Dublin, Ireland, Jun 21, 2016 / 03:38 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Fighting Irish are headed to the Emerald Isle, with plans to establish a new center for dialogue between faith and reason in Dublin.
The Archbishop of Dublin made the announcement June 20 that Notre Dame University will head the initiative at University Church in St. Stephen’s Green.
“I see the establishment of the Notre Dame-Newman Centre for Faith and Reason as an opportunity for University Church to return to its original vocation as a focal point for the reflection on faith and reason,” Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said.
The Centre will focus on reaching out to young people. It will give attention to liturgy and music, a lecture series, and other activities that integrate faith and reason, service, and cultural events in and around Newman University Church.
Chuck Lamphier, the Director of Church Affairs at Notre Dame, told CNA that the Indiana-based university accepted the archbishop’s invitation, in part, because of its longstanding history in Ireland.
“Notre Dame has the largest program of Irish language studies outside of Ireland,” he explained.
“We also recognize that Notre Dame was built by many Irish immigrants and Irish Americans, and we feel a certain responsibility to contribute to the Irish Church if we can.”
Notre Dame already has a presence in Ireland along with Rome, Beijing, Jerusalem, and London, as part of its “Global Gateways” network. The university offers programs for undergraduate and graduate studies in Ireland. It also started a partnership with the Benedictine Community at Kylemore Abbey in 2015.
Lamphier said Notre Dame is blessed to be part of the Church that Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman built and opened in 1856.
“Newman is a great hero of the Church in the 19th century and we are grateful that Archbishop Martin invited us to be a part of lifting up his legacy in Ireland,” he said.
According to Lamphier, having a Centre of Faith and Reason in Ireland is one more way for Notre Dame to contribute to the Church, “to the faith understanding of young people in Dublin, and for Notre Dame’s own students.”
The Centre will begin running later this year. Lamphier said Notre Dame is undertaking this project in Dublin right now, but added that showing the complementary of faith and reason will follow the university wherever it works.
Article Archive
Notre Dame returns to its roots with 'faith and reason' center in Ireland
Related Articles • More Articles
Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of the multinational digital communications conglomerate Cisco, signs the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life, on April 24, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, Apr 24, 2024 / 11:06 am (CNA).The CEO of Cisco Systems signed the Vatican's artificial intelligence ethics pledge on Wednesday, becoming the latest technology giant to join the Church's call for ethical and responsible use of AI.Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of the multinational digital communications conglomerate, met privately with Pope Francis on April 24 before signing the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life. Pope Francis meets with Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of multinational digital communications conglomerate Cisco, on April 24, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican MediaThe document, first published by the pontifical academy in February 2020, has previously been signed ...
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 24, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).Catholics Charities Corporation in Ohio was found partially negligent this week in the 2017 death of a 5-year-old boy who was being supervised by one of the organization's caseworkers at the time he died.A jury in Cuyahoga County ruled in the wrongful death suit that the Catholic charity group was 8% responsible for Jordan Rodriguez's September 2017 death, local media reported. Rodriguez's body was discovered buried in his mother's backyard three months after he died.The boy's mother and her boyfriend earlier pleaded guilty to several charges stemming from his death, including involuntary manslaughter. Jordan was developmentally disabled and incapable of speaking.In the civil wrongful death trial this week, Catholic Charities Corporation was ordered to pay $960,000 into Jordan Rodriguez's estate. Several ...
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 24, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).As euthanasia and assisted suicide are legalized in more jurisdictions throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world, one Catholic-focused ministry is promoting end-of-life resources that the group's founder says will help Catholics finish their earthly journeys while remaining faithful.Aging with Dignity, a nonprofit that for years has been promoting end-of-life support in line with Church teaching, announced this month the release of "Finishing Life Faithfully," a booklet that "makes complex end-of-life decisions easier." The materials address "basic questions" on how to approach end-of-life topics such as pain management, feeding tubes, and other matters surrounding death.The document "summarizes the Catholic Church's guidance on end-of-life decision-making and the ethical considerations involved and helps patients and families better understand these teachings and follow them," the group said this month.Jim Towey, ...