The University of Notre Dame's de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture has released a video titled "March On, Notre Dame!" that highlights the University's commitment to building a culture of life, both on campus and in the wider public square. Released to coincide with the virtual March for Life on Friday (Jan. 29), the video and transcript are available now at ethicscenter.nd.edu/MarchOnND.
"Though we sorely miss the opportunity to gather for the March for Life in Washington this year, we know that Notre Dame's commitment to building a culture of life and civilization of love is not confined to a single event but endures throughout the year," said O. Carter Snead, director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. "We were glad to have this opportunity to highlight the University’s efforts on behalf of the unborn child, her mother, her family and all neighbors in need through concrete, on-campus initiatives, as well as through prayer and witness in the public square."
Pro-life efforts featured in the video include the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal, awarded annually by the University to heroes of the pro-life movement; student-led efforts, including the Notre Dame Right to Life club; Alumni Association programs like the Lennon Life Prize; and the de Nicola Center's intellectual formation program for pro-life leaders, the Notre Dame Vita Institute.
The University of Notre Dame consistently sends one of the largest single contingents to participate in the annual March for Life, with more than 800 students, faculty, staff and officers participating in the 2020 event. In 2013, the Notre Dame Right to Life Club was honored to be invited to lead the march by carrying the first banner. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and heightened security in the nation's capital, march organizers announced that the 2021 event would take place in a virtual format.
The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture is the primary locus and engine of pro-life research, teaching, service and public witness at the University of Notre Dame. In addition to sponsoring the University's annual participation in the March for Life, the dCEC administers the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal, the nation's preeminent lifetime achievement award for individuals whose efforts have significantly advanced a culture of life around the world. The dCEC also offers the annual Notre Dame Vita Institute, an intensive intellectual formation program for senior and emerging leaders working in all vocations of the pro-life movement around the globe. Snead and the center's public policy fellows regularly provide testimony and offer their expertise to legislators and policymakers on life issues, both at the domestic and international level.
For more information about the pro-life programs of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, visit ethicscenter.nd.edu/prolife.
Originally published by at ethicscenter.nd.edu on Jan. 27.