Last Updated: May 27, 2009
Watch the videos of this fall's Catholic Culture Series online.
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The Center was saddened to hear of the death of Father Richard John Neuhaus. He had been a long time friend of the Center and of a number of those who work here. He will be much missed. Click here for memorial reflections by a number of Father Neuhaus’s friends who are also friends of the Center.
For more information on events at Notre Dame, see the complete Ethics Bulletin.
April 27 – 4:00 PM – Hesburgh Center Auditorium
Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft
The Foreign Policy Challenges Facing the Obama Administration
Sponsored by the Notre Dame International Security Program and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies
April 30 – 7:00 PM – Browning Cinema, DPAC
An Evening with Angelus at Notre Dame
A free screening of four short, award-winning films produced, written, and directed by students. The directors will be present to answer questions afterwards. Family Theatre Productions created the Angelus Awards in 1996 to showcase and award emerging filmmakers and encourage them to continue creating visionary projects that honor the fundamental dignity of the human person.
Free tickets are available at the DPAC box office.
Sponsored by the Notre Dame Center for Ethics & Culture
May 2 – 10:00 AM – Raclin - Carmichael Hall
5th Annual Midwest Regional Bioethics Conference
More Information available at www.illinoiscma.org/sjbc.html.
Video of ND Response Rally Now Available
Large and Festive Alternative Commencement Event on South Quad at Notre Dame
On Sunday, May 17, in the hours before the commencement ceremony began in the JACC at Notre Dame, a remarkable event took place on the south quad of the University of Notre Dame. A beautiful mass for life with Kevin Russeau, CSC, as chief celebrant was held in front of over 2000 persons. Following mass, before an even larger crowd, a Rally for Life was sponsored by the students of ND Response. The Rally provided a forum for a response to the pro-choice policies of President Obama. The much beloved bishop of Ft. Wayne/South Bend, Bishop John D’Arcy, joined the speakers at the rally and sat with the speakers on the stage throughout the event. A diverse group of six speakers led off by Wilson Miscamble, CSC, spoke for over an hour on the abortion crisis in this country and the appropriate response to it for an institution with Notre Dame’s history and public commitments. The students of ND Response were deeply disappointed that the national press chose to ignore this event. In light of the almost total press blackout on this event, we are proud to make texts of the six talks available on our web site. You will find these below. We also have high quality video of these talks and the mass that preceded them. Feel free to alert others to the presence of these fine talks on our site.
Elizabeth Borger [Text] [Video] Lacy Dodd [Text] [Video] Chris Godfrey [Text] [Video] Fr. Wilson Miscamble [Text] [Video] Fr. John Raphael [Text] [Video] David Solomon [Text] [Video]
In a letter to Rev. John Jenkins, C.S.C. dated April 27, 2009 , Mary Ann Glendon declined to receive the Laetare Medal at this spring's commencement. The text of the letter is available here.
April 30, 2009 - Judge John Noonan, a member of our advisory board, will be replacing Prof. Mary Ann Glendon at the Notre Dame Commencement this year. Judge Noonan has previously received the Laetare Medal and will not be receiving it again. The university has decided not to award the Medal this year. You may read the University’s press release on this here.
Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life
Professor Jean Porter, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at Notre Dame, published a Viewpoint article in the South Bend Tribune on April 11, 2009, charging that the Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life was promoting “political activism” of a sort inappropriate at a university like the University of Notre Dame. You may read her column here. David Solomon, the chairman of the steering committee for the Notre Dame Fund, responded to her charges in a Viewpoint piece in the South Bend Tribune published on April 19, 2009. You may read his column here. If you have comments on this exchange of views, please send them to the Center at ndethics@nd.edu and we will post as many of them as we can on our web site.
Thursday, April 23 - "A Notre Dame Witness for Life"
The text of William McGurn’s talk, “A Notre Dame Witness for Life,” which was given at 7:30 p.m. on April 23 in 155 DeBartolo Hall, is available here. To see a video of his talk click here. McGurn is a Notre Dame alumnus (Class of 1980) and former chief speech writer for George W. Bush (2005-2009). He is currently a columnist for the Wall Street Journal. The talk was sponsored by the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture and also by the Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life. For more information about the Fund and ways in which you might support it, go here.
Spring 2009 Arthur J. Schmitt Lecture
The Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture's Spring 2009 Arthur J. Schmitt Lecture, “Science and the Human Good: How to Think Philosophically about the Place of Values in Science,” was delivered by Don Howard, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Program in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Notre Dame. The lecture took place at 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, April 21, in the main auditorium of Notre Dame’s McKenna Hall. The lecture will be followed by a reception and dinner at the Morris Inn in honor of Dr. Howard. The video of the lecture is now available here.
Mary Ann Glendon, Walker Percy and the Laetare Medal
The Laetare Medal at this year’s commencement will be given to the distinguished pro-life scholar, Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard University and United States Ambassador to the Holy See. We all eagerly look forward to Prof. Glendon’s acceptance speech on the occasion. The award given to Prof. Glendon comes on the twentieth anniversary of Notre Dame’s presentation of the Laetare Medal to another great hero of the struggle to create a genuine culture of life, Walker Percy. Walker Percy, regarded by many as the leading Catholic novelist of his generation, gave a memorable acceptance speech on that occasion. In his talk he unforgettably advised the graduates that they were “graduating into a deranged world.” You can see a video of that great speech here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6jaJy3gL2I).
10th Annual Fall Conference - Call for Papers
The Center is pleased to announce its call for papers for the 10th annual fall conference, The Summons of Freedom: Virtue, Sacrifice and the Common Good. The conference will take place on the campus of the University of Notre Dame November 12-14, 2009. View the call for papers here.
On Sunday, April 5, the ND Response Student Coalition held its first official demonstration, a prayerful rally in front of the University's Main Building at 2:00 p.m. after the noon Palm Sunday Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. All those who share their concerns joined in this respectful display to defend the Catholic mission of the Univesity of Notre Dame.
Alfred Freddoso, Professor of Philosophy and Oesterle Professor of Thomistic Studies at the University of Notre Dame, spoke at the prayer rally. The text of his talk can be found here.
For more information about the ND Response Student Coalitition, this event, and future events, please go to ndresponse.com.
4th Anniversary of the Death of Pope John Paul II
April 2, 2009 marks the 4th anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. In remembrance of his work and legacy, the Vatican developed this website archiving his life and work.
Federal Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
In light of the furor over the announcement that President Obama will be honored at the 2009 Notre Dame spring commencement, we think it is important to call to everyone's attention this piece written by a number of the most distinguished members of the President's Council on Bioethics. It lays out in some detail the full implications of President Obama's action of March 9 when he removed certain restrictions on the funding of embryonic stem cell research. It also makes clear how, on a number of points, President Obama's remarks accompanying this action were misleading and why his action may be regarded as "a step backward." We were especially gratified that the most recent Chairman of the President's Council, Dr. Edmund Pellegrino, the dean of Catholic bioethicists in this country, also added his name in support of the objections to President Obama's actions.
We are proud that Dr. Pellegrino delivered the Philip Clarke Family Lecture on Bioethics Friday, March 27 at 4:00 p.m. in McKenna Hall. Dr. Pellegrino signed copies of a recent book of his essays published in the Center's series on Medical Ethics, "The Philosophy of Medicine Reborn: A Pellegrino Reader." The video of the lecture may be viewed here.
Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life
An exciting new initiative, to be administered by the Center for Ethics and Culture, is The Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life. The Fund, together with the five person committee which will oversee it, will provide a proactive impetus for pro-life activity on the Notre Dame campus, including support of the student right to life clubs as well as involvement of the faculty and administration. For a summary description of the scope and plans for the Fund, click here. To donate, please visit Notre Dame Department of Development http://supporting.nd.edu/make-a-gift/.
Spring 2009 Bread of Life Dinner
The Center hosted the inaugural Bread of Life Dinner on February 18 in the Oak Room of the South Dining Hall on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The event was made possible by The Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life and featured a reflection by Carter Snead. Professor Snead is an associate professor of law at Notre Dame and spoke about the right to life in our society. [More]
Professor Carter Snead on Fox News' Glenn Beck Show
On March 9, Professor Snead appeared on Fox News' Glenn Beck Show to dicuss President Obama's Executive Order "Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells."
Imaging the Family in Modern Cinema
On Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, April 14, the Center presents its 4th Annual Catholic Culture Film Series. The series will include free movie showings and refreshments at Legends on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. [More]
Alasdair MacIntyre Honored by University College Dublin
Aladair MacIntyre, permanent research fellow at the Center, was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Letters by University College Dublin on March 10. Read about the events surrounding this occasion and watch the video of MacIntyre's public lecture titled, "On Having Survived the Academic Moral Philosophy of the Twentieth Century” here.
Myser Fellow Sarah Borden on "Aristotelian Feminism"
Sarah Borden, the 2008-2009 Myser Fellow, will be giving a presentation entitled "Aristotelian Feminism". The presentation will take place Tuesday, February 17 at 4:00 p.m. in 1024 Flanner Hall. Attendees are encouraged to read the first chapter of her upcoming book on the subject in preparation for the presentation.
The Center for Ethics and Culture's 9th Annual Fall Conference, The Family: Searching for Fairest Love, took place November 6-8, 2008 at the University of Notre Dame. Please check back for streaming videos of the invited speaker lectures, and for digital copies of presented papers.
Catholic Voters and the 2008 Presidential Election
On Wednesday, October 8, the Notre Dame Center for Ethics & Culture sponsored a conversation between Gerard Bradley, Notre Dame Professor of Law and member of the Catholics for McCain National Steering Committee, and Vincent Rougeau, Notre Dame Associate Professor of Law and member of the steering committee for Obama's Catholic National Advisory Council. In particular, these participants were asked to address the question: "What constitutes, for an otherwise pro-life voter, a sufficient 'proportunate' reason to justify a vote for a pro-choice candidate?" It is the Center's hope that this event will provide a meaningful opportunity for students and the larger University community to focus on how Catholics should think abou the upcoming election, particularly in terms of life issues. The video of this event is now available.
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This event was funded by the Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life.
We proudly announce the 2008-09 holders of our two visiting fellowships: the Myser Fellowship, and the Mary Ann Remick Senior Visiting Fellowship. The fellowship winners are Sarah Borden, Professor of Philosophy at Wheaton College, who will hold the Myser Fellowship, and Francis Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies at Baylor University, who will hold the Remick Fellowship. The Center is proud of its 2008-09 visiting fellows, and looks forward to Professors Beckwith and Borden joining our intellectual community. Their presence at the Center will no doubt also enrich the Notre Dame community.
Fall 2008 Catholic Culture Series - Wit's Way to Wisdom: Four Catholic Satirists
This fall's Catholic Culture Series focused on four Catholic satirists: Oscar Wilde, Evelyn Waugh, Hillaire Belloc, and Baron Corvo.
Miss a lecture? Watch the video online.
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Ethics & Culture Newsletter - Summer 2008
Read about past events and news of upcoming events in the Summer 2008 edition of the Center's newsletter, Ethics & Culture.
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Elizabeth Kirk, Associate Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, on EWTN
Elizabeth Kirk, Associate Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, appeared on ETWN's Faith and Culture in a four-part series on the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter, Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Diginity and Vocation of Women). [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
An Evening of Angelus at Notre Dame
On May 1, 2008, in the Browning Cinema in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, the Center for Ethics and Culture hosted some of the winning student filmmakers from the Angelus Awards Student Film Festival (sponsored by Family Theater Production in Hollywood). The evening began with a screening of the award-winning short films (lasting about an hour), followed by a Q&A with the directors moderated by the director of the Angelus Awards, Monika Moreno.
An Evening of Angelus at Notre Dame was featured in the Intermission section of the South Bend Tribune. [Read]
David Solomon, Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, on NPR
David Solomon, W.P. and H.B. White Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, discussed the status of abortion rights in the United States in light of the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The discussion originally aired January 28, 2008.
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