The International Day of Peace, established by the United Nations in 1981, provides an opportunity for the Notre Dame community to come together to pray for peace. This year’s theme is Cultivating a Culture of Peace. What can we do to create peace in the world? Join University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., at the Our Lady of the Lake World Peace Plaza (next to St. Mary's Lake, across the street from the Grotto) for a prayer service to celebrate the International Day of Peace.  Originally published at pulte.nd.edu.

Leo Varadkar, former Taoiseach of Ireland (2017-2020, 2022-24) and current member of parliament in Dáil Eireann, will join the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies for a public discussion of Irish current affairs, including public health initiatives, civic life, and the political future of the island of Ireland. Varadkar will be in conversation with Colin Barr, professor of modern Irish history and director of the Clingen Family Center for Study of Modern Ireland. About the Speaker Leo Varadkar was Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland from 2017-2020 and again from 2022-24. He served in cabinet for 13 years in the Ministries of Transport, Tourism & Sport, Enterprise, Trade, Employment, and Social Protection and Health. He is currently Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency and a member of Ireland's Council of State. Varadkar helped guide Ireland through the Pandemic with public health and economic responses that were internationally recognized for their efficacy. He led Ireland through Brexit, preventing a hard border between North and South, upholding the Good Friday Agreement, and maintaining Ireland's place at the heart of the European Union and its single market. A strong supporter of Irish unification, Varadkar allocated over €1 billion to North-South projects under the Shared Island Fund and helped to get the power-sharing institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operating again. As Taoiseach, Varadkar established a Child Poverty and Well-being Programme, early results of which include the introduction of free school books, hot school meals, and lower childcare fees for working parents. Varadkar also doubled spending on the arts, culture, and sport as well as significantly enhanced workers’ rights. His government introduced paid parental leave and statutory sick pay and made major progress towards a living wage and occupational pensions for workers. During Varadkar’s premiership, greenhouse gas emissions reached a 30-year low on foot of a new climate law, which included major investment in renewable energy production as well as a carbon tax with revenues ring-fenced for climate initiatives like subsidized home retrofits and greener farming. At the time of Varadkar leaving office, Ireland had record levels of employment and a budget surplus that allowed for increased investment in public infrastructure, such as new public housing, schools, and healthcare facilities. Varadkar is a medical doctor and a graduate of Trinity College Dublin. He lives with his partner Dr. Matthew Barrett in Dublin. Originally published at irishstudies.nd.edu.

Javier Zamora is a Salvadoran poet and activist. In his debut New York Times bestselling memoir, Solito, Javier retells his nine-week odyssey across Guatemala, Mexico, and eventually through the Sonoran Desert. Zamora was a 2018-2019 Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University and holds fellowships from CantoMundo, Colgate University (Olive B. O’Connor), MacDowell, Macondo, the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation (Ruth Lilly), Stanford University (Stegner), and Yaddo. He is the recipient of a 2017 Lannan Literary Fellowship, the 2017 Narrative Prize, and the 2016 Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award for his work in the Undocupoets Campaign. Co-sponsors: Creative Writing Program, Department of American Studies, Institute for Latino 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.Learn more

Join the Liturgical Choir of the Notre Dame Children's Choir the second and third Mondays of the month in-person or online for a prayerful Vespers service.  https://youtube.com/live/b2NY2EKdSio?feature=shareNotre Dame Children's Liturgical ChoirOriginally published at sma.nd.edu.

Join the Klau Institute and NDVotes for this installment of "Pizza, Pop, and Politics" as Professor of Law Derek Muller discusses voting rights and election administration. Originally published at klau.nd.edu.

Join us for this year's flu blitz. Appointments must be made to participate in this year’s Flu Vaccine Blitz. All faculty, staff and spouses must have their own unique appointments and will be asked to show their appointment QR code on their phone upon arrival. Spouses and dependents must currently be enrolled in a Notre Dame medical plan. Register online. Children must be accompanied by a parent. Appointments for dependent children are not required. A form, which will be provided at the event, will need to be completed for each dependent child who will be receiving the vaccine.Vaccinators, volunteers, and patients will be expected to follow all safety guidelines and precautions currently in place. Masks are not required for this event. The free flu vaccines will be available while supplies last. Tips to staying healthy during flu season:Get a flu vaccine. Flu vaccines are available on campus at our Annual Flu Vaccine Blitz, while supplies last.Wash your hands. Frequent hand washing offers the best protection against the flu. Alcohol-based hand wipes or gel sanitizers help, too. Avoid contact with sick people.Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Difficult? Yes. Effective? Very.According to the CDC, last year’s flu vaccines reduced the risk of influenza A-related hospitalization among adults by nearly half. Vaccination also provided significant protection against flu-related illness and flu-related emergency department visits, with people who were vaccinated about half as likely to have those outcomes as people who had not been vaccinated.    Originally published at hr.nd.edu.