The letters we publish here are edited for space and are representative of those we receive. We print only those letters referring to an article in the most recent edition of the magazine, not those responding to letters or commenting on issue not addressed in the recent edition.
Keeping the faith
Thank you for the outstanding article “Out of Practice,” featuring the insights of Notre Dame professor Christian Smith in his interview with the astute editor and author Ken Woodward ’57. I am looking forward to reading Smith’s new book, Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America. Smith’s expertise in sociology combined with clarity in his writing offer deep insights into the phenomenon discussed. I will not lose hope with our younger generations but will more clearly understand what happened and why. I will continue to follow Smith and may be able to learn how to participate in a process to reestablish a more traditional embrace of religion and church attendance.
James M. Knaus ’68
Rochester, Michigan
While I agree with many of the examples Smith cites to prove his case, I think the article ignores the cause of the decline. If you look at the beginning of the time span depicted in the charts, it coincides with the effective cancellation of the results of Vatican II by Pope John Paul II and the curia then in power.
I lived through those times and watched the start of the great migration as millions of American Catholics lost the hope that had been inspired by Pope John XXIII. I also saw several young priest friends join in that exodus.
I remain a lifelong Catholic, at age 91, as part of the loyal opposition by trying to concentrate on Christ’s core message: “Love God and love your neighbor.” I will leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit.
Chuck O’Brien ’55
New Berlin, Wisconsin
My son, a grad once as fervent as I am, asked me to read the interview so I might better understand why he has fallen “out of practice.” But it does not consider faith or Christianity or character of soul; instead, it simply recounts current deviation from religious beliefs with Catholic-lite, cafeteria-Catholic, pseudo-Catholic or even anti-religious excuses. Could this author be a theology professor at a once-preeminent Catholic institution? Not so. He is a professor of sociology, simply recounting the social trends of quasi-religious consumerism that lacks traditional Notre Dame virtue. An illustration sums it up with two people kneeling before their iPhone iDol.
Is Our Lady’s University following the rubric of Matthew 6:24, that “no one can serve two masters” — God or Mammon? Is Notre Dame gingerly tiptoeing down that path with liberalism and diversity, equity and inclusion on one side, and ethics and morals on the other? G.K. Chesterton wrote, “If you stop believing in God, you can start believing anything.” May our Blessed Mother enlighten us. Amen.
Robert Rankel ’68
Glendale, Arizona
As a 73-year-old with grown children and teenage grandchildren I have watched with some dismay their movement away from my more traditional practice of Catholicism. The disinterest in attending Mass unless it is convenient and the “worship” of electronic devices are worrisome. But I believe my kids still have grounding in their faith and that, instead of being obsolete, their faith is being used differently.
Modern society’s needs have evolved. Gens X, Y and Z have grown up in a different social climate from the boomers’. What is it with club volleyball tournaments on Easter Sunday? I do feel that sometimes personal responsibility is replaced by “Why don’t they fix it?” Professor Smith indicates that religion is delivering something different from what Americans expect. I would propose that it is the individual’s responsibility to find what they want and need from their religion.
When one child lost her spouse to a brain tumor the whole extended family had a common need and found it with the Church. My own evolution has taken me from stumbling into Saturday midnight Mass in Walsh Hall just to be “legal,” to feeling closer to my own and my friends’ mortality and the need that brings to the table. Recently my wife and I attended a 9 a.m. Sunday Mass on the Texas A&M campus. The church was easily 150 percent the size of Sacred Heart and the congregation was standing room only. I would guess at least half those attending were 18 to 25 years old. I would like to think they were finding something they wanted and needed there.
Bill Duensing ’73
Kansas City, Missouri
Three days after Pope Francis died, I was sitting in an Irish pub with friends — all Catholic, all retired, all baby boomers; husbands and wives all debating the same question: What direction is our Catholic religion going to take now? We all share the highest respect for Pope Francis, for his humility, his commitment to the poor, the disenfranchised, the immigrants.
Then I went home and opened Notre Dame Magazine. All the concerns our group had discussed were dissected in a dialogue of the highest intellectual analysis. Their exchange was delivered with such clarity and such strong historic contextuality, I’m proud that this quality of discourse exists in the quarterly magazine of the University of Notre Dame.
William J. Palmer ’65, ’69Ph.D.
West Lafayette, Indiana
The reach and impact of our Catholic faith is one of the most important issues of our time. While I learned a lot from the interview, I invite you to explore other aspects of this topic. Here are three teasers:
Americans who save more than 10 percent of their income are much rarer than those who attend church regularly. Yet no one is saying something is wrong with saving money.
I am blessed to be in a Catholic diocese (Charlotte) that is growing fast. What can we learn from this?
Parts of the Old Testament share a recurring cycle of worshipping God, turning away from God, suffering and a return to God. Where might our society be in this cycle?
Matt Thiel ’90
High Point, North Carolina
A very thought-provoking look at the many changes in our world over the last 60 years that have contributed to the decline in active, physical participation in the three mainstream religions in the United States. It’s very disappointing, to say the least. My wife and I attend Mass in the basilica in Savannah. It’s not always so, but on Palm Sunday, we heard an inspiring message of forgiveness. Those who don’t participate don’t know what they are missing. Hopefully that will change over time.
Jim Dwyer ’81
Savannah, Georgia
Speaking as a 70-year-old, lifelong Catholic with 17 years of Catholic education, I see two primary reasons Catholicism is not embraced as it once was in the United States.
1. For many families who enjoy the privileges of middle-class Americans, the Church is not as present as it once was and is not perceived as having much outreach. Gone are the hospitals and many of the schools. This is not necessarily the fault of the Church, but I think the Church could do much more to serve the community and teach the Gospel. That said, we attended Mass recently in Los Angeles at two churches that were standing room only — in both cases it was just an ordinary Sunday, and the participants were overwhelmingly immigrants for whom English was not the first language.
2. The Church is perceived to focus on rules and tradition, instead of on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Those teachings are simple; the theology of the Church is complex — the second edition of the Catechism is 825 pages. I receive an email with the Gospel every day, courtesy of Notre Dame, and over the course of a few years it becomes clear that the message of Christ is simple and not complicated.
In Mark 7:8, Jesus says “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” If the Catholic Church as an organization were more like Notre Dame, which does focus on faith, leading by example and service to the community, it would be truer to its mission and solve most of its problems.
Bill Kortsch ’77
Missoula, Montana
Why are people leaving the Church? The 20th century saw a turn toward the personal. People became aware of inner needs that had gone unnoticed. This was an advance, a move toward personal authenticity. Folks understandably drifted away from an institution that did not meet those needs.
The great opportunity for the Church today is to accompany our contemporaries in their search for meaning and to show how the Gospel of Christ meets their deepest needs: the thirst for life (John 10:10), the desire for happiness (“joy to the full,” John 15:11), the need for relationship and communion (John 17:26). It’s the replacement of moralism with mysticism, understood as a meaningful relationship with the risen Son of God that transforms our lives. Ultimately people need to know that they are loved with the infinite love of their Creator, who died for them.
Rev. Jerome Laurence Kriegshauser, OSB, ’61
St. Louis
Brother Roman Paul
I just finished the article on Brother Roman Paul (Kyle) Berceau, OCSO,’12. (“The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth”), in tears. The narrative of his struggle between his faith and his health touched something deeply in me that I think many Catholics and people of faith struggle with — how to stay devoted to our faith in a world that finds so many ways to challenge us and bring us down. This article was a beautiful tribute to him and his wonderful community, and one I am not going to forget for a long time.
Anna Reed ’19M.Ed.
Benton Harbor, Michigan
John Nagy’s article on our son, Kyle Berceau, was a beautiful testament to a deeply religious, genuine soul. When John reached out to request consent to his writing of Kyle’s life story, we felt so honored. He did an absolutely amazing job of eloquently writing “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth.” We are so grateful to have Kyle’s faithful journey shared.
Steve ’78M.A., ’80Ph.D. and Marilyn Berceau and family
Wilmette, Illinois
Thank you for the spring 2025 issue, especially “Out of Practice,” “Dorothy Day and Notre Dame” and “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth.” They exemplify the kind of writing I always hope to find in this magazine. The last of the three, the story of Kyle Berceau, was alone enough to make this issue memorable.
Joe Lee ’66
Lambertville, Michigan
Dean O’Meara’s legal legacy
Similar to the experience of Charlie Weiss (“The Truth Sets Them Free”), I felt like a hotshot entering Notre Dame Law School in 1968 with a full-tuition scholarship and a $1,000 stipend conditioned on my performing in the top 20 percent of my class. Learning that nearly all my classmates had scholarships on the same terms quickly returned me to Earth.
Unmentioned is the role of Dean Joseph O’Meara, who set this table. Taking the reins of the school in 1952 and dismissing half the students and faculty, O’Meara embarked on a quest to make Notre Dame Law School the finest in the nation. His strategy included seeking out high-achieving students from working-class families, offering generous scholarships and subjecting students to a Parris Island-like regimen.
Fanning out across the nation, O’Meara’s soldiers, including Weiss, plied their “unparalleled legal skills” with “compassion, honesty and integrity,” becoming the best the legal profession has to offer and building Notre Dame’s reputation for educating “a different kind of lawyer.”
More than 97 percent of my class passed its bar exams on the first try and achieved 100 percent shortly thereafter. To my knowledge, this record has not since been equaled or surpassed at Notre Dame or even approached by any other renowned law school. As important, virtually all my classmates and the many law grads I’ve known on the Law School Advisory Council exhibit the kindness, courtesy and decency highlighted in Weiss’ story. Thank you, Dean O’Meara!
Fred Kuhar ’71 J.D.
Wickliffe, Ohio
A campus too perfect
Regarding your recent article on “30 years of campus growth,” please permit me to offer a different opinion.
In the early 1960s Notre Dame was attractive — despite (or because of) its seemingly absentminded mix of architectural styles. The old brownstone Fieldhouse, utilitarian yet handsome, stood near Nieuwland Science. Washington Hall was (and remains) a gem. And the legacy buildings, the magnificent Main Building and Sorin, Badin and St. Ed’s halls were as they had always been: high ceilings, creaky floors, casement windows. They offered an unmistakable connection to Notre Dame’s long history and a warm authenticity to the campus.
Fall, winter or spring, I always felt comfortable outdoors on campus — it was for me the best of Notre Dame. But now, the ancient structures look like replicas, as do the donated cookie-cutter buildings that cover the old practice fields along Notre Dame Avenue; and the campus, in its brittle perfection, sadly now feels fabricated.
John F. “Jack” Cowan ’64
Scotts Valley, California
Stamp of approval
I was one of many student assistants for Bruce Harlan ’49, ’80M.A. during his time as University photographer (“Rewind the Film”). Bruce was my mentor, and I never would have gotten as far as I did without him. His impact lasted well beyond my graduation. My last 17 years in the business were spent as a member of the New York City Police Department’s Photo Unit, with 10 years before that in the NYC Law Department, Office of the Corporation Counsel. Bruce was always interested in my war stories when I made it for a football weekend. You always checked in with Bruce at his office in the ACC before tackling the crowd at the Bookstore.
I have known a lot of photographers but only one whose work was used as the basis for a postage stamp, and that’s Bruce Harlan — a distinctive accomplishment and one he was very proud of.
Above is a photo better than his backside that appeared on page 37 of the spring issue.
Neal P. Kemp ’76
Rochester, New York
Matt Cashore ’94 is too humble to include one important point about the keen eye of his predecessor, Bruce Harlan — that Bruce chose Matt. Seems like any time I sent off a quick kudos email to former editor Kerry Temple ’74, crowing about some article in the most recent issue, there was also at least one amazing photo by Matt to applaud.
Dr. Ed Young ’73
Tehachapi, California