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The 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum will focus on the theme, "What Do We Owe Each Other?"

Around the world, many observers are alarmed about a collapsing sense of community as fewer and fewer people feel a responsibility to care for others. With a growing and often welcome emphasis on individual rights and freedoms, how should we—individually and collectively—think about our responsibilities to one another? In a world where ideological and cultural divisions seem to have deepened and wars in Ukraine, Israel/Gaza, and elsewhere have caused such terrible suffering, how can we bring people together to face the challenges of our times? How can Catholic social thought help us engage in fruitful dialogue with those whose perspectives are different from our own, bridge social divides, and promote healing in the midst of suffering, division, and injustice? 

The principles of Catholic social tradition provide context for our consideration of questions concerning these subjects:

All members of the Notre Dame community are invited to consider how they might participate in the exploration of this year’s Forum theme, whether in the context of the classroom, through informal conversations with fellow students and colleagues, or by hosting or attending a Forum event.

"Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavor of the Gospel...[H]e calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother 'as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him.' In his simple and direct way, Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate, and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives." - Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti

If you or your department, club, or organization are planning an event that relates to this year’s Forum theme, please let us know by emailing forum@nd.edu.

Join us for a Forum event

Advisory Committee

  • Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., President, Chair 
  • Ann Firth, Vice President and Chief of Staff, Office of the President 
  • Paul Bohn, Arthur J. Schmitt Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Director, University of Notre Dame Bioengineering and Life Sciences Initiative 
  • David Campbell, Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy; Director, University of Notre Dame Democracy Initiative
  • Jim Sullivan, Professor of Economics; Co-Founder and Director, Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities; Director, University of Notre Dame Poverty Initiative
  • Meghan Sullivan, Wilsey Family Collegiate Professor of Philosophy; Director, University of Notre Dame Ethics Initiative

Since its establishment in 2005 by President Emeritus Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., each year the Notre Dame Forum invites campus-wide dialogue about issues of importance to the University, the nation, and the larger world. 

Previous Forum Themes