Join the Medieval Institute for another exciting tailgate before our Fighting Irish take on the USC Trojans! This Gameday, we welcome back David DelaGardelle of Cedarlore Forge, who will be demonstrating the amazing art of early medieval swordsmithing. David will be joined by musical guests Bell Book and Canto, who are sure to delight with performances of wonderful medieval melodies.Complimentary food and drink will be provided. This event is free and open to the public—all people of all ages are welcome!Originally published at medieval.nd.edu.

"The Vanquished, The Office for the Dead," by Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904). Tretyakov Gallery. Image from artlib.ru via Wikimedia Commons.Save the date for the fifth annual Mathews Byzantine Lecture with Prof. Zachary Chitwood of The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Prof. Chitwood will be speaking on "The Invention of Prayer for the Dead in the Byzantine Tradition." About the Talk Far from being a primitive Christian practice, prayer for the dead and, just as importantly, the belief that such prayer could better the postmortal fate of the deceased, was not uncontested, and attracted critique as early as Late Antiquity. This story of the development of the commemoration of the dead in Byzantium is one full of surprising twists and turns. Studying the development of commemorative prayer in Byzantium not only allows us to glimpse a truly medieval innovation, it also offers a way of examining Byzantine history via a particular concept and its manifold interactions with politics, religion, law and culture, very much in the sense of a Maussian “total social phenomenon.” About the Speaker Zachary Chitwood is professor of Byzantine studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. His research interests include Roman and Byzantine law, the history of monasticism (especially Mount Athos) and the use of digital humanities (databases and AI-assisted text recognition). He is editor of the journals Byzantinische Zeitschrift and Endowment Studies. About the Series The Mathews Byzantine Lectures, begun in the 2021–22 academic year, bring a distinguished scholar of Byzantine studies to campus each year to deliver a talk, supported by the Rev. Constantine Mathews Endowment for Excellence in Byzantine Christianity in the Medieval Institute. Originally published at medieval.nd.edu.

Rosemarie Garland-Thomson is a bioethicist, author, educator, humanities scholar, and thought leader in disability justice and culture.RGT offers expertise in the equity, knowledge, culture, and ethics of disability to a broad range of institutions and communities, with a focus on the areas of medical humanities, healthcare ethics, and diversity and inclusion initiatives that go beyond compliance.RGT has taught disability studies, bioethics, American literature and culture, and critical theory at Emory, UCLA, Howard, and Brandeis Universities for more than 20 years. She is a widely recognized and published scholar and mentor. Most recently, she is co-editor of About Us: Essays from the Disability Series of the New York Times and is the author of Staring: How We Look and several other books. Originally published at reilly.nd.edu.

Learning Beyond the Classics: Voicing Intergenerational Trauma in Postwar Korea and Japan through Contemporary Cinema Directed by Hyun kyung Kim Not Rated, 84 minutesIn English and Korean with English subtitles Director Hyun kyung Kim scheduled to appear live! This documentary explores the lasting impact of the Korean War while revealing the weight it still exerts to this day on several generations of the filmmaker's family. South Korean filmmaker Hyun kyung Kim grew up with the inherited burden of the Korean War, a conflict that left an indelible mark on her family and country. Her mother compulsively fills the house with items she finds on the streets of Seoul while her veteran father devours books about the war. The filmmaker's encounter with a North Korean defector mirrors the story of her grandfather, who likely stayed in the North when the country became divided, never to be seen again by his family. Defectors confronts the impact of a brutal war on several generations of the filmmaker's family. GET TICKETS *Free for ND, SMC, HC, and IUSB students. **Co-presented by the David A. Heskin and Marilou Brill Endowment for Excellence, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship/Hesburgh Libraries.

Register here  Jennifer Szalai recently published a piece in the New York Times about several recent books that view empathy negatively. We will have a conversation with her about these books and the role of empathy in this cultural moment. Virtues & Vocations is a social movement committed to individual and communal flourishing through the cultivation of character across the professions. This aspirational, cross professional learning community understands thriving professions are the backbone of thriving societies and knows professional excellence requires both competence and character.  Originally listed at socialconcerns.nd.edu/.

Robert Ellsberg will reflect on the 55-year history of Orbis Books and his own vocation as an editor.  Founded by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Orbis Books has published numerous works by leading theologians and spiritual writers—including Leonardo Boff, James Cone, Virgil Elizondo, Pope Francis, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Elizabeth Johnson, Henri Nouwen, and Peter Phan. The publishing house’s catalog has tracked and influenced major developments in Catholic theology across the Americas, including the rise of liberation theology amid tensions with Vatican authorities; the turn to world Christianity and interreligious dialogue; and landmark contributions in ecological thought and Black theology. The Cushwa Center Lecture, first held in 1984, has grown from an occasional event to an annual forum for students, faculty, and community members beyond the University to hear from distinguished scholars and writers about the relationship between religion and public life. A sale of select books by the speaker and titles from Orbis Books will follow the lecture. This event is free and open to all. About the speaker Robert Ellsberg is publisher, executive director, and editor-in-chief at Orbis Books. He began his editorial career at The Catholic Worker, where he collaborated closely with Dorothy Day during the final years of her life—a formative experience that prompted his conversion to Catholicism and profoundly influenced his subsequent work as a writer and editor. Ellsberg is the author or editor of numerous books, including Gandhi on Christianity (1991); All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (1997); Blessed Among All Women: Reflections on Women Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time (2006); The Duty Of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day (2008); All the Way to Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day (2010); Pope Francis’s A Stranger and You Welcomed Me: A Call to Mercy and Solidarity with Migrants and Refugees (2018); and Dorothy Day: Spiritual Writings (2024). His newest book is Blessed Among Us: Day by Day with Saintly Witnesses, Volume 2 (Liturgical Press, October 2025).   Originally published at cushwa.nd.edu.