Readers ask from time to time how we come up with the “themes” for our issues. The truth is, we don’t really think about the magazine that way. Now and then, sure, multiple stories touch on a common topic. But when something that passes for a theme emerges, more often than not it’s coincidental, ideas and submissions echoing each other by happenstance, not design. Even then, most articles are devoted to unrelated subjects, the better to serve tens of thousands of readers with diverse interests, overlapping in the Venn diagram only in their relationship to Notre Dame.
Nobody will mistake this one for a theme issue. Nothing but the glue on the spine binds these stories together. I like it that way.
In the scheme of things, the range covered here isn’t unusual, a sampling of who we are and what we do in our campus and global communities. Over time, the magazine attempts to capture the full scope, becoming something like an anthology of institutional and alumni stories. More than 50 years’ worth are now accessible in a new PDF archive available at magazine.nd.edu. Every issue, every story, as they were published in print throughout the magazine’s history, can now be found in a searchable database. Think of it as part research resource, part time machine. It’s fun.
Many subjects recur as the University, the Church and society grapple with the world’s persistent challenges and humanity’s eternal mysteries. Others reflect progress and problems particular to our time.
Any given edition of the magazine, we hope, stirs feelings reminiscent of being a student here: the bracing immersion in big questions among a community of interesting — and interested — people seeking to deepen their understanding of the world, each other and themselves. A tour through the pages that follow will introduce you to an array of people and ideas, representing only a deli-thin slice of the University’s influence and innovation, and the impact of the far-flung Notre Dame family.
Sociologist Christian Smith, in conversation with former Newsweek religion editor Ken Woodward ’57, analyzes what caused the precipitous decline in American religious practice. Just a few pages after that, managing editor John Nagy ’00M.A. tells the story of Kyle Berceau ’12, an ill-fated young man who swam hard against that cultural current in his short, questing life. Between those two bookends of our feature section, you’ll encounter current events and history — fighters for justice in Nicaraguan politics and Missouri courts; Dorothy Day’s points of contact and conflict with Notre Dame; and a nostalgic photo album from the late Bruce Harlan ’49, ’80 M.A., who spent decades as the University photographer. There are a few laughs, too, courtesy of stand-up comedian Aaron Weber ’14.
As this edition came together, I thought about that “theme” question. Could any be divined from this collection? The phrase “different kinds of courage” presented itself as possible connective tissue, stories of people taking on causes larger than themselves, some at considerable personal risk, others inviting scorn for their views. Even stand-up comedy seems pretty scary to me, though Weber would laugh off the idea of being counted among the courageous.
No need to force a connection.
As far as we’re concerned, telling a broad spectrum of stories that appeal to the small-c catholic curiosity of our readers is the magazine’s recurring theme.
Jason Kelly is editor of this magazine.