Faith & Service
Faith in the Academy
At Notre Dame, we are not only teaching subject matter—poetry, physics, marketing—but also moral expectation and how to live a meaningful life, what the poet William Butler Yeats called “moral radiance.” At Notre Dame, numerous initiatives exist in the academy to help guide both students and faculty as they explore the wonders of a complex world, along with our place in—and obligations to—that world.
Organizations
Institute for Church Life (ICL)
With approximately 1,800 annual participants, the ICL links the resources of the University to the life of churchgoers and Church leaders, and supports worship life through the following programs:
- Center for Catechetical Initiatives (CCI)
- Established in 2003, CCI offers new and creative approaches for preparing more qualified people to serve as catechetical leaders.
- CCI’s inaugural program, Echo, is a two-year service program in which participants serve as apprentice catechetical leaders in partner dioceses while pursuing the master of arts degree in theology from the University.
- Notre Dame Center for Liturgy (NDCL)
- Supports the liturgical life of the Church through scholarly research and pastoral education.
- SummerSong is a two-week intensive course for liturgical music ministers and a key component of NDCL. SummerSong 2007 included Mass celebrated by a United States bishop.
- Satellite Theological Education Program (STEP)
- Founded in 1999, STEP provides quality theological education via the Internet in support of diaconate formation, lay ministry formation, and continuing education for all adult Catholics.
- ND Vision
- Engages young people in a dynamic experience of faith development and challenges youth to respond to the “universal call to holiness.”
- Hosts four conferences each summer where thousands of high school students are joined with Notre Dame undergraduate counselors, nationally renowned speakers, professional musicians, clergy, and lay ecclesial ministers.
Campus Ministry
- Campus Ministry fosters spiritual growth of students through worship and prayer, reflection and service, and education and faith formation.
- Sponsored activities include hall Masses, Eucharistic adoration, theological discussion groups, student retreats, music ministry, sacramental preparation, and cross-cultural fellowship.
Center for Social Concerns (CSC)
- The CSC facilitates community-based learning, research, and service rooted in Catholic social tradition.
- Approximately 2,000 undergraduate students engage in CSC programs and opportunities annually.
- Students are placed in communities worldwide alongside members of religious orders, including the Congregation of Holy Cross, Sisters of Charity, and Maryknoll.
- Collaborates with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, and numerous dioceses and parishes.
Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
- Founded in 1986, the institute specializes in religion, conflict, and peacebuilding, including Catholic–Muslim engagement on issues of terrorism and conflict transformation.
- Coordinates the Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN), a voluntary network that seeks to enhance the study and practice of Catholic peacebuilding.
- CPN is currently focusing on the peacebuilding role of the Church in three areas, convening major international conferences in Mindanao (2005), Burundi (2006), and Colombia (June 23–29, 2007).
- Notre Dame, Boston College, and Georgetown University will cosponsor a major capstone conference, April 13–15, 2008. A representative of the Holy See will be invited to give a keynote address.
- The Kroc Institute and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will cosponsor the seventh annual “Institute on Peacebuilding” in October 2007, an intensive training program for Catholic peacebuilders around the world.
Center for the Study of Religion
The center is dedicated to advancing social scientific understanding of religion in society through scholarly research, training, and publications. Current research includes the process of faith formation and the building of Catholic identity in individuals and families, as well as religion in civic life.
Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism
Founded in 1974, the center focuses on the historical study of Roman Catholicism in the United States, providing resources and critical commentary for media coverage of US Catholicism. The center also collaborates with Church leaders and pastoral workers to enhance the vitality of Catholic life in the United States.
Academic Programs
Master of Nonprofit Administration (M.N.A.) from the Mendoza College of Business
- Established by Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., in 1954, the program is designed around the professional needs and financial constraints of the service and religious sectors.
- Seventy students (lay and religious, Catholic and from other faiths) are currently enrolled from different parts of the world.
- Average age of participants is 31, with nine years of experience.
- Approximately 80 percent of the 1,250 alumni are affiliates with religious orders and organizations.
Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE)
ACE is a two-year service program offering college students the opportunity to serve as full-time leaders in under-resourced Catholic schools across the southern United States. Participants are encouraged to develop their own personal spirituality in the context of community, and to share with one another the journey of becoming committed Catholic school teachers.
Master of Sacred Music Program
Following the principles of the document in Catholic Worship, the program is multidisciplinary, embracing three particular dimensions: musical, liturgical, and pastoral. The program strives to integrate these three dimensions, grounding the student professionally in liturgical music as a ministry.
Nanovic Institute for European Studies
- Dedicated to enhancing the presence of European studies at Notre Dame, the Nanovic Institute sponsors the annual Terrence R. Keeley Vatican Lecture. This lecture provides students and faculty the opportunity to explore questions involving Notre Dame’s Catholic mission with distinguished representatives from the Holy See.
- The institute maintains close relationships with Catholic universities in Eastern Europe and constantly discusses methods in which to collaborate on the role of education in the Church.
Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Founded in 1982 and built on a core interest in Latin America, the institute promotes international research and values reflected in Catholic social thought.
- Members of the institute have regular interaction with leading Catholic universities and research centers in Latin America, including the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru, the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and the Pontificia Universidade Católica of Rio de Janeiro.
Faith and Service
Related Links
Educating Nonprofit Leaders
The Master of Nonprofit Administration (M.N.A.) was established by Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., in 1954. It is designed to meet the professional needs and financial constraints of service and religious sectors. Visit the Master of Nonprofit Administration >
Religion's Role in Society
The Center for the Study of Religion and Society is dedicated to advancing social scientific understanding of religion in society through scholarly research, training, and publications. Current projects include the National Study of Youth and Religion and the Panel Study on American Religion and Ethnicity. Visit the Center for the Study of Religion and Society >
