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Volume 53, Issue 24 | thursday, september 20, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Forum features Pulitzer winner Author Marilynne Robinson speaks on religion, beauty in modern culture By MARY CLARE DONNELLY News Writer
Notre Dame Forum’s first lecture of the year, titled “The Catholic Artistic Heritage: Bringing Forth Treasures New and Old,” featured Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Marilynne Robinson. In a discussion moderated by English professor Susannah Monta, Robinson spoke on themes such as religion and beauty in her novels and how these themes immerse themselves in contemporary society and culture. “Beauty is the signature of the presence of God,” Robinson said. In response to a question from Monta, Robinson said one of her principle religious beliefs is that “we are among souls.” Robinson said her beliefs on higher education follow from this
principle. “For one thing, I think there would be a big infusion of mutual respect, inevitably,” she said. “ … We have to realize that to say that someone is a soul, to say that something is mysterious, by itself has to make us alert to the fact that people express themselves unconsciously in many cases — but beautifully.” Robinson said she believes in being open about what she believes. “How many people who could write about their religious faith, who would want to, who would create a beautiful religious art out of the fact of their faith, are stymied and silenced because they are afraid that someone might say ‘I don’t really believe see FAITH PAGE 4
Observer Staff Report
MARY CLARE DONNELLY | The Observer
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson autographs a book at her lecture Wednesday evening in the Dahnke Ballroom.
Interhall athletes reflect on dorm sports culture By NICOLE SIMON News Writer
With the Notre Dame’s football season well under way, the campus’ 30 dorms are preparing for seasons of their own as the first of intramural games took place this past Sunday. Junior S.J. Arnone played
football in high school and has played on Dillon’s interhall team for the past two years, now serving as the team’s captain. He said the sport is an important way for him to show not only his love for Notre Dame, but also for his hall. “Football is unique in the sense that it’s a sport you have to play with pride and with passion.
You need something to be passionate about, to juice you up for the game,” Arnone said. “I think Notre Dame is a school that has not only school pride — we’re very passionate about Notre Dame and that’s why we love the football team so much — but see FOOTBALL PAGE 4
Bellebots looks forward to upcoming year By SARA SCHLECHT News Writer
Bellebots, the Saint Mary’s robotics club, is looking forward to a year of growth, teaching and competing. Having formed just two years ago, the club is looking for ways to expand its presence on campus, Bellebots vice president and senior Noreen Maloney said. “We’re still kind of discerning
our niche,” she said. “We’re always adapting to what we need to do to be really relevant on campus.” Finding a place for an interest in STEM was how Bellebots began. The group’s president and founder, junior Michelle Lester, said robotics was something in which she wanted to participate when she started her first year at the College. “When I got to campus, I wanted to start something that
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ND to inspect food
had to do with robotics,” Lester said. With this in mind, she found a faculty member to serve as an advisor for the group she wanted to start. Lester said Bellebots began with sending a survey to students to gauge the student body’s interest in such a club. Upon receiving positive responses, Lester’s desire started becoming see BELLEBOTS PAGE 4
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Through a deal with the St. Joseph County Health Department, Notre Dame will now be in charge of its own food inspections and have the ability to keep the results private, according to a South Bend Tribune report Wednesday. While the health department will continue to do “initial inspections” of the University’s “new or remodeled food establishments,” Notre Dame will now be responsible for doing regular inspections of its dining halls and restaurants. see FOOD PAGE 5
‘Heritage of Hospitality’ talk discusses Mass By MAEVE FILBIN News Writer
Saint Mary’s Campus Ministry hosted the first installation of “A Heritage of Hospitality,” a four-part series exploring the Catholic Mass on Wednesday night. Anne McGowan, the assistant professor of liturgy at the Catholic Theological Union presented “Welcoming God’s Word: From Burning Hearts to Blazing World,” with responses from sophomore Kelly Burke and Marilyn Zugish. Regina Wilson, the director of Campus Ministry, introduced the three speakers and the idea of perceiving the sharing of the Eucharist as an act of hospitality. “At Saint Mary’s, the celebration of the Eucharist is central to our faith life,” Wilson said. “However, as we all know, we are a diverse campus and at times the Eucharist can be experienced as exclusionary and not welcoming. We seek
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through this project to look at the Eucharist as a practice, to look inside the Eucharist and to understand how it actually shapes us to be people who hospitably welcome and include others in the world.” McGowan spoke on this concept with a lecture calling the audience to listen with “burning hearts.” McGowan said the theme of fire was inspired by an encounter between two disciples and Jesus depicted in the Gospels. “As the title of this talk indicates, we are going to feast on fire this evening,” McGowan said. “It is Christ who calls us, breaks open God’s word with us and for us, feeds us with nothing less than Himself and then sends us out to speak the word of hope to the world and feed whoever we find there who is hungry. When God’s word is proclaimed and interpreted, the people who hear it are set on see MASS PAGE 5
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