Episode No. 27 of the Irish Illustrated Interviews podcast series is hosted by Drew Mentock and features a conversation with Fr. Andrew Budzinski, the pastor and rector at St. Matthew’s Cathedral of South Bend. Of course, they also call Notre Dame Stadium the Cathedral of College Football, and he has plenty of experience tending to passionate Fighting Irish fans in the House that Rockne Built.From 1993-95, he served as the Notre Dame Leprechaun, which included becoming a cheerleading team captain in his second year. After graduating, he also enjoyed a stint as a member of the media, co-hosting the University of Notre Dame’s football pregame radio show on U93.Our conversation dives into Fr. Andrew’s journey to Notre Dame after growing up in South Bend, the process of becoming the leprechaun and being a part of the team during the 1993 season.We also discuss what it was like to appear on the first episode of ESPN’s College GameDay on a college campus and his relationship with Lou Holtz.