Spirituality

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Letter from Father Jenkins

Dear Members of the Notre Dame Family,

Coming out of the vigorous discussions surrounding President Obama’s visit last spring, I said we would look for ways to engage the Notre Dame community with the issues raised in a prayerful and meaningful way. As our nation continues to struggle with the morality and legality of abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and related issues, we must seek steps to witness to the sanctity of life. I write to you today about some initiatives that we are undertaking.

Each year on January 22, the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, the March for Life is held in Washington D.C. to call on the nation to defend the right to life. I plan to participate in that march. I invite other members of the Notre Dame Family to join me and I hope we can gather for a Mass for Life at that event. We will announce details as that date approaches.

On campus, I have recently formed the Task Force on Supporting the Choice for Life. It will be co-chaired by Professor Margaret Brinig, the Fritz Duda Family Chair in Law and Associate Dean for the Law School, and by Professor John Cavadini, the Chair of the Department of Theology and the McGrath-Cavadini Director of the Institute for Church Life.  My charge to the Task Force is to consider and recommend to me ways in which the University, informed by Catholic teaching, can support the sanctity of life. Possibilities the Task Force has begun to discuss include fostering serious and specific discussion about a reasonable conscience clause; the most effective ways to support pregnant women, especially the most vulnerable; and the best policies for facilitating adoptions. Such initiatives are in addition to the dedication, hard work and leadership shown by so many in the Notre Dame Family, both on the campus and beyond, and the Task Force may also be able to recommend ways we can support some of this work.

I also call to your attention the heroic and effective work of centers that provide care and support for women with unintended pregnancies. The Women’s Care Center, the nation’s largest Catholic-based pregnancy resource center, on whose Foundation Board I serve, is run by a Notre Dame graduate, Ann Murphy Manion (’77). The center has proven successful in offering professional, non-judgmental concern to women with unintended pregnancies, helping those women through their pregnancy and supporting them after the birth of their child. The Women’s Care Center and similar centers in other cities deserve the support of Notre Dame clubs and individuals.

Our Commencement last spring generated passionate discussion and also caused some divisions in the Notre Dame community. Regardless of what you think about that event, I hope that we can overcome divisions to foster constructive dialogue and work together for a cause that is at the heart of Notre Dame’s mission. We will keep you informed of our work, and we ask for your support, assistance and prayers. May Our Lady, Notre Dame, watch over our efforts.

 In Notre Dame,                                                                                

 

Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

Notre Dame task force on life makes preliminary recommendations

The University of Notre Dame’s Task Force on Supporting the Choice for Life has submitted an interim progress report to University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., with preliminary recommendations that are designed to “broaden and deepen the pro-life culture in and among various constituencies in order to strengthen the Notre Dame community’s witness to Catholic teaching on life.”

The task force was convened by Father Jenkins in early September to consider and recommend ways in which the University can support the sanctity of life. It is co-chaired by Margaret Brinig, Fritz Duda Family Professor of Law; and John Cavadini, associate professor and chair of theology and McGrath-Cavadini Director of the Institute for Church Life.

“My charge to the task force in September was to make recommendations on ways in which the University could increase and manifest its own commitment to a culture of life across our campus and in partnership with other constituencies in the Notre Dame family, including our alumni,” Father Jenkins said. “I am pleased to report that the task force has been at work, engaging various of these constituencies in conversation and studying ways in which the University can articulate its commitment effectively and can encourage programming which furthers this commitment.

“The task force has now offered me a series of recommendations and expects, after further study, to refine them by the end of the academic year.”

Several task force recommendations already have borne fruit, including a statement on the University’s unequivocal support of Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life that appeared in a “What Would You Fight For?” commercial on adult stem cell research that aired nationally Nov. 7 on NBC and co-sponsorship with Notre Dame Law School of a panel presentation Dec. 3 on the development of a conscience clause for health care providers informed by Catholic teaching.

The preliminary recommendations include the following:

  • That the University formulate and adopt a policy statement indicating its support for Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
  • That the University formulate and adopt a policy statement on charitable gifts or investments in order to avoid formal or immediate material complicity in evils such as abortion and torture.
  • That the University adopt strategies to make its current supportive policies toward pregnant students better known to the student body, the faculty and other members of the Notre Dame community.
  • That the president continue to witness for life through attending or sending a delegate to participate in the March for Life or a similar event focusing on the right to life beginning at conception, as well as analogous forms of witness across the spectrum of life issues.
  • That undergraduate research opportunities be made available through “witness to life research opportunities” (or a similar idea), with topics in theology, law, philosophy, sociology, biology and other disciplines across the spectrum of life issues.
  • That the University find ways to encourage the work of students explicitly engaged in pro-life activities across the spectrum of life issues. Further, that the University create and support educative efforts on campus – such as conferences, consultations and courses – intended to inform the campus community on issues pertaining to life, and to form an academic culture of witness to life as appropriate to any given academic venue.
  • That the University encourage alumni in pro-life witness, for example, in helping them to mobilize their own parish communities in support of women in crisis pregnancies or in assisting adoptions.
      • The task force, for the remainder of its charge, will serve to initiate collaborations with specific Notre Dame constituencies as appropriate in order to further the implementation of the recommendations above and consider further recommendations.

In addition to Brinig and Cavadini, members of the task force are Ann Astell, theology; Kathleen Kelley, student; Mary Ellen Konieczny, sociology; Rev. William Lies, C.S.C., Center for Social Concerns; and Rev. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., vice president for student affairs. Frances Shavers, chief of staff and special assistant to the president; and Todd Woodward, associate vice president for marketing communications, serve as task force liaisons.

Father Jenkins and several task force members will join Notre Dame students, faculty, staff and alumni Jan. 22 at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Bishops John D’Arcy and Kevin Rhoades and Father Jenkins will concelebrate a send-off Mass for March for Life participants at 9 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus.

On the day of the march, Notre Dame participants will celebrate Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church, 1910 N. Randolph St. in Arlington, Va. A Rally for Life will be held at noon at 7th Street and Jefferson Drive. The march, beginning at 1 p.m., will proceed from Constitution Avenue and 7th Street to the Supreme Court building, and a student and alumni reception will follow from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Smith & Wollensky restaurant, 1112 19th Street, N.W., in Washington.

Eucharistic adoration from noon to 4:45 p.m. and a Mass at 5:15 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Basilica will be open to members of the Notre Dame community who are unable to travel to Washington for the march.

Notre Dame celebrated the arrival of Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne/South Bend

Bishop Rhoades presided and preached at the Mass, which was concelebrated by Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president, and other priests from the Notre Dame community. Sacred music for the Mass was provided by the Notre Dame Liturgical Choir.

 

 

 

Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE)

The Commencement Exercises for the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) was in July, though our "official" graduation date on our diplomas was May 16, 2009. Those graduating in the July ceremony included the "youngsters" (college grads in their twenties that have completed their three summer, two-year ACE internship at mostly impoverished Catholic schools across the nation and received a Master of Education degree) and the more "seasoned veterans" such as myself (Catholic school administrators and principals that have completed three summers on campus and implemented action research projects during the school year, earning a Master of Arts in Educational Administration).

Graduation was the culmination of a very intense and challenging course of study that included the summer of 2004, the summer of 2005, and the summer of 2008 in addition to work done during the school years 2004-2005 and 2008-2009. After a Friday evening grotto ceremony and reception, Graduation was Saturday, July 11 at 3:00 p.m. in the DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts, followed by Mass in the Basilica at 6:30 PM and dinner in a special dining room in the Joyce Center to wrap up the festivities. Nothing like a final day of cris-crossing the campus to complete the Notre Dame experience!

My action research project focused on sharing responsibility for the Oblate charism and Salesian spirituality with the lay teachers and staff at Bishop Verot. In an age when fewer and fewer religious priests, brothers, and sisters are available for our Catholic schools, the results of my study were very promising and indicate that lay teachers and administrators can be extremely effective in maintaining the specific spirituality of a religious community (Salesian, Franciscan, Dominican, Holy Cross, etc.). Religious orders have enjoyed great success in Catholic education because they bring with a very specific flavor and personality to living the Christian life. With more and more lay people in the roles formerly held by priests and nuns in our schools, maintaining a coomitment to these unique spiritualities can help maintain a school's Catholic identity even if the religious themselves are no longer present. A key to action research is that the study conducted makes a tangible contribution to the life of the school, and I'm happy to say that my research also led to some wonderful new spiritual programs at Verot based on the Oblate spirituality but designed and implemented by the lay teachers and the students themselves.

Lori Moreau, another local principal in the Diocese of Venice at the Father Anglim Academy in Fort Myers, also received her degree and won an award for excellence based on her action research regarding a reading program for challenged learners. I know I speak for Lori and other local ACE Leadership grads from 2008 such as Brad Kleussner and Eileen Quinlan when I say that the Notre Dame experience was challenging, inspirational, and rewarding. It was a lot of work, but as I've told many people, my dad finally can say one of his kids graduated from Notre Dame!

For more information, please contact the Notre Dame Club of Lee County's chaplain, Father Chris Beretta, OSFS, Principal, Bishop Verot Catholic High School at (239) 274-6700.

 

Fighting for Our Children

 

ACE leads in service to Catholic education

Alliance for Catholic Education

In 1994, Rev. Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C., and Rev. Sean D. McGraw, C.S.C., founded Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education program (ACE) in response to the urgent need for talented teachers and administrators in under-resourced Catholic schools, which continue to offer high quality educational opportunities to low-income families across the nation.

Since its inception, ACE has grown from a service initiative composed of a handful of Catholic school educators to a movement that has commissioned 1,200 teachers and more than 125 administrators to serve Catholic education in the United States. ACE actively supports Catholic schools to ensure that they remain vibrant signs of hope.

Today, ACE encompasses several initiatives aimed at strengthening Catholic schools, which function as hopeful solutions for more than 2 million children.

Passionate and generous college and university graduates join ACE Service Through Teaching, a two-year post-graduate service program in its 16th year of preparing teachers to serve in needy Catholic schools. ACE annually places some 175 teachers in 31 communities throughout the United States. The program’s three pillars – professional education, community, and spirituality – encourage new ACE teachers to grow as well-formed Catholic school educators, committed community members and dedicated role models.

The Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program prepares leaders to serve Catholic education as principals and superintendents. Quickly becoming the largest program of its kind in the United States since its inception in 2002, the program has prepared some 125 faith-filled candidates who now serve in leadership positions in 28 states and 52 dioceses. In its preparation and formation of transformative leaders, the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program quickens the nationwide renewal of Catholic schools.

The ACE Fellowship unites and forms a leadership force of alumni, families and friends of ACE eager to serve Catholic schools and support Catholic educators. Currently, 25 ACE Fellowship regional networks gather the talented ACE graduates and numerous advocates of Catholic education to promote continued service for Catholic schools in the United States and internationally.

Notre Dame has come to be recognized as the national leader of a growing movement to revitalize America’s Catholic schools through innovative approaches. Thirteen universities in the University Consortium for Catholic Education have adopted the ACE model of teacher formation for Catholic educators. ACE Consulting provides quality management, academic and financial guidance to under-resourced Catholic schools so that they can thrive in difficult economic times. ND ACE Academies seeks to establish effective and sustainable inner-city Catholic schools as national models.

Seeking to find and form leaders and to provide high-quality educational opportunities for the under-served, ACE strives to bear witness to hope in service to Catholic education.

ACE teacher Kevin Braun

ACE helps Dallas’ Bishop Dunne Catholic School thrive

For 10 years, ACE teachers have served at Bishop Dunne Catholic School, a culturally diverse high school of approximately 600 students in south Dallas, whose mission is to provide students with an “excellent education, fellowship, spiritual growth, social justice, and community service.”

The Bishop Dunne student body consists of an almost equal ethnic distribution of African-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian students. In addition, many students come from limited English speaking families and are first-generation college bound students.

Over the course of its decade-long affiliation with ACE, Bishop Dunne High School has embraced the talent and resources that ACE offers, and the program’s presence at the school has grown significantly. Numerous ACE graduates have chosen to remain at or return to the school after their two years of service with ACE, and teachers and administrators at Bishop Dunne High School have developed a strong partnership with the local ACE Fellowship community of Catholic school advocates.

Chris Dittrick, a current ACE Service Through Teaching participant, serves at Bishop Dunne as a chemistry and religion teacher. He joins several ACE alumni on the faculty at Bishop Dunne: Tom Perez (ACE 2), Kevin Braun (ACE 14), Nick Hurt (ACE 9), and Adarely Trejo (ACE 12), who not only attended Bishop Dunne herself, but graduated from Notre Dame and the ACE program as well. Two other members of the Bishop Dunne faculty, Marcela Garcini and JoAnne Noller, are currently enrolled in the ACE ENL program for teachers of students for whom English is a new language.

Two Bishop Dunne administrators are also ACE graduates. Principal Patrick O’Sullivan was a member of the second ACE cohort and is now a participant in ACE’s Remick Leadership Program. His assistant principal, Veronica Alonzo, began her career as an educator , then served as the first ACE teacher at Bishop Dunne. Both O’Sullivan and Alonzo have been recipients of the Michael Pressley Award for Excellence in Catholic education for the many ways in which they embody the spirit and dedication of the larger ACE community.

Working together in a mutually enriching partnership, Bishop Dunne and Notre Dame look to strengthen the great Catholic school tradition of educating the whole person for the common good.

 

Keeping the Faith: Campus Ministry at Notre Dame

 

Holy Cross: Faith in our Future

 
Notre Dame "COMING HOME" at Cedar Cemetery

Please visit the Cedar Grove Cemetery website at www.cemetery.nd.edu to learn more.