Moreau Peer Leadership Program

Moreau became the most transformative experience of my time at Notre Dame because it demanded that I confront the deeper questions beneath achievement: What is my life for? How am I called to love? What does it actually mean to live well? Serving as a Moreau Peer Leader this past fall confirmed that this is the most meaningful work I do on campus...I do not view the MPL role as an extracurricular position; I view it as a vocation of service within Notre Dame.

form community around big questions that matter

Moreau Peer Leaders are upper-class Notre Dame students who serve as catalysts in building a sense of genuine community and mentors in integrating the course's perennial questions with real-life applications as a student at Notre Dame.

Each week, Moreau Peer Leaders work with their paired Moreau faculty member to offer testimonials on class topics, questions, and themes and offer students a personalized, contextualized application of the course topics with life at Notre Dame. Within and beyond class sessions, Moreau Peer Leaders extend a culture of encounter and active participation in holistic formation by leading students to course-sponsored co-curricular events and informal class gatherings.

Moreau Peer Leaders receive a $1125 stipend, contingent upon successful completion of employment procedures and duties.

View Moreau Peer Leaders (Fall 2026)

lead by example

Duties of a Moreau Peer Leader include:

• Actively assist the instructor in teaching each class session of one section of MOR 10101. Typically, this will involve 1) thoughtfully reading and engaging with assigned texts 2) meeting with the instructor before class about a learning objective or lesson plan 3) offering testimonials on class topics, questions, and themes that offer first-year students a personalized, contextualized application of the course readings and topics with life at Notre Dame and 4) actively facilitating group discussion or in-class learning.

• An important component of the Moreau Peer Leader role is to craft and deliver a short (~5 min.) testimony each class session (see above). These testimonials will bridge between a given class topic/question, assigned readings, and life as a student at Notre Dame. They serve as a model to first-year students of the “study and practice of living well” by demonstrating how students might apply the Moreau course to deeply consider their life at Notre Dame as a whole. Testimonies should also showcase a pedagogy of encounter in which honest self-reflection is invited and celebrated

• Help the instructor identify and cultivate a class culture of belonging, accountability, and trust both in the classroom and beyond through regular communication, meetings, etc.

• Assist the instructor with administrative tasks of the course which may include tracking attendance/following up on absences, checking commonplace book submissions for completion, coordinating communication with students, planning class dinners, etc.

• Attend and participate in each class session, typically arriving at least ten minutes early.

• Outside of class sessions, accompany students to at least three co-curricular events or class gatherings, including the Moreau Signature Event.

• Meet regularly (at least every other week) with the instructor

• Meet at least three times with an assigned Moreau Peer Leader Fellowship Group.

• Actively participate and collaborate in ~4 training/development sessions across Spring and Summer

• Participate in Moreau FYS final preparation meeting, which takes place the Sunday before the start of term.

• Practice prudence and discretion when engaging with students. This includes appropriate dress, demeanor, language, and adherence to professional standards of conduct as a designated student leader.

apply to serve as a Moreau Peer Leader for Fall 2027

The Moreau Peer Leader application will launch in February 2027.

Ideal candidates demonstrate a zeal for holistic student development and have experience leading their peers. Candidates should be able to work with the instructor to inspire thoughtful discussion of texts from a variety of eras and fields, consider the practical implications and possible applications of these texts to everyday life, and foster rich interactions between and among students both in the classroom and beyond. Candidates must be current Notre Dame first-year, sophomore, or junior-year undergraduate students and be in good academic standing.

All candidates must submit an application to serve as a Moreau Peer Leader.

Former Moreau Peer Leaders are eligible to return for fall 2027, but must reapply. Former Moreau Peer Leaders are also encouraged to expand their scope and impact and apply for the Moreau Peer Leader Captain role.

Learn more about the MPL Captain role

Selection and Pairing Procedures

During my time as a Moreau Peer Leader, the impact and importance of its ministry was impressed upon me more than I ever expected. The relationships I was able to build with and among the first-year students in my class were extraordinary. The chance to model the truth of what Christ says about them–that they are his beloved sons and daughters with an eternal destiny with Him– was something I found hugely rewarding, edifying, and challenging.