Ethics and Culture Cast

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

Randall B. Smith returns to the studio to discuss his book, "From Here to Eternity: Reflections on Death, Immortality, and the Resurrection of the Body." We chat about how the incarnation of Jesus instituted a radical new way of understanding the universal experience of death.

Special Guest: Randall Smith.

Links:

• Randall Smith's professional homepage — Randall Smith is a Full Professor with tenure at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. He holds a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies and Philosophy and an M.M.S. from the University of Notre Dame, as well as an M.A. in Theology from the University of Dallas. His interests include Moral Theology, Patristic and Medieval Theology, Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Faith and Culture, Theology and Science.
• Book: From Here to Eternity: Reflections on Death, Immortality, and the Resurrection of the Body — Throughout history and across cultures, people have shared the hope and the belief that somehow something about the human person survives death. Indeed, it seems that without a notion of life-after-death, this life would seem meaningless. If, in the end, everything we have strived for and all our love comes to naught and is simply swallowed up by nothingness, then what was the point of it all? In From Here to Eternity, Randall Smith shows how the Christian doctrines regarding the resurrection of the body and the communion of saints provide an understanding of life after death as a meaningful fulfillment of this life, not a negation of it.
• Ethics & Culture Cast episode 9: Randall B. Smith on Reading the Sermons of Thomas Aquinas (01/25/18)
• 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

Gary Anderson is interested in all dimensions of Biblical studies. His specialization is in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, but because of his interest in the history of interpretation, he also works in Second Temple Judaism and early Christian sources.

Special Guest: Gary Anderson.

Links:

• Gary Anderson: Faculty Page — Notre Dame Department of Theology
• That I May Dwell Among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative — The Tabernacle Narrative comprises passages in Exodus and Leviticus that detail the construction, furnishing, and liturgical use of the tabernacle. Given its genre and style, the narrative is often passed over by those reading Scripture for theological insight. But what can these complex passages reveal about Christ? Gary Anderson shows how these passages shed light on incarnation and atonement both in ancient Israel’s theology and in Christian theology.
• Does God "Break Bad" in the Old Testament? - dCEC 2017 Fall Conference — Keynote address given at the 2017 Notre Dame Fall Conference by Gary Anderson (Notre Dame).
• From the Depths of Our Hearts: Priesthood, Celibacy and the Crisis of the Catholic Church — In this book, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, give their brother priests, and the whole Church, a message of hope. They honestly address the spiritual challenges faced by priests today, while pointing to deeper conversion to Jesus Christ as the key to faithful and fruitful priestly ministry and genuine reform.
• 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

Michael J. New, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Social Research at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Dartmouth College, Dr. New received a master’s degree in statistics and a doctorate in political science from Stanford University in 2002. He researches and writes about the social science of pro-life issues, and gives presentations on both the positive impact of pro-life laws and the gains in public support for the pro-life position. He is a frequent blogger on National Review Online "The Corner".

Special Guest: Michael New.

Links:

• Professor New's Faculty Page at CUA's Busch School of Business
• Michael New's Author Page at National Review Online — Columns published by Michael New at National Review
• Notre Dame Vita Institute — The Notre Dame Vita Institute is an intensive intellectual formation program for leaders in the national and international pro-life movement. Through engagement with our premier faculty and interaction with other pro-life leaders, the Vita Institute aims to further enhance participants’ expertise and prepare them to be even more effective in their work on behalf of the unborn and their mothers whether at work, at home, or in the classroom.
• 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

Micheal Flaherty is a film and podcast producer who has been involved in bringing beloved books to the big screen including the Chronicles of Narnia, The Giver, Charlotte's Web, and Holes, as well as docudramas and documentaries like Amazing Grace and Waiting for Superman.

Special Guest: Micheal Flaherty.

Links:

• Micheal Flaherty on IMDb — Micheal Flaherty is known for The Giver (2014), Everest (2015) and Mother's Day (2016).
• Think Again Studios — We tell stories that CHALLENGE conventional wisdom; We tell stories that CHAMPION the Underdog; We tell stories that CONFRONT unpopular truths.
• Inkling Entertainment — Inkling Entertainment creates and markets films based on great books, great people and great events to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We create films that meet high content standards and create a dedicated marketing program in the education and faith channels that drive consumers in a way that is both creative and ultimately life-transforming.
• 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

In this episode, we chat with Archbishop Anthony Fisher, the ordinary of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia. We chat about how he discerned his vocation as a Dominican friar, how his training as an ethicist helped him in his pastoral responsibilites in the face of the global pandemic, and where he sees signs of hope for the future of the Church in the modern world.

Special Guest: Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP.

Links:

• Lecture Video: Newman and the Religion of the Future and the Future of the Academy — Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP (Archdiocese of Sydney), offers a reflection on "Newman and the Religion of the Future and the Future of the Academy," exploring how Catholic institutions of higher education play a crucial role in bringing forth St. John Henry Newman’s understanding of Christianity as the religion of the future.
• Lecture Video: "The West: Pre-Christian or Post-Christian? (2022 Erasmus Lecture for First Things)" — Archbishop Anthony Fisher delivers the 2022 Erasmus Lecture for First Things at the Union League Club in NYC on October 24, 2022.
• 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

In this episode, we chat with Aimee Murphy, founder of Rehumanize International, a human rights organization dedicated to creating a culture of peace and life. We discuss her new book, Rehumanize: A Vision to Secure Human Rights for All, and explore the principles of the Consistent Life Ethic.

Special Guest: Aimee Murphy.

Links:

• Book: "Rehumanize: A Vision to Secure Human Rights for All" — Who deserves human rights? The answer to this question is the crux of all moral and political action in society, and defines our character as individuals and as nations. Murphy and her co-authors seek to answer this vital question in this accessible and succinct handbook on the Consistent Life Ethic, a moral philosophy whose central principle is that each and every human being has inherent dignity, and therefore deserves to live free from violence.
• Aimee's Book Tour Info — On her 90-day cross-country trek, Aimee will travel over 13,400 miles from coast to coast, tow and sleep in a pop-up camper, and work on the road. The tour will include dozens of book launch events and lectures on the Consistent Life Ethic philosophy of human rights at schools, libraries, community organizations, churches and more.
• Homepage: Rehumanize International — Rehumanize International is a nonprofit human rights organization dedicated to creating a culture of peace and life, and in so doing, we seek to bring an end to all aggressive violence against humans through education, discourse, and action.
• 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