dCEC Hosts Conference on Pope Benedict XVI’s Legacy
![Rev. Federico Lombardi, S.J., speaks about his time with Pope Benedict XVI](/assets/572251/300x/lombardi_at_bxvi_conference_20240408.jpg)
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, in partnership with the Vatican’s Foundation Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI and the Benedict XVI Institute, hosted the second part of an international conference at the University of Notre Dame April 7–9, 2024, reflecting on the intellectual legacy of Pope Benedict XVI.
The conference, one of the first to focus on the late pontiff's legacy following his passing in December 2022, included contributions from both emeritus and emerging scholars from around the world who discussed six of the most influential addresses delivered by the Holy Father during the course of his papacy.
dCEC Presents Evangelium Vitae Medal to Dr. Elvira Parravicini
![O. Carter Snead, Fr. Bob Dowd CSC, Dr. Elvira Parravicini, and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades](/assets/567115/300x/ev2024_snead_dowd_parravicini_rhoades_1200x.jpg)
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture presented the 2024 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal—the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement—to Dr. Elvira Parravicini, founding director of the Neonatal Comfort Care Program and professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center, at a Mass and dinner attended by more than 500 guests on April 27, 2024, at the University of Notre Dame.
dCEC Hosts Colin Cutler for Concert and Conversation
![Colin Cutler plays a banjo](/assets/563097/300x/cutler_solo_300x.jpg)
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture welcomed singer-songwriter Colin Cutler for a concert and conversation in front of a standing-room-only…
Professor Carter Snead Testifies Before U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
![O. Carter Snead at Senate Judiciary 20240320](/assets/562634/fullsize/ocs_at_senate_judiciary_20240320_300x.png)
O. Carter Snead, Charles E. Rice Professor of Law and director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and…
Dean Santiago Schnell delivers Bread of Life talk on Life-Limiting Diseases
Gonsiorek, Cabaniss Accept New Roles at the University and de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture
![Margaret Cabaniss and Laura Gonsiorek](/assets/517703/2023_leadership_promotions_700x.jpg)
Laura Gonsiorek, senior associate director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics…
Jennifer Newsome Martin to Succeed O. Carter Snead as Director of de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture
![Jennifer Newsome Martin](/assets/554685/300x/jennifer_newsome_martin_2_2_.jpg)
I.A. O'Shaughnessy Dean of Arts and Letters Sarah Mustillo has appointed Notre Dame theologian Jennifer Newsome Martin to be the next Director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. She will succeed O. Carter Snead, Charles E. Rice Professor of Law, who will conclude twelve years of service in this role on June 30, 2024.
Notre Dame Students, Faculty, and Staff to Participate in 2024 March for Life
![March For Life 2018](/assets/346521/300x/mc_1.19.18_march_for_life_19.jpg)
On January 19, more than 400 students, faculty, staff, and graduate students from the University of Notre Dame, Holy Cross College, and St.…
Snead to conclude transformative directorship of de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture in June 2024
![Carter Snead at ND Vita Institute](/assets/538702/original/vita2023_carter_snead.jpg)
O. Carter Snead, Charles E. Rice Professor of Law and director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, will conclude his directorship of the de Nicola Center at the end of June 2024, a position he will have held for twelve years.
“Serving as director of the de Nicola Center for the past twelve years has been one of the greatest privileges and blessings of my life,” Snead said. “While I am certainly sad to see that time come to a close, my heart is filled with gratitude for what our team has been able to accomplish.”
dCEC co-sponsors conference on legacy of Pope Benedict XVI
de Nicola Center presents 23rd Annual Fall Conference, "Dust of the Earth: On Persons"
![Fall Conference 2023 Cover Image](/assets/528098/300x/fc23_cover_small.png)
More than 1,100 scholars, students, and guests from around the world registered to attend the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture’s Fall…
de Nicola Center to Award 2024 ND Evangelium Vitae Medal to Dr. Elvira Parravicini
2023 Vita Institute Provides Intellectual Formation for Pro-Life Leaders
![Vita2023 Carter Snead](/assets/538702/300x/vita2023_carter_snead.jpg)
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture welcomed a cohort of 46 leaders working to build a culture of life both nationally and…
dCEC Director's Statement on the Anniversary of Dobbs
![Dobbs Decision](/assets/476409/300x/dobbs_decision.png)
On this anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, we pause first to give thanks for the tens of thousands of lives saved—babies who would…
Celebrating our Class of 2023 Sorin Fellows
![2023 Sorin Fellows By The Numbers 540x](/assets/520677/300x/2023_sorin_fellows_by_the_numbers_540x.jpg)
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture congratulates the 126 student Sorin Fellows who completed their studies at Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College in 2023. In all, 63 undergraduates and 63 graduate and professional Sorin Fellows participated in commencement ceremonies this year.
One Year Post-Dobbs: Supporting the Culture of Life at the dCEC
![March For Life at Supreme Court](/assets/348992/300x/2018_march_for_life_scotus.jpg)
On June 24, America will mark the first anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which restored the right of the American people to create laws and policies that protect human life at all stages of development and offer comprehensive support to women, children, and families. In the year following the decision, the de Nicola Center has hosted more than 15 presentations, panel discussions, and conversations examining how best to support women, children, and their families in the new post-Dobbs landscape.
Two Key Senior Staff Promotions at de Nicola Center
de Nicola Center Presents Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to Robert P. George
Catholicism Panel Discusses the Church in the 21st Century Global South
![Provost John T. McGreevy](/assets/508772/300x/mcgreevy_panel_300x.jpg)
"Most of my life, to my amazement, has been spent studying in, teaching at, writing about, and administering…
de Nicola Center Hosts Expert Roundtable Discussion on Caring for Women and Children in a post–Roe World
de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture Hosts 22nd Annual Fall Conference
Meet the dCEC's 2022 Mission Fellows
![2022 Mission Fellows V2](/assets/488191/300x/2022_mission_fellows_v2.jpg)
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture is pleased to welcome its newest Mission Fellows, graduate and professional students at the University of Notre Dame who share the de Nicola Center's passion for research and engagement with the moral and intellectual tradition of the Church. Mission fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis to one incoming student in both Notre Dame Law School and the PhD program in the College of Arts and Letters with a proven track record of academic excellence and enthusiasm for the unique mission of the University.
dCEC to Award 2023 ND Evangelium Vitae Medal to Robert P. George
![Robert P. George](/assets/487401/original/robby_george_600x.jpg)
Acclaimed legal philosopher and constitutional and political theorist Robert P. George will receive the University of Notre Dame’s 2023 Evangelium Vitae Medal—the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement—at a celebration hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture on April 29, 2023.
George is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Professor of Politics at Princeton University and the founding director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.
dCEC Welcomes Two New Staff
![Brooke Phil Welcome 600x](/assets/482079/300x/brooke_phil_welcome_600x.png)
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture welcomed two new staffers to the office in mid-August. Brooke Tranten and Phil Tran join the team to…
Roundup of dCEC Director's Media Appearances Discussing Dobbs
![Amicus Brief in Dobbs SCOTUS case](/assets/437543/300x/ocs_amicus_brief_dobbs.png)
O. Carter Snead, director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, has extensively discussed the Supreme Court's case Dobbs v.…
dCEC Director's Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
![Dobbs Decision](/assets/476409/300x/dobbs_decision.png)
Statement from O. Carter Snead, professor of law at Notre Dame Law School, concurrent professor of political science at the University of…
Cheers to Our Sorin Fellows of the Class of 2022
Snead book recognized in New York Times as one of “Ten Books to Understand Abortion Debate in US”
dCEC Presents ND Evangelium Vitae Medal to Dr. John Bruchalski
![O. Snead, Fr. Ehrman, the Bruchalskis](/assets/470753/300x/ev22_bruchalskis_ocs_ehrman.jpg)
The University of Notre Dame de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture presented the 11th annual Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to Dr. John T. Bruchalski, founder of Tepeyac OB/GYN, one of the largest pro-life clinics in the United States, at a Mass and dinner attended by more than 450 guests and friends on April 23, 2022.