Integritas goes caroling and canning

Yesterday was the last day of classes at Notre Dame, and last night the Integritas program celebrated the end of the semester by going Christmas caroling in the neighborhood around Notre Dame. Along the way, we collected canned food donations for the Catholic Worker House from our generous neighbors. The outing was a lot of fun before the stress of finals sets in. The program starts up again in January when the students return from Christmas break, with a Mass and dinner on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. in Geddes Hall.

TODAY: Yuval Levin delivers Schmitt Lecture, 4 pm

This afternoon is our last public lecture of the semester. Our semi-annual Schmitt Lecture is for the benefit of the Schmitt Fellows, graduate students in Engineering, Technology, and the hard sciences. Today, Wednesday, December 7 at 4 p.m. in McKenna Hall we will host Yuval Levin for the Schmitt Lecture.

Yuval Levin, Hertog Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, analyst, editor, and journalist, reflects on the tensions between our foundational belief in human equality and our provision for financially burdensome public entitlement programs that become prohibitively expensive to pursuing our other public priorities. He examines the issue in light of the stem cell debate and the current health-care and budget debate. His lecture is entitled "The Primary Good: Prioritizing Health in a Liberal Democracy"

Reception to follow.

Integritas Advent Reconciliation service

Last night the Integritas program entered into the spirit of Advent with a Reconciliation service. Fr. Bill Miscamble, CSC, professor of history, and Fr. Pete McCormick, CSC, rector of Keough Hall, led us in a liturgy with scripture readings, prayers, and songs, before making themselves available for individual confessions. It was good to take time for quiet reflection and prayer in what is a stressful season for college students, with final exams just a week away. We meditated on the words of the prophet Jeremiah: "for surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." (Jer. 29:11-14)