Join the Center for Social Concerns in the Coffee House for free food, fellowship and informal conversation around justice. Featuring AngLes Southern soul comfort food. Co-sponsors: Initiative on Race and Resilience; Procurement Services; and  University Operations, Events, and Safety.

Frank Shovlin (University of Liverpool) will deliver the 2024 Hibernian Lecture, “Like a Prayer: The Novels of John McGahern.”  One of the most acclaimed Irish writers of the second half of the 20th century, John McGahern (1934–2006) authored six novels. His final novel, That They May Face the Rising Sun, was named the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year in 2003 and adapted into a 2023 film of the same name. Shovlin’s lecture will contextualize the political and social networks into which McGahern was born and explore religious aspects of his work as a writer. The 2024 Hibernian Lecture is cosponsored by the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies.About the speaker Frank Shovlin is professor of Irish literature in English at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies. A native of the west of Ireland, he is a graduate of University College Galway and the University of Oxford. Shovlin is the author of numerous articles and book chapters as well as four monographs: The Irish Literary Periodical 1923–1958 (2004); Journey Westward: Joyce, Dubliners and the Literary Revival (2012); Touchstones: John McGahern's Classical Style (2016); and John McGahern's Dublin (2021). He edited The Letters of John McGahern (2022), and is currently writing McGahern’s authorized biography.In 1978, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians undertook a campaign to establish an endowment at the University of Notre Dame for illuminating the Irish heritage in America. Thanks to their support, since then the Cushwa Center has administered a variety of programs—including the Hibernian Research Award—supporting the study of the Irish experience in Ireland and America. Each year, the center invites a distinguished scholar or author to deliver the Hibernian Lecture at Notre Dame on some aspect of the Irish experience. Image: John McGahern and his siblings on the Feast of Corpus Christi, circa 1946. Note: Hasia Diner (New York University) had previously been scheduled to deliver the 2024 Hibernian Lecture on the subject of her latest book, Opening Doors: The Unlikely Alliance Between the Irish and the Jews in America. The Cushwa Center is working to reschedule Diner’s visit and lecture at Notre Dame. For updates on upcoming events and other news, sign up at cushwa.nd.edu/subscribe.   Originally published at cushwa.nd.edu.

Celebrate the launch of Virtue in Virtual Spaces: Catholic Social Teaching and Technology — the latest book in the Center for Social Concerns’ Enacting Catholic Social Tradition series published by Liturgical Press. About the book At its best, the internet channels the world into a global village of sorts, where digital citizens learn from each other, explore new modes of creation, and help others work through dilemmas in both physical and virtual spaces. Virtue in Virtual Spaces argues that the internet doesn’t have to be the cultural wasteland of click-bait, partisan politics, and vulgar content that we see too often today. Technology has tremendous potential for good because of the inherent goodness of human creation and creativity which can be achieved through the development and use of technology. The authors draw from writing on virtue ethics and Catholic Social Teaching to demonstrate this potential goodness of technology. Eight of the main themes of Catholic Social Teaching are used to build a framework for designing technology to promote human flourishing. In this book, readers will engage with the philosophies behind their favorite social media platforms, examine how the design features in these platforms shape habits and imagination, and gain dialogue-based skills to bring virtue back into virtual spaces. About the authors Louisa Conwill is a Ph.D. student in computer science and engineering at Notre Dame. Her research focuses include computer vision, human-computer interaction, and technology ethics. She has a particular interest in how the teachings of the Catholic Church can inform technology ethics. Megan Levis Scheirer is an assistant professor of the practice with the Center for Social Concerns and Notre Dame’s College of Engineering. She holds a Ph.D. in bioengineering from Notre Dame. Her research interests relate to questions concerning how technology shapes the cultural understanding of what it means to be human and how technology can be designed to encourage virtue and the common good. She’s also working to bring character formation into engineering curricula. Walter Scheirer is the Dennis O. Doughty Collegiate Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Notre Dame. He is a global technology leader, serving as the chair of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Community on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence and as a board member of the Computer Vision Foundation. Scheirer is also a cultural critic and historian, commenting on the social context of emerging technologies from the realistic perspective of a technologist, and promoting technology development informed by Catholic social teaching that upholds the common good. About the series Enacting Catholic Social Tradition is a series dedicated to the systematic application of Catholic social teaching to real-world problems and issues. Written for both academics and pastoral practitioners who want to draw on and learn more about the rich resources of Catholic social tradition for the practical work of justice, the series aims to strengthen the capacity of the Church to respond lovingly and well to the demands of the Gospel.

Join in for an insightful and dynamic panel discussion on the upcoming 2024 U.S. election, featuring prominent voices in journalism and politics. This event will offer diverse perspectives on the key issues, candidates, and potential outcomes that will shape the future of the United States. Panelists:Gerard Baker, Editor-at-Large, The Wall Street Journal: With decades of experience in political journalism, Baker will provide an in-depth analysis of the electoral landscape, drawing from his extensive knowledge of American and global politics.Carlos Lozada, Opinion Writer, The New York Times: Lozada, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, will bring his sharp analytical skills to the discussion, offering a critical examination of the candidates' platforms and the broader political climate.Dianne Pinderhughes, Presidential Faculty Fellow, and the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C. Professor of Africana Studies and Political Science, The University of Notre Dame: Pinderhughes holds a concurrent faculty appointment in American Studies, is a Faculty Fellow at the Kellogg Institute, and is a Research Faculty member in Gender Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Her research addresses inequality with a focus on racial, ethnic, and gender politics and public policy in the Americas, explores the creation of American civil society institutions in the twentieth century, and analyzes their influence on the formation of voting rights policy.Francis Rooney, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See: Rooney, with his rich background in diplomacy and politics, will provide a unique perspective on the international implications of the U.S. election and insights into the intersection of faith and politics.Moderator:Dean Marcus Cole, Notre Dame Law School: As the moderator, Dean Cole will guide the conversation, ensuring a balanced and engaging dialogue. His expertise in law and education will help frame the discussion in a broader societal context.Don't miss this opportunity to hear from esteemed experts as they dissect the 2024 election and its potential impact on the United States and the world. The Rooney Center thanks the Notre Dame Law School and the Notre Dame Democracy Initiative for co-sponsoring this event.Originally published at rooneycenter.nd.edu.

Ilyon Woo is the New York Times best-selling author of Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom, which won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Biography. She has received support for her research from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Antiquarian Society, among other institutions. Ilyon is also the author of The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother’s Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times, her writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and The New York Times. Ilyon has traveled the country to speak at bookstores, museums, schools, and book festivals, and she has been featured on such programs as NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and CBS Sunday Morning. She holds a BA in the Humanities from Yale College and a Ph.D. in English from Columbia University. Co-sponsors: Creative Writing Program, Department of American Studies, Department of History, Program of Liberal Studies — Join the Center for Social Concerns on Friday afternoons of home football weekends for MVP Fridays: lectures by national leaders, journalists, and writers on questions of meaning, values, and purpose. Reception and book signing to follow.Learn more

Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was a best-selling author and television celebrity followed by millions of people worldwide, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Follow That Bishop (video link to film trailer) is a documentary on the archbishop's life and ministry, filmed in Peoria, IL and Rome, Italy, and featuring insights from Bishop Robert Barron. Joining us at this screening will be Bishop Daniel Jenky, C.S.C., former rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, who as bishop of Peoria formally initiated Sheen’s cause for canonization. Following the film, stay for a panel discussion hosted by Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation. Hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture and the Notre Dame Knights of Columbus Council #1477. No RSVP necessary. Originally published at ethicscenter.nd.edu.