Notre Dame dedicates G.K. Chesterton collection in London
Led by President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the University of Notre Dame hosted a dedication ceremony Oct. 27 at its London Global Gateway to celebrate the acquisition of the G.K. Chesterton Collection, a treasure trove of the writings, personal effects, art and other items related to the life of the renowned 20th-century English Catholic writer, orator, apologist, journalist and literary critic.
Assembled over decades by Chesterton expert Aidan Mackey, the collection has moved from Oxford to the Notre Dame center in central London on Trafalgar Square. The transfer makes the world and work of Chesterton far more accessible to scholars and includes a public exhibit for Chesterton devotees who live in or visit London.
In his prayer of dedication, Father Jenkins said: “We gather today to give thanks for the life and work of G.K. Chesterton and the remarkable dedication and commitment of Mr. Aidan Mackey in compiling this fine collection.
“May Notre Dame’s commitment to educating hearts and minds be furthered by this collection, and may the writings and life of G.K. Chesterton serve as a witness to faith and hope.”
The 100-year-old Mackey, who attended the ceremony, previously said of the transfer, “The collection’s elevation to so prestigious a home as the London Global Gateway is, for me, warming beyond measure.”
Chesterton’s many works include the Father Brown mystery series, the novel “The Man Who Was Thursday,” thousands of short stories, poems and essays, and his defense of Christianity, “The Everlasting Man,” a book that influenced C.S. Lewis in his conversion to Christianity.
Notre Dame’s association with Gilbert Keith Chesterton began nearly 100 years ago. At the height of his celebrity, he visited the University in 1930 to deliver 36 public lectures over six weeks and receive an honorary degree. He attended the first football game at the new Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 10, which inspired his poem “The Arena.”
Notre Dame offers study abroad opportunities in more than 25 countries and ranks among the top 10 national research universities in the percentage of students who study abroad.
Established in 1968, the London program now hosts more than 400 undergraduates, 50 law students and many graduate students and faculty for a semester, summer or full academic year. The gateway hosts nearly 100 conferences and other events each year and places some 100 students in internships with British and international companies, medical centers, Parliament, nonprofits and other organizations.
Latest International
- CANCELED: University to host Cardinal Pedro Barreto of Peru and Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana as part of Notre Dame ForumAs part of the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum, Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno, S.J., of Peru and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana will visit the University of Notre Dame to participate in a conversation with President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., at 11:30 a.m. April 25 in the Smith Ballroom of the Morris Inn. The conversation is open to the public and will also be livestreamed for both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking audiences.
- ‘Who the messenger is matters’: Cultural leaders can positively influence population growthFertility rates across the world have been steadily dropping since 1950. Pinpointing the reasons is at the heart of Lakshmi Iyer's work as a professor of economics and global affairs. Her research exemplifies the kind of population-level research that Notre Dame Population Analytics (ND Pop), a new research initiative at the University, seeks to foster.
- Lessons from Venezuela’s democratic collapse: How opposition movements can defy autocratic leadersLaura Gamboa, a political scientist at the University of Notre Dame, explores how opposition movements navigate authoritarian regimes in a study of Venezuela's political transformation. The research analyzes the effectiveness of various strategies, including electoral participation, in the face of eroding democratic norms.
- U.S. Ambassador to the EU visits Notre Dame as second Nanovic Forum Diplomat in ResidenceMark Gitenstein, U.S. ambassador to the European Union (2022-25), will join the University of Notre Dame between March 22 and April 4 as the Nanovic Forum Diplomat in Residence at the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, part of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs.
- Diverging views of democracy fuel support for authoritarian politicians, Notre Dame study showsA new study from Marc Jacob, assistant professor of democracy and global affairs at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, found that diverse understandings of democracy among voters shape their ability to recognize democratic violations and, in turn, affect their voting choices.
- Through respectful dialogue and encounter, students learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and work for peaceA recent intercultural encounter in Rome enabled Notre Dame students to learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by meeting and talking with people who have lived through it. The trip, which built upon a Notre Dame class and a related Notre Dame Forum Series, reflects the University's larger focus on civil dialogue and the empathetic, people-first approach it has taken to teaching and learning about the conflict.