“Seeking the Heart’s Desire,” a conference honoring 50 years of John Dunne’s presence on the faculty at Notre Dame will take place March 30–April 1 at McKenna Hall on the Notre Dame campus.
Father Dunne’s career at ND began in the fall of 1957 when he returned from his studies Rome. Thus this event will take place during the 50th year in which he has been a faculty member. This event will gather members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the Department of Theology at Notre Dame, members of the university community, and Father Dunne’s many friends in a celebration of his contributions to the life of the church and academy.
Father Dunne, ND class of 1951, has graced thousands of students’ lives at Notre Dame, both inside and outside the classroom. He has given voice to the spiritual experiences of many, deepening instincts with insights from his own journey with God and culling wisdom from countless fellow seekers. He has been a popular professor at Notre Dame for nearly five decades, so that he has taught perhaps more ND students than any other person. Father Dunne has also been a prolific and critically appreciated author who has made signal contributions to theology, both before and especially since the Second Vatican Council. And of course he continues to write, with new books coming out nearly annually.
Scheduled to give the keynote address on Friday evening, March 30, is Father Dunne’s dear friend John Noonan, judge of the 9th Circuit Court of the United States; law professor at Bolt School of Law, University of California (Berkeley); and distinguished author, most recently of A Church that Can and Cannot Change. Other academics and former students will also make presentations, and Father Dunne himself will offer a concert of his music on Saturday afternoon, March 31.