Winter Conference
"We Belong to Each Other"
January 12–14, 2021
Today, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
—St. Teresa of Calcutta
The corporal and spiritual works of mercy in the tradition of the Church proclaim a Christian’s solemn duty toward his or her neighbor: We are called, quite literally, to “suffer with” the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the stranger. What does it mean to say, in the words of Mother Teresa, that we belong to each other? What do we owe, as individuals and communities, to our ancestors and children, our neighbors and our nation? What is our responsibility to the created world, the political order, and to God?
Join us as we grapple with these questions at the core of what it means to “dwell together in unity” (Ps 133) and pursue the common good.
Featuring keynote presentations by
- Archbishop José Gomez (Archdiocese of Los Angeles)
- Alasdair MacIntyre (Notre Dame de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture)
- Marcus Cole (Dean, Notre Dame Law School)
- Sarah Mustillo (Dean, Notre Dame College of Arts & Letters)
- Thomas Hibbs (President, University of Dallas)
- Dana Gioia (California State Poet Laureate, USC)
Schedule of Presentations
(watch the full conference on our YouTube channel)
| Tuesday, January 12 | |
| 9-10:15 a.m. ET |
'Shelter the Homeless': What We Owe to the Poor (watch the recorded panel here) Michael Griffin (Holy Cross College) Moderator: Rev. John Paul Kimes (Notre Dame Law School) |
| 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET |
'To Gaze Upon the Beauty of the Lord': Why Beauty Matters (watch the recorded panel here) Elizabeth Lev (Duquesne University) Moderator: Nicholas Teh (University of Notre Dame) |
| 2-3:15 p.m. ET |
Who Is My Neighbor? Racism and the Catholic Social Tradition (watch the recorded discussion here) John Cavadini (University of Notre Dame) Moderator: Diane Desierto (University of Notre Dame) |
| 4-5:15 p.m. ET |
‘Visit the Sick’: What We Owe in Health Care (watch the recorded panel here) Kristin Collier (University of Michigan Medical School) Moderator: William B. Hurlbut (Stanford Medical School) |
|
8-9:15 p.m. ET |
‘Welcome the Stranger’: What We Owe to the Migrant (watch the keynote here) Most Rev. José H. Gomez (Archdiocese of Los Angeles) Moderator: O. Carter Snead (Director, de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture) |
| Wednesday, January 13 | |
| 9-10:15 a.m. ET |
The Face of Mercy: What We Owe Those with Disabilities (watch the recorded panel here) Joshua John Diehl (LOGAN Center / Saint Mary's College) Moderator: Elizabeth Schiltz (University of St. Thomas) |
| 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET |
Economics and the Catholic Social Tradition (watch the recorded panel here) Ryan Anderson (Public Discourse / University of Dallas) Moderator: Eric Sims (University of Notre Dame) |
|
2-3:15 p.m. ET |
What We Owe to the Dead, Alas! (watch the recorded keynote here) Alasdair MacIntyre (Senior Distinguished Fellow, de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture) Moderator: Sean Kelsey (University of Notre Dame) |
| 4-5:15 p.m. ET |
Unchosen Obligations: What It Means to Be Human (watch the recorded discussion here) O. Carter Snead (Director, de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture) |
|
8-9:15 p.m. ET |
'A Powerful Force for Good': Our Responsibility in Catholic Higher Education (watch the keynote panel here) Dean Marcus Cole (Notre Dame Law School) Moderator: Anna Bonta Moreland (Villanova University) |
| Thursday, January 14 | |
| 9-10:15 a.m. ET |
Resisting a Throwaway Culture: What We Owe Mothers and Children (watch the recorded panel here) Monique Chireau Wubbenhorst (United States Agency for International Development) Moderator: Mary Hallan FioRito (Cardinal George Fellow, de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture) |
|
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET |
What Do We Owe to Our Readers? Literature in Conversation (watch the recorded panel here) John Waters (Author) Moderator: John Nagy (Notre Dame Magazine) |
| 2-3:15 p.m. ET |
‘I Was Thirsty and You Gave Me Drink’: What We Owe in Hospitality (watch the recorded panel here) Betsy Fentress (Author) Moderator: Anthony Monta (Holy Cross College) |
| 4-5:15 p.m. ET |
The Ties that Bind: Recovering Our Social Institutions (watch the recorded discussion here) Yuval Levin (American Enterprise Institute) Moderator: Patrick Deneen (University of Notre Dame) |
|
8-9:15 p.m. ET |
The Power of Poetry to Connect Us: A Reading with Dana Gioia (watch the recorded keynote here) Dana Gioia (California Poet Laureate) Moderator: O. Carter Snead (Director, de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture) |
Follow along on social media (Twitter, Instagram) with the hashtag #WinCon21.
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture is committed to sharing the richness of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition through teaching, research, and dialogue, at the highest level and across a range of disciplines. Our Fall Conference is the most important academic forum for fruitful discourse and exchange among the world's leading Catholic thinkers and those from other traditions, and is the largest annual interdisciplinary event at Notre Dame. Recent past speakers include Nobel Laureate James Heckman, John Finnis, Mary Ann Glendon, Rémi Brague, Charles Taylor, Michael Sandel, and Jean Bethke Elshtain.
In concert with the Winter Conference, our partners at UND Press are offering a 40% discount and free shipping on all books in our various series. Visit their special UNDP Winter Conference page to learn more.
Our friends at St. Augustine's Press are offering a 30% discount on select titles in their catalog throughout the month of January with the discount code ETHICS30. Visit their special Ethics and Culture Conference Sale page for more information.
Past Conferences
Find information regarding past conferences and lecture videos at the links below.
- 2019: I Have Called You Friends
- 2018: Higher Powers
- 2017: Through Every Human Heart
- 2016: You Are Beauty
- 2015: For Freedom Set Free
- 2014: Responding to the Cry of the Poor
- 2013: The Body and Human Identity
- 2012: Exploring the Many Facets of Justice
- 2011: Radical Emancipation
- 2010: Younger Than Sin
- 2009: The Summons of Freedom
- 2008: The Family
- 2007: Dialogue of Cultures
- 2006: Modernity
- 2005: Joy in the Truth
- 2004: Epiphanies of Beauty
- 2003: Formation and Renewal
- 2002: From Death to Life
- 2001: A Culture of Life
- 2000: A Culture of Death