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Gov. Ron DeSantis to deliver Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government lecture

2024-11-04T14:47:00-05:00

Gov. Ronald D. DeSantis, 46th governor of Florida

Gov. Ronald D. DeSantis, the 46th governor of Florida, will speak at the University of Notre Dame at 4 p.m. Nov. 8 in Room 101 of DeBartolo Hall.

Sponsored by Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, the talk will serve as the center’s 2024 Jeanie Poole O’Shaughnessy Memorial Lecture and is titled “Conservative Leadership on the Eve of America’s Semiquincentennial.”

Vincent Phillip Muñoz, director of the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, said, “One of our aims at the center is to inspire Notre Dame students to become leading citizens who serve the public good. We do that, in part, by introducing them to our nation’s current leaders, especially leading Catholic politicians. We are privileged to host Gov. DeSantis and look forward to learning about his experiences governing one of the largest states of the Union.”

In addition to his public lecture, DeSantis will participate in a seminar with the center’s undergraduate Tocqueville Fellows. The seminar will allow students to ask the governor questions and engage with him one-on-one.

Alejandra Ricardo, a junior student in the Tocqueville Fellowship Program, said, “As Tocqueville Fellows, we are uniquely privileged to directly engage the leading speakers and officials the center brings to campus. These exchanges enrich our student colloquia and seminars at the center on what constitutes a decent and just political regime. It is incredibly valuable to discuss political virtues within the American system with someone with such extensive and valuable experience.

“I’m looking forward to Gov. DeSantis’ lecture as well as the opportunity to discuss with him what he recognizes as the virtues of American political life, especially from the perspective of his gubernatorial responsibilities and as the chief executive officer of the state of Florida,” Ricardo said. “I’m deeply grateful to the center for this opportunity, which will be memorable and one of many blessings I’ve enjoyed during my time here.”

All tickets have been allocated, but the talk will be livestreamed on the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government’s YouTube channel.

DeSantis was sworn in as governor of Florida on Jan. 8, 2019. He was first elected to Congress in 2012 as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 6th District. Prior to his Congressional service, DeSantis served as a federal prosecutor.

DeSantis attended Yale University followed by Harvard Law 91��Ƶ and earned his baccalaureate and law degrees with honors. While at Harvard, he earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. During his active-duty service, DeSantis supported operations at the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. DeSantis also deployed to Iraq as an adviser to a U.S. Navy SEAL commander in support of the SEAL mission in Fallujah, Ramadi and the rest of Al Anbar province. His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service and the Iraq Campaign Medal. He still serves in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

Launched in 2021, the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government seeks to cultivate thoughtful and educated citizens by supporting scholarship and education concerning the ideas and institutions of constitutional government.

Originally published by Anna Bradley at constudies.nd.edu on Nov. 4.

Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu

Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative supports criminal complaint against Chinese government for Uyghur genocide

2023-02-22T12:13:00-05:00

In what appears to be the largest incarceration of an ethno-religious group since World War II, millions of Uyghurs have been subjected to re-education, rape, constant surveillance and familial separation at the hands of the Chinese government.

The Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative filed an amicus brief in support of the criminal complaint filed by The World Uyghur Congress and The Uyghur Human Rights Project against China for genocide and crimes against humanity, invoking Argentina’s universal jurisdiction over those crimes as set out in the Argentinian Constitution.

“China’s atrocities against the Uyghur people meet the legal definitions of crimes against humanity and genocide under international law,” said Stephanie Barclay, director of the Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative. “We urge the Argentina criminal court to exercise jurisdiction over the case and rule that China is guilty of these dire crimes.”

The Chinese government’s actions have been recognized as a genocide by two successive U.S. administrations. Eleven parliaments — Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and the European Parliament, the U.S. and Taiwan — globally recognized the atrocities against Uyghurs as international crimes. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, China’s suppression of the Uyghur population, including through forced detention, torture, killing, systematic annihilation and forced sterilization, constitutes crimes against humanity, which can be prosecuted and punished for the preservation of international peace and fundamental freedoms.

“I welcome this opportunity to provide crucial information in the proceedings pertaining to the genocide against the Uyghurs now before the Argentinian courts,” said Lord David Patrick Paul Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool, a British politician and human rights advocate. “The shocking evidence of atrocities against the Uyghurs warrants further investigation and judicial assessment. Domestic courts, based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, are competent organs to engage on the issue and, in using their powers, strike an important blow for the rule of law.”

“This needs to be litigated,” said Sam Brownback, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom and current co-chair for the International Religious Freedom Summit, as well as a senior fellow at Open Doors USA. “The persecution of the Uyghurs by the Chinese government is an atrocity. This litigation will allow light to shine and let the world know what is happening.”

“To date, the international community has largely failed to address the root causes of the Uyghur genocide and has been slow to act on fundamental questions of justice and accountability for the crimes against humanity and acts of genocide that the Chinese Communist Party continues to perpetrate,” said Kelley E. Currie, a human rights lawyer who formerly served as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues and is currently serving as an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a senior adviser to the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University. “The Argentina case is an important step forward in this respect, and deserves robust support from the international human rights and accountability community. I am honored to join my colleagues in support of this amicus brief, and urge all states party to the Genocide Convention, especially states with universal jurisdiction statutes, to follow this example.”

In addition to Alton, Brownback and Currie, the amicus brief was filed on behalf of Nury Turkel, a Uyghur American lawyer and human rights advocate and co-founder and board chair of the Uyghur Human Rights Project currently serving as the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Frank Wolf, author of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which created the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and currently a commissioner for USCIRF.

Complaint filed in U.K.

“We are thrilled that the Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative has filed submissions in relation to the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity being committed against the Uyghur people,” said Michael Polak, a U.K.-based barrister who worked with local counsel to file the complaint. “It is right that organizations such as this one should speak out loudly against the wholesale persecution of the Uyghur people based on their religion and ethnicity.”

Polak continued, “Article 118 of the Argentine Constitution provides a golden opportunity for these terrible crimes to finally be addressed. We hope that an investigation will be opened shortly and that this case will provide the opportunity for the brave Uyghur victims to give their evidence in court and for independent judges to closely examine the intense repression being carried out by the Chinese state.”

Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ representation

Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ students Chris Ostertag, Jackie Muallem, Huan Nguyen, Andrew Scarafile and Daisy An contributed to the amicus brief alongside Francesca Matozzo, legal fellow with the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Clinic, and Barclay.

“The Uyghur people have long been targets of persecution by the Chinese government because of their distinct culture and devotion to their Islamic faith,” said Ostertag, currently a 2L in his first year of work with the Religious Liberty Initiative.

This amicus brief filing is the latest effort undertaken by the Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative to bring awareness to and encourage action against the atrocities enacted by the Chinese government. Commissioner Nury Turkel visited Notre Dame in October for a conversation with Stephanie Barclay about his firsthand experience with the Uyghur genocide and what the international community can do to fight back.

Established in 2020, the Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative promotes and defends religious freedom for all people through advocacy, formation and thought-leadership. The initiative protects the freedom of individuals to hold religious beliefs as well as their right to exercise and express those beliefs and to live according to them.

The Religious Liberty Initiative has represented individuals and organizations from an array of faith traditions to defend the right to religious worship, to preserve sacred lands from destruction, to promote the freedom to select religious ministers and to prevent discrimination against religious schools and families.

Learn more about the Religious Liberty Initiative at law.nd.edu/RLI.

Contact: Anna Bradley, program manager, Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative, 574-631-6003, abradle4@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at law.nd.edu on Feb. 21.

Religious Liberty Clinic supports Catholic dioceses’ efforts to operate first faith-based charter school in US

2023-02-14T14:52:00-05:00

Two Catholic dioceses have submitted an application to address educational gaps in Oklahoma by opening the first religious charter school in the nation.

A joint effort of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual 91��Ƶ seeks to provide new and innovative learning opportunities to K-12 students throughout the state, especially in underserved communities. Oklahoma’s Statewide Virtual Charter 91��Ƶ Board will meet today to consider the school’s charter application.

“Education is the foundation on which our children build their lives,” Archbishop of Oklahoma City Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley said. “St. Isidore 91��Ƶ will provide that foundation for families across the state who do not currently have access to a rigorous, integrated and authentically Catholic education that forms the whole person and prepares them not only to be successful members of their communities, but indeed to be virtuous leaders, conscientious citizens, loving parents and good neighbors to all.”

Bishop of Tulsa Rev. David A. Konderla added, “The heart of the Catholic educational tradition is to form children in the faith and to provide a home where they may learn to love God and to love others. St. Isidore 91��Ƶ will continue that centuries-old tradition in exciting new ways, so that even more families may have access to a high-quality Catholic education and more communities may be served by the tremendous value these schools provide for all people, whether they are Catholic or not.”

Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ’s Religious Liberty Clinic has assisted the dioceses’ efforts to secure authorization to operate a Catholic charter school despite provisions of Oklahoma law that prohibit charter schools from being affiliated with religious organizations and that require the schools to be “nonsectarian.” Last December, the attorney general of Oklahoma, John O’Connor, issued an opinion letter concluding that these exclusions of faith-based charter schools likely violate the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause.

“It has been a great privilege to support this important endeavor,” said Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Professor Nicole Stelle Garnett. “St. Isidore will enable the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa to provide a rigorous, and authentically Catholic, learning environment to students who would otherwise lack access to a Catholic school.”

Brett Farley, director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, said, “We are honored to be working with the faculty and students in Notre Dame’s Religious Liberty Clinic. Their advice and collaboration have been indispensable in our effort to establish the nation’s first religious charter school. Without their counsel this important project would have been impossible.”

The question of whether states may constitutionally exclude faith-based charter schools extends well beyond Oklahoma. All 45 states that authorize charter schools require them to be secular, and most, like Oklahoma, prohibit them from being operated by or affiliated with religious organizations.

“More states ought to follow Oklahoma’s lead,” said Richard W. Garnett, professor of law and director of Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ’s Program on Church, State and Society. “Laws prohibiting faith-based charter schools unconstitutionally discriminate against religion. As Attorney General O’Connor aptly observed, a state ‘cannot enlist private organizations to promote a diversity of educational choices and then decide that any and every kind of religion is the wrong kind of diversity. This is not how the First Amendment works.’”

“It is tremendously rewarding for our clinic to help in this project,” said John Meiser, managing director for domestic litigation at the Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Clinic. “In recent years, the Supreme Court has made clear that states may not prohibit faith-based schools from participating in opportunities to expand educational options for families and children in need. I hope that St. Isidore may be the first of many faith-based charter schools to work with states to help fill critical gaps in K-12 education around the country.”

Established in 2020, the Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative promotes and defends religious freedom for all people through advocacy, formation and thought leadership. The initiative protects the freedom of individuals to hold religious beliefs as well as their right to exercise and express those beliefs and to live according to them.

Learn more about the Religious Liberty Initiative at law.nd.edu/RLI.

Contact: Anna Bradley, program manager, Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ Religious Liberty Initiative, 574-631-6003, abradle4@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at law.nd.edu on Feb. 14.

Mathis Liturgical Leadership Program welcomes inaugural cohort

2022-07-12T14:30:00-04:00

The McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame is beginning a week of campus programming with the inaugural Mathis Liturgical Leadership Program (MLLP) cohort. This two-year program constitutes a unique opportunity for education and formation centered around a major pastoral issue facing the Church that intersects with the liturgical-sacramental life.

“The United States Catholic Church right now is at a crossroads,” said Timothy O’Malley, academic director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy. “There is the problem of disaffiliation, distrust of ecclesial institutions and (at least among many) a polarization that can rip apart the Church. We believe that liturgical formation — as Pope Francis recently addressed in his apostolic letter Desiderio desideravi — functions as a healing balm. We want to form Catholic leaders who seek not only to deal with the liturgical rites but to create a liturgical culture grounded in the mystery of Christ’s love.”

Twenty-one participants were selected for the 2022 cohort from across the United States. Participants include priests, parish directors, educators, lay ministers and other professionals working on behalf of their Church communities.

From 2022 to 2024, this cohort will focus on fostering a Eucharistic culture in parishes, schools and dioceses as a way of promoting deeper affiliation with the Church. Over the course of these two years, informed by their coursework and working in collaboration with experts, each participant will design and work toward the completion of a project, teaching resource and/or publication. Mathis Liturgical Leaders will also become ambassadors of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy throughout the United States. The leadership program is fully funded and scholarships are provided to all participants.

According to O’Malley, “The real genius of our approach is to invite those already exercising leadership in the United States to join us for two years of conversation and planning for the future of liturgical formation in the Church. The cohort includes liturgists, those exercising leadership in chanceries, Catholic educators, those involved in social ministries, youth ministers and those involved in technology and city planning. I believe that we are returning to the fundamental insight that inspired the liturgical movement to begin with, a chance to let one’s life become a liturgical offering.”

The 21 members of the inaugural MLLP cohort are:

Carlo Argoti, director of liturgy and music at The Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community in Redlands, California
Rev. Tony Cecil Jr., associate pastor of Epiphany Catholic Church and Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Louisville, Kentucky
Rev. Lincoln Dall, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi
Bridget de la Peña, regional director of the Office of Catholic 91��Ƶs in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois
Bob Dunn, director of public policy for the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire
Margaret Felice, religion and fine arts faculty at Boston College High 91��Ƶ in Boston, Massachusetts
Facundo Gonzalez Icardi, director of campus ministry and student life at Providence Cristo Rey High 91��Ƶ in Indianapolis, Indiana
Betty-Ann Hickey, associate director in the Office of Worship in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana
Stacey Huneck, youth and young adult ministry coordinator and infertility ministry team member at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church & Springs in Desert in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Adrian Jackson, director of CYO/youth and young adult ministry in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana
Katie Jenkins, director of music at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Odenton, Maryland
Rev. Jim Kiesel, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Odenton, Maryland
Ashley Lenz, kids content lead at Hallow in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois
Aimee May, Northern area coordinator for lay ecclesial formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and 91��Ƶ of Theology in Cincinnati, Ohio
Rev. Samuel Mwangi Mungai, GHM, associate pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church in Lafayette, Tennessee
Joel Musser, director of catechesis of the Good Shepherd at Immaculate Conception Church and Immaculata High 91��Ƶ in Durham, North Carolina
Thomas Octave, director of sacred music in the Diocese of Greensburg and associate professor at Saint Vincent College in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania
Ian Rangel, director of development for the Diocese of Orange in Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Vincent Reilly, director of faith formation at St. Catherine Catholic Church in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida
Andie Tong, lay missionary at Con-solatio in Brooklyn, New York
Rev. Justin Ward, vicar for sacred liturgy in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama

To learn more about the Mathis Liturgical Leadership Program and this year’s cohort, visit mcgrath.nd.edu/mllp.

Contact: Maggie Scroope, program director of communications, McGrath Institute for Church Life, 574-631-0153, mscroope@nd.edu.

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on July 11.

Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity produces original series on spirituality of life

2022-03-28T14:45:00-04:00

The Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame has partnered with the Sisters of Life to produce an original, 12-part video series designed to educate and inform participants on how to accompany a woman experiencing the uncertainty and fear of unexpected pregnancy. “Into Life: Love Changes Everything” is produced by CampCampo Films and is the first free resource of its kind.

Jess Keating, program director of the Office of Life and Human Dignity, sees the series as an invaluable formation tool for pastoral leaders and hopes that it brings viewers into the Sisters of Life’s approach to working with vulnerable populations.

“Participants in this course can expect to be introduced to the theological framework used by the Sisters of Life in their ministry to pregnant women, have the opportunity to pray and reflect on how a spirituality of life is manifest in their own lives, and discover what it truly means to walk with a woman through an unexpected pregnancy,” said Keating. “The goals of the program are to cultivate and deepen a spirituality of life, to learn about the heart of the pregnant woman — her fears and her hopes — and to develop practical pastoral skills for effective listening and accompaniment.”

“Into Life” features more than 100 minutes of in-depth interviews with various members of the Sisters of Life. The series consists of 12 videos, personal reflection questions and group discussion questions. Although the program is designed to be completed in small in-person groups over the course of 12 weeks, it can be adapted to a wide variety of formats, including self-paced personal use. Each session is divided into three parts: viewing the video content, personal reflection and group discussion. Opening and closing prayers are also included. All session materials are included in the Facilitator Guide and Participant Guide.

Keating noted that the political weaponization of pregnant women has led to deeply harmful misconceptions that she hopes this series can address through dialogue and authentic relationships.

“What if we could take a step back and think about ‘pro-life’ in a different way? This program invites participants into a new vision of pro-life ministry, one grounded not in slogans, but in intentional accompaniment,” said Keating. “Rooted in the wisdom of the Sisters of Life, this series introduces participants to new ideas for building a culture of life and solidarity, offers the opportunity for prayer and reflection, and develops and refines skills for accompanying women through an unexpected pregnancy.”

The series explores the spiritual foundations of accompanying a woman into life, a contemplation of God’s presence in reality and the power of prayer. Later videos address themes of vulnerability, hope, fear and rejoicing in the mother. It places emphasis on being present to the woman and listening her into life as a practiced skill, touching upon the reality of healing after an abortion and motherhood through adoption.

“‘Into Life’ is truly for everyone,” said Sister Marie Veritas of the Sisters of Life. “Our hope is that every person who watches it will come to know deeply that their life is a gift, that they are good, made in God’s image, and that their life has profound meaning and worth. It is meant to be not only a resource for pro-life work, but for the whole scope of human relationships — because it’s ultimately about upholding each other, about listening and accompaniment, and about affirming the other in their goodness and worth. It’s about seeing and loving in truth. When we know we’re loved, we can soar.”

While the series was designed by and features the Sisters of Life, a Catholic religious order, and elaborates themes in Catholic teaching, practice and spirituality, participants from various religious backgrounds and affiliations are welcome and encouraged to engage with its resources.

According to Keating, “Even in a post-Roe world, there will continue to be women who experience unexpected pregnancies, who need authentic relationships, genuine dialogue, and intentional accompaniment. Even in a society where the dignity of the prenatal child is recognized and legally upheld, and women and children receive ample support, there will still be the need for loving, personal concern.”

The series can be accessed on the “Into Life” website.

Contact: Brett Robinson, director of communications, McGrath Institute for Church Life, 574-631-6109, brobins6@nd.edu.

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on March 25.

Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity welcomes Gloria Purvis as inaugural pastoral fellow

2021-10-25T11:30:00-04:00

The Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity at the McGrath Institute for Church Life welcomes Gloria Purvis as its inaugural pastoral fellow, a new role designed to enhance the impact of pastoral leaders in life of the Church, particularly around timely and pressing issues like racial justice.

Purvis will partner with the office through July to enact a truly Catholic response to the sin of racism. This will include developing resources for the Teaching Human Dignity series, a free collection of lesson plans and other teaching materials for use in the classroom; creating an online course addressing the theology of racial justice to be offered through the McGrath Institute; offering two campus events for Notre Dame and the local community; and facilitating a workshop series for pastoral leaders with the goal of equipping them for dialogue and engagement on issues of racial justice.

“The impetus for our collaboration with Gloria came about through all of the events of the past 18 months,” said Jessica Keating, program director of the Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity. “Coming to a particular point of tension in the murder of George Floyd and taken up in our spring 2021 webinar series, Conversations That Matter, we seek to really think about how the Church can address issues of systemic racism and train pastoral ministers to respond and learn techniques needed to thoughtfully engage in these difficult conversations and to enact community change.”

Purvis is a graduate of Cornell University and worked for nearly two decades in the mortgage industry before becoming a risk management director at a major financial services company. She served on the National Black Catholic Congress' Leadership Commission on Social Justice, and as an advisory board member on the Maryland Catholic Conference's Respect for Life Department as well as the Archdiocese of Washington's Pastoral Council. She taught natural family planning and helped prepare engaged couples for marriage as a member of a Pre-Cana team in the Archdiocese of Washington. She has appeared in various media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, PBS Newshour, Catholic Answers Live and EWTN News Nightly, and hosted “Morning Glory,” an international radio show. She is Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic of the Year for 2020.

Currently, she is a full-time stay-at-home mother and a consultant for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Religious Liberty. Purvis is the creator and host of the EWTN TV series “Authentically Free at Last,” which deals with the modern challenges to the expression and understanding of authentic human freedom. For the past six months, Purvis has been collaborating with America Media on "The Gloria Purvis Podcast," which has provided important commentary on the life of the Catholic Church in the United States. She is dedicated to promoting the sanctity of human life, marriage and the dignity of the human person.

To learn more about the Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity, visit mcgrath.nd.edu/life.

Contact: Brett Robinson, director of communications, 574-631-6109, brobins6@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on Oct. 13.

Notre Dame Center for Liturgy to host summer series on disaffiliation, affiliation and the liturgy after COVID

2021-04-06T10:00:00-04:00

The Notre Dame Center for Liturgy in the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame will mark its 50th year of programming with a virtual six-week series during summer 2021 addressing liturgical life in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has accelerated trends that were already visible in the Church, according to Tim O’Malley, academic director of the Center for Liturgy.

“The recent Gallup Poll has found that for the first time fewer than 50 percent of U.S. residents belong to a religious congregation. COVID has exacerbated this lack of belonging. My undergraduates, for example, say that their lives of faith have withered as Masses and retreats have been missing or only offered online. Belonging to an assembly is no guarantee, especially for a generation that has profound distrust in all institutions including the Church.”

“Will They Come Back After COVID?: Disaffiliation, Affiliation, and the Liturgy” begins with a week-long session devoted to disaffiliation and features Gwen Adams, visiting assistant professor of theology at the Augustine Institute, as the keynote speaker.

Other sessions will feature discussion on the Eucharist, sacred beauty, affiliation and popular piety led by keynote speakers including Stephen Bullivant, director of the Benedict XVI Centre for Religion and Society and professor of theology and the sociology of religion at St. Mary’s University in London; Nichole Flores, professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia; Sister Jeana Visel, O.S.B., professor of spirituality in the department of pastoral studies at St. Meinrad; Tim and Sue Muldoon, authors of “Reclaiming Family Time”; and O’Malley.

Each week will offer participants two video interviews with theological and pastoral experts conducted by O'Malley or Carolyn Pirtle, program director of the Center for Liturgy, as well as a live Q&A session with those experts, moderated by Center for Liturgy staff. Weekly recommended reading lists, opportunities for discussion, and experiences of prayer and spiritual formation will also be provided.

“Our hope for the series is that we recognize that disaffiliation is the major question for the Church over the next 10 to 15 years,” O’Malley said. “And yet, we cannot solve the problem simply by studying why people don’t belong. We also need to know why they belong, what belonging means and how it is connected to the Eucharist. The Church is not a club, but those who gather to bend the knee before the Eucharistic love and who leave the assembly to sanctify the world. Those who disaffiliate from the Church leave us all poorer, fracturing the communion to which the entire human family is called.”

Prior to the onset of COVID-19, the Center for Liturgy’s primary educational outreach initiative was Liturgy Week, a four-day conference held at the University of Notre Dame each summer for Catholic leaders in the area of liturgical and sacramental formation. The conference included keynote addresses by bishops, academics, theologians and nationally renowned experts in liturgical and sacramental education.

“In the future, we’re turning our attention to creating the next generation of liturgical leaders in the Church. These leaders will not only need to be able to put ribbons in the right place in liturgical books but to offer an apologia for the liturgical and sacramental life, to re-propose the full liturgical tradition as a source of human happiness. This is a theological, spiritual and contemplative challenge for the Church,” said O’Malley.

The 2021 summer series will begin June 14 and conclude July 23. Registration costs $50 for individual participants or $125 for a group of six participants and closes on June 14. Visit mcgrath.nd.edu/liturgyseries for more information.

Contact: Amy North, program director of communications, 574-631-2894, anorth1@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on March 31.

McGrath Institute offers digital crèche calendar for Advent and Christmas seasons

2020-11-10T10:00:00-05:00

For the past six years, the McGrath Institute for Church Life’s annual crèche exhibit and pilgrimage has gathered members of the community to campus to pray in procession and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ during the Advent season. This year, due to restrictions put in place by the coronavirus pandemic, the McGrath Institute invites reflection on Nativity scenes from around the world in a digital Advent and Christmas Crèche Calendar.

Beginning on the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 29, and continuing through Jan. 10, subscribers will receive a daily email that features an image and description of a crèche from a different part of the world, along with a brief prayer for further reflection. Each featured crèche was lent to the McGrath Institute by the Marian Library of Dayton, Ohio, for one of the previous six exhibits.

“By featuring displays from Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe, as well as North, South and Central America, this year’s digital crèche calendar serves as a powerful reminder that the incarnation of Jesus Christ has forever changed the entire world and the course of human history,” said Carolyn Pirtle, program director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy at the McGrath Institute and the organizer of the annual crèche exhibit. “The breadth of artistic media used in these Nativity sets — wood, metal, clay, even natural fibers — testifies to the mystery that all of creation is made new in Christ.”

The holy seasons of Advent and Christmas provide a much-needed opportunity to renew our faith and our hope in God, who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). Advent is a season when Christians throughout the world anticipate the coming of Christ, the light of the world. Christmas is a time to contemplate the mystery of the Word made flesh. In doing so, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, God-with-us, and that he is with us still.

To learn more about this year’s offering and sign up to receive our daily reflection emails, visit mcgrath.nd.edu/creche.

Contact: Amy North, program director of communications, 574-631-2894, anorth1@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on Nov. 6.

Office of Life and Human Dignity explores intersection of pregnancy and social justice in new series

2020-09-10T16:00:00-04:00

What is the relationship between the pro-life cause and the social justice movement? How does public policy affect women’s decision-making during a pregnancy? How do we encounter women in crisis from a place of non-judgment? The Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity at the McGrath Institute for Church Life seeks to address these and other questions during a free webinar series this fall.

“Conversations That Matter: The Intersection of Justice and Pregnancy” is a continuation of the Office of Life and Human Dignity’s efforts to provide education surrounding life issues. Taking place between late September and early November, the series will explore the pro-life movement’s roots in human rights concerns and address complex contemporary issues impacting women and their unborn children. Each session, designed for a general audience, will begin with a 30-minute presentation from a featured speaker before a question-and-answer session with participants.

“Through this series we hope to spark authentic dialogue that deepens our commitment to our fellow sisters and brothers and broadens our understanding of various and interrelated issues impacting women without the polarization and vitriol that currently characterizes these conversations,” said Jessica Keating, program director of the Office of Life and Human Dignity. “We designed these conversations to assist anyone in more effectively advocating for a just society which supports human flourishing for mothers and their unborn children.”

This initiative comes on the heels of the Office of Life and Human Dignity’s recently published sociological study conducted by Tricia Bruce, affiliate of the Notre Dame’s Center for the Study of Religion and Society and adjunct research associate professor of sociology with the University of Texas at San Antonio. Themes from the report, “How Americans Understand Abortion,” will be present in the conversations held over the course of the series.

The first webinar will begin at 8 p.m. Sept. 29 (Tuesday) and feature remarks from Daniel Williams, professor of history at the University of West Georgia and author of several books and articles concerning life issues. Other featured guests include Erika Bachiochi, a fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and Jenny Hunsberger, vice president of the Women’s Care Center.

Participants are encouraged to view and discuss the webinars as a parish community or within the context of a young adult group. To learn more and register for individual webinars in this series, visit mcgrath.nd.edu/conversations.

Contact: Amy North, program director of communications, 574-631-2894, anorth1@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on Sept. 10.

McGrath Institute for Church Life invites reflection on, devotion to saints in online lecture series

2020-08-19T14:00:00-04:00

The McGrath Institute for Church Life is inviting remote audiences to join University of Notre Dame faculty and staff for an online lecture series taking place this fall. The series is self-paced and encourages participants to learn about and foster devotion to six saints whose feast days fall between September and December.

“A Season with the Saints” is a continuation of the McGrath Institute’s efforts to provide dynamic online resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series features presentations that were previously delivered by Notre Dame faculty and staff to a live, on-campus audience. Released in a virtual format suitable for group study or individual users, each lecture will include a brief written introduction and discussion questions.

“A Season with the Saints” will be released on Aug. 26 and include presentations on St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Padre Pio, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. John Henry Newman, St. Gertrude the Great and St. Nicholas. Participants will be asked to create a login to view the presentations, each of which can be accessed until Dec. 20. This series is a project of the Sullivan Family Saints Initiative.

“The saints who are featured in these lectures are living witnesses to the life of Christ, and when we contemplate the saints they become our contemporaries,” said John C. Cavadini, the McGrath-Cavadini Director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life. “To be a saint is to give yourself over to the love of God and the love of neighbor, in Christ. Our lecturers, therefore, are not content to simply present biographical details; instead, they look for and seek to present a vision of the glory of God that has been splendidly revealed in this particular member of the Body of Christ.”

If you’d like to receive a notification when “A Season with the Saints” becomes available, submit your email address below.

Contact: Amy North, program director of communications, 574-631-2894, anorth1@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on Aug. 18.

Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity announces 2020 Teaching Human Dignity Contest winners

2020-07-01T14:00:00-04:00

The Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity in the McGrath Institute for Church Life is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 University of Notre Dame Teaching Human Dignity Contest. Contest applicants were challenged to develop instructional plans and materials that address life and human dignity issues to create a rich, powerful learning experience for high school students. Winners were selected for the in-service curriculum resource and in-service unit/lesson resource categories.

Unit/Lesson Resource Winners

First place: John Brahier, Divine Child High 91��Ƶ, Dearborn, MI ($750)
Second place: Jim Remillard, Saint John Paul II High 91��Ƶ, Hyannis, MA ($450)

Curriculum Resource Winners

First place: Kevin Zenner, Saint Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights, MN ($300)
Second place: Brian Crossen, Bishop Feehan High 91��Ƶ, Attleboro, MA ($100)

As part of the first place prize in each category, John Brahier’s unit, “Exploring China’s One-Child Policy with Exponential and Logarithmic Functions,” and Kevin Zenner’s curriculum resource exploring the dignity of the poor will be included in the Office of Life and Human Dignity’s Teaching Human Dignity series.

The contest elicited more than 60 submissions from pre-service and in-service educators ranging in instruction from 9th-12th grade. Submitted materials covered a variety of subject areas including English, theology, math, science, social studies and Spanish. All submissions were original instructional resources that reflected both the characteristics of high-quality learning and the mission of the Teaching Human Dignity series. This was the contest’s inaugural year.

“We received many excellent submissions to the Teaching Human Dignity Resource Contest and were inspired by their creativity and quality,” said Jessica Keating, program director of the Office of Life and Human Dignity. “They engaged both intellect and heart, and our winning submissions will provide students with a robust learning experience that not only spurs meaningful conversation about issues of human dignity, but places these issues within the context of academic study.”

If you are interested in receiving the new Teaching Human Dignity resources when they become available, enter your email address below.

Contact: Amy North, Program Director of Communications, 574-631-2894, anorth1@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on July 01, 2020.

McGrath Institute to examine pandemic-related Church life renewal in virtual seminar series

2020-05-12T12:00:00-04:00

The McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame is hosting a series of virtual seminars throughout summer 2020 aimed at empowering pastoral leaders and scholars for the work of renewing the Church. “Called & Co-Responsible: Summer Seminars for Church Life Renewal” builds upon the “Called & Co-Responsible” conference convened as part of the 2019-20 Notre Dame Forum series in March, which explored and promoted the shared responsibility of all the baptized for the evangelizing mission of the Church.

With special attention to how the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the typical rhythm of dioceses, parishes, schools and home life, this series will examine how the laity and the clergy might together commit to renewing the life of the Church. It will address a number of pastoral questions, including how to engage the liturgy in a virtual space, fostering community while physically distant, and strengthening the domestic church.

“In the past few months we suddenly found ourselves in a situation where fostering Church life required additional creativity and thoughtfulness, even as we’ve missed being able to gather together in parishes and receive the Eucharist,” said Leonard DeLorenzo, director of undergraduate studies at the McGrath Institute. “Perhaps we have glimpsed new forms of responsibility that might instruct us going forward, especially as we slowly resume more familiar routines.”

One seminar will be hosted live from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. each Tuesday and Wednesday between May 27 and July 28. The series will be led by University of Notre Dame faculty and staff, alongside partners and collaborators from outside the University. Seminars will feature pastoral presentations, case studies of pastoral approaches and discussions among participants.

“In a space between reflection and projection, we hope this series will help us deepen our commitment to communion and better claim the responsibility that belongs to all the baptized for the Church’s mission of evangelization,” said DeLorenzo.

Registration is free and open to the public for individual seminars in the series. For more information, visit mcgrath.nd.edu/summerseries.

Contact: Amy North, program director of communications, 574-631-2894, anorth1@nd.edu

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on May 12.

ND Forum examines Catholic laity's role in responding to sex abuse crisis

2020-03-02T11:00:00-05:00

Notre Dame, IN — The 2019-20 Notre Dame Forum series, “‘Rebuild My Church: Crisis and Response,” continues March 4-6 with a look at the relationship between clergy and laity in addressing the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis. Called & Co-responsible will be an academic and pastoral conference hosted by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

Drawing upon Pope Benedict’s 2012 speech, the conference will address questions about the nature of leadership in the Church, and how lay people are not to be merely collaborators with the clergy, but are rather truly co-responsible for the Church’s being and activity.

“Pope Francis says that all of us are asked to obey the Lord’s call to go forth, and that this will involve leaving the comfort zones we have all established for ourselves and for the Church,” said John Cavadini, professor of theology and McGrath-Cavadini director of the McGrath Institute. “How do we form the laity to become co-responsible for the Church’s mission? How do we form priests to nurture co-responsibility, in themselves and in the laity?”

Featured speakers include Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, Kerry Robinson of Leadership Roundtable, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, alongside other bishops, priests and lay Catholic leaders. The conference will feature invited panelists representing ecclesial movements, parishes, dioceses and Catholic schools.

“Our conference hopes to make visible this new conception of leadership, introduced by Pope Benedict XVI and developed by Pope Francis, and at the same time to make the theology that empowers it visible as well. We hope this is the beginning, not the end, of this exciting exploration of a genuinely new conception of leadership in the Church,” Cavadini said.

For more information, visit: mcgrath.nd.edu/coresponsible.

Contact: Amanda Skofstad, assistant director of media relations, skofstad@nd.edu, 574-631-4313

Originally published by Anna Bradley at mcgrath.nd.edu on March 02, 2020.