Antonio serves as the executive director of Right to Life Michiana, where he advocates for the lives of unborn children and connects mothers in need to helpful resources. He is a Notre Dame graduate and an alumnus of the de Nicola Center's Vita Institute prolife intellectual formation program.

Special Guest: Antonio Marchi.

Links:

• Right to Life Michiana — Right to Life Michiana saves children, women, and men from the devastating effects of abortion and euthanasia and works to protect innocent human life from fertilization to natural death.
• Theme Song: I Dunno by Grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

Bishop Andrew Cozzens is the bishop of Crookston, Minnesota. He led the Eucharistic Revival on behalf of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that gathered more than 60,000 people for the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in the summer of 2024.

Special Guest: Bishop Andrew Cozzens.

Links:

• Bishop Cozzens at the Conclusion of the National Eucharistic Congress — Bishop Andrew Cozzens' Full Remarks at the National Eucharistic Congress
• Fr. Mike Schmitz at the National Eucharistic Congress — Talk by Fr. Mike Schmitz (host, "Bible in a Year" podcast) at the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress.
• Jonathan Roumie at the National Eucharistic Congress — The full speech of Jonathan Roumie (actor, "The Chosen") on day four of the National Eucharistic Congress.
• de Nicola Center YouTube Channel — Talks and events hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame
• Theme song: I Dunno — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

Leah Sargeant is the author of The Dignity of Dependence, Arriving at Amen, and Building the Benedict Option. Her substack, Other Feminisms, is about how to advocate for women as women in a world that treats them like defective men.

Special Guest: Leah Libresco Sargeant.

Links:

• The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto (UND Press) — The Dignity of Dependence argues that women’s equal rights depend on advocating for women as women.
• UND Press interview with Leah Sargeant — Leah Libresco Sargeant is a writer and speaker whose work covers religion, culture, statistics, and family policy. She is the author of "Building the Benedict Option" and "Arriving at Amen." She runs the Substack community "Other Feminisms." The University of Notre Dame Press is thrilled to publish her newest book, "The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto" (October 2025). She recently answered some of our questions about her writing processes.
• Substack: Other Feminisms — Other Feminisms is a newsletter for women who are an uncomfortable fit within present-day feminism. It’s a space to ask questions, find new allies, and strengthen projects.
• 2021 Notre Dame Fall Conference: The Dignity of the Sexed Body—Asymmetry, Equality, and Real Reproductive Justice — Panel discussion featuring Erika Bachiochi (Ethics and Public Policy Center), Abigail Favale (George Fox University), and Leah Libresco Sargeant. Session chair Marah McLeod (Notre Dame Law School). From the 2021 Notre Dame Fall Conference, "I Have Called You By Name: Human Dignity in a Secular World."
• Theme Song: "I Dunno" by grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

Tony has served as president and chairman of Oklahomans for Life since 1978 and vice president of the National Right to Life Committee since 1995, which seeks to defend human life through education, legislation, and public policy. As a physician, Phyllis has dedicated her medical expertise to providing free health care to Tulsa’s uninsured and has delivered pro-life lectures to various audiences. They are the parents of eight children, all Notre Dame alumni, and grandparents to 19.

Special Guest: Tony and Phyllis Lauinger.

Links:

• News story: dCEC Presents Evangelium Vitae Medal to Anthony & Phyllis Lauinger — The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture presented the 2025 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal—the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement—to Anthony J. and Phyllis W. Lauinger of Tulsa, Oklahoma, at a Mass and dinner attended by more than 400 guests on May 3, 2025, at the University of Notre Dame.
• Profile Film of Tony and Phyllis Lauinger — A profile of Tony and Phyllis Lauinger of Tulsa, OK, who received the 2025 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal—the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement—at a Mass and dinner hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture on May 3, 2025, at the University of Notre Dame.
• Theme Song: "I Dunno" by Grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

Bill Mattison is the Wilsey Professor of Theology at Notre Dame and author of Growing in Virtue: Aquinas on Habit.

Special Guest: Bill Mattison.

Links:

• William C. Mattison III's faculty page
• Growing in Virtue: Aquinas on Habit — Growing in Virtue is the only comprehensive account of growth in virtue in the thought of Thomas Aquinas. Mattison offers a robust account of habits, including what habits are, why they are needed, and what they supply once possessed.
• Follow Me: Walking with Jesus through the Gospels — Follow Me: Walking with Jesus through the Gospel serves as an invitation to deepen our relationship with the living God by providing imaginative access to various characters’ encounters with Jesus. Drawing from Scripture and supplementing with questions for further reflection and study, Follow Me will deepen a reader’s understanding of who Jesus is and how He sees His beloved sons and daughters—not just those recalled in Scripture but each of us in the present day.
• Theme Song: "I Dunno" by Grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

Jennifer Newsome Martin is an associate professor in the Program of Liberal Studies with a joint appointment in the Department of Theology, and, as of July 2024, the director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. We chat about her first semester in the director's chair, our recently-concluded Fall Conference on the Catholic Imagination, and preview some exciting new initiatives at the de Nicola Center.

Special Guest: Jenny Martin.

Links:

• Director Jennifer Newsome Martin — About the director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture
• "What is Catholic Culture" - Inaugural dCEC Director's Lecture — Professor Jennifer Newsome Martin's inaugural lecture as director of the dCEC considers—alongside such theological interlocutors as St. John Henry Newman, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Pope Benedict XVI, Remi Brague, and others—the paradoxical origins of a Catholic culture rooted in such non-Catholic cultures as Athens and Jerusalem. The lecture not only characterizes the phenomenon of Catholic culture writ large as having to do with the human desire for God and the welcoming of all that is proper to the life of the human being, but also articulates the relationship between ethics and culture—and, put more strongly, an ethics of culture—specifically within the context of liberal arts education.
• Fall Conference 2024: "Ever Ancient, Ever New: On Catholic Imagination" — A playlist of 40 sessions from the 2024 Fall Conference on Catholic Imagination (Oct. 31–Nov. 2, 2024) at the University of Notre Dame
• Upcoming Events at the de Nicola Center
• Theme Song: "I Dunno" by Grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture presented the 2024 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal—the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement—to Dr. Elvira Parravicini, founding director of the Neonatal Comfort Care Program and professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center. She established the Neonatal Comfort Care Program (NCCP) in 2008 to address the complex medical and non-medical needs of infants affected by life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Today, the NCCP connects families with medical professionals, speech pathologists, lactation consultants, child life specialists, psychologists, and chaplains who work together to provide comfort, support, and specialized medical care for babies and their families in a compassionate environment.

Special Guest: Elvira Parravicini.

Links:

• Profile film: Dr. Elvira Parravicini — A profile of Dr. Elvira Parravicini, founding director of the Neonatal Comfort Care Program and professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center, who received the 2024 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal—the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement—at a Mass and dinner hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture on April 27, 2024, at the University of Notre Dame. Featuring interviews with Dr. Elvira Parravicini, Farr Curlin, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Abigail Jorgensen, Frances McCarthy, Mary O'Callaghan, and Jessica and Frederic Repond.
• Neonatal Comfort Care Program — Providing an interdisciplinary approach that is flexible and focused on life allowing for support and compassionate healing.
• News story: dCEC Presents Evangelium Vitae Medal to Dr. Elvira Parravicini — The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture presented the 2024 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal—the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement—to Dr. Elvira Parravicini, founding director of the Neonatal Comfort Care Program and professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center, at a Mass and dinner attended by more than 500 guests on April 27, 2024, at the University of Notre Dame.
• Theme song: "I Dunno" by Grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

The growing population and vibrant faith of African Catholics have engendered a long-expressed hope that the future of the Church is in Africa. Based on a model of solidarity and mutual enrichment between the Church in Africa and the Church in the United States, Church Life Africa (CLA), a strategic initiative at the University of Notre Dame, takes this hope seriously and calls for an intentional investment in its promise.

Special Guests: Fr. Joachim Ozonze, Fr. Ken Amadi, and Fr. William Orbih.

Links:

• Church Life Africa: Homepage
• Church Life Africa Develops Catholic Leadership and Service — “We have heard the long-expressed hope – spoken with great passion by popes, bishops, and other Church leaders, especially in the West – that the future of the Catholic Church is in Africa,” said Rev. Kenneth Amadi, a Kellogg doctoral student affiliate. “And so we started thinking about what we could do today to secure that future.”
• Theme song: "I Dunno" by Grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

Natalie MacMaster married Donnell Leahy in 2002, who came to prominence as the lead fiddle player for The Leahy Family. Together the pair have released two albums together. The first, One, was released in 2015. The pair released a traditional Christmas album, A Celtic Family Christmas, the year after. Natalie and Donnell have toured the world together and even feature their seven music-loving children in their performances.

Special Guests: Donnell Leahy and Natalie MacMaster.

Links:

• Natalie and Donnell Homepage — Learn more about Natalie and Donnell, and explore their music.
• Natalie and Donnell on Apple Music
• Natalie and Donnell on streaming
• Theme song: "I Dunno" by Grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

Fr. Fred Jenga, C.S.C. is president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, originally established by Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. to promote family prayer for peace. Today, HCFM is an international organization of ministries including Family Rosary, the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life, the Catholic Mom blog, and Family Theater Productions.

Special Guest: Fr. Fred Jenga, C.S.C..

Links:

• Holy Cross Family Ministries — We are dedicated to inspiring, promoting and fostering the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world. Families are served through faith-based video series, prayer retreats, world-wide Rosary distribution, and numerous interactive and in-person engaging prayer experiences!
• Catholic Mom — At Catholic Mom, our mission is to support and encourage every woman in the vocation of Catholic motherhood. With more than 145 contributors from all walks of life, here you will find voices of women from all backgrounds and all ages and stages of life.
• Family Theater Productions — We make Emmy, Gabriel, and Christopher Award-winning stories that unlock hearts to the possibilities of love, family, and faith.
• Family Rosary — For over 75 years, we've been praying with families and it all began because Patrick Peyton's father brought his family together to pray the Rosary each evening in their humble home.
• Theme song: "I Dunno" by Grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque