered in Dahnke Ballroom on March 21 for the 35th annual Father Mike Show, a long-standing, time-honored Law School tradition. The annual talent showcase features performances and skits from students and faculty, as well as live and silent auctions that raise funds for the Women’s Legal Forum Summer Stipend Program.
The Father Mike Show honors the late Professor Rev. Michael D. McCafferty, C.S.C., ’69, ’73 J.D., ’74 M.A., a beloved ND Law professor and assistant dean. He was an avid participant in the annual fundraiser, performing in the faculty news skit and concluding the event with an Irish jig on stage. McCafferty died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1987. He loved how the show brought together the Notre Dame Law community outside of the classroom. It seemed only fitting that the show, more than three decades later, continue to foster fellowship and uphold the strong camaraderie and community spirit of Notre Dame Law School in his memory.
This year’s event featured student vocal artists McKenzie Brummond, James Tuller, Blake Perry, and Kate Hahn who covered well-known tracks and performed original songs. Third-year student Alexander Ivanovich and Marketing Communications Specialist Arienne Calingo’s violin-piano duet of “I Want It That Way” preceded Professor Derek Muller’s rendition of “Lose Yourself” under the stage name Rü11 (pronounced "Ru-leven") after a 17-year hiatus from the Father Mike Show when he performed as a student.
Second-year student Seth Atisha served as co-emcee for the event and noted the importance of the Father Mike Show in building community at the Law School. “It helps us see others as something more than another body in a seat or another person at a lectern, but as a human being with unique talents and experiences,” he said. “It humanizes us in ways that sometimes aren't always possible in a classroom setting.”
The 1L Family Feud skit, Faculty News skit, 3L Roasts, and “Mean Course Instruction Feedback (CIFs)” segments all poked fun at students and faculty alike, drawing out the lighthearted nature of the long-running Show.
“[The Fr. Mike Show] is a great way to facilitate the many hidden talents of Notre Dame Law students,” said Parker Felterman, who participated in the 1L skit. “The show provides a measure of esprit de corps as students and professors alike can show what they’ve got in a relaxed environment free from the everyday stresses and strains which can comprise law school.”
Professor Bruce Huber echoed this sentiment saying, “I think many students regard the Show as one of the highlights of each year. It's a chance to unwind and poke fun at what is otherwise an intense period of life. The Show helps students see that we don't always have to take ourselves too seriously, and it's just another way we can develop a strong sense of community.”
The scene in Dahnke Ballroom ranged from Nick Smith and Arienne Calingo’s soulful duet of “Ordinary People” to an energizing rap and beatboxing performance by Jackie Kamel and Ram Desabhotla. The Learned Hand Formula, a band composed of Professor Rick Garnett, Max Himmelright, Nick Munsen, Owen Macaulay, Tristan Mullen, Zach Pearson, and Bryan Silver, brought rock covers, complete with Garnett and his electric guitar, to the Father Mike Stage.
Garnett has participated in the Father Mike Show for nearly all of his 25 years as a Notre Dame Law faculty member in the annual Faculty News skit and as a performer. He said, “The band performances, for me, have been a blast. I used to play in bands in college and high school and so– as my colleagues like to tease me– I get to indulge in nostalgia, and extend my adolescence, by playing old rock-n-roll songs with my students.”
Throughout the night, attendees also bid on numerous live auction items, donated by faculty members. These included several homemade meals at faculty members’ homes, trivia nights, a wine and canvas evening, and pizza and beers at restaurants throughout Michiana. A boating day on Lake Michigan with Professor Roger Alford and Professor Fr. Pat Reidy’s Manhattan cocktail hour in Father Ted Hesburgh’s office on the 13th floor of the Hesburgh Library were the highest bidding items. Items for the silent auction were donated by both faculty, staff, and businesses in Michiana.
Again this year, the Father Mike Show raised funds for the Women’s Legal Forum, a student organization that increases awareness and understanding of legal issues affecting women and of issues affecting women lawyers. Throughout the year, the group hosts educational events, organizes community service opportunities, and fosters meaningful discussion in the law school. It also offers women's golf lessons in the fall, teaching female students a valuable business networking skill.
Proceeds from the auction specifically support the Women Legal Forum’s Summer Stipend Program, which offers financial support to female students undertaking unpaid public interest internships.
Women Legal Forum’s President Kate Maxwell, along with other group members, helped organize the live and silent auctions for the Father Mike Show. “Notre Dame Law School always encourages its students to be a ‘different kind of lawyer’ and to be ‘a force for good in the world,’” she said. “Serving the community through a public interest career is one fantastic way to live out this calling; however, there can be financial barriers involved since some internships are unpaid. Therefore, the proceeds from the Father Mike Show Auction directly contribute to the Women Legal Forum’s mission. This supports and empowers them in their journeys.”
Although the Father Mike Show was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the spirit of the show remained unwavering among the ND Law School community. Despite not having a show that year, faculty and staff secretly raised a cumulative $12,000 for the Women’s Legal Forum to ensure the Summer Stipend Program could continue to support students pursuing public interest work.
Members of the Student Bar Association, including master of ceremonies Seth Atish, committee lead Sudeep Kalkunte, and run-of-show coordinators Harry Weeks and Christine Farnberg, worked tirelessly to ensure the success and enjoyment of this year's Father Mike Show."
Harry Weeks, a second-year student and showrunner for the Father Mike Show, reflected, “It is the spirit of good fun and of fellow-feeling that it produces that makes me proud of the work we did. It is why the show bears the distinguished name it does. I think ultimately that is why this tradition has endured, and in microcosm why Notre Dame Law can take a wholesome pride in how its students relate to one another. The Father Mike Show is here to stay, and those of us planning this year’s event are already looking forward to making next year's event even better.”
Read more about Father Mike's legacy and the Show here.