Generations of students recognize the name of Prof. David Solomon, a philosophy professor who had an enormous influence on the University of Notre Dame in the decades he taught there.
Many of these former students are now rejoicing to hear that Dr. Solomon entered the Catholic Church this past spring, after dedicating his life to advancing the university’s Catholic mission:
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of Prof. Solomon’s contributions not only to the formation and education of thousands of Notre Dame students but also to the University’s Catholic character and mission. Among other things, Prof. Solomon was the founding director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics & Culture, which has been for nearly 20 years a center of vibrant inquiry and engagement on issues ranging from bioethics to J.R.R. Tolkien.
Since his arrival at Notre Dame in 1968, he changed the lives of countless people, through directing over 40 dissertations, leading the Center for Ethics and Culture, and teaching his popular course on Medical Ethics. He didn’t just teach young people how to pursue truth and live virtuously; he showed them how to do so through his own example:
David’s great gift as a teacher is that he is also a witness to what he professes. He doesn’t simply lecture on friendship but he is a friend. He doesn’t ramble on about generosity and hospitality but he is generous and hospitable. He doesn’t just spout off about the benefits of community but rather he builds communities as was so evident during his terrific leadership of the Center for Ethics and Culture.
Memories from students and colleagues
Honoring Dr. Solomon’s conversion, several of his former students and colleagues shared their warm memories of him with Aleteia.
Kathryn Wales, who worked with Solomon as CEC program coordinator and now serves as drama director at Hillsdale Academy, was overjoyed to hear the news of his conversion:
David hired me because of a great conversation we had about the Catholic Studies major I designed for myself at the University of Pittsburgh. The first time I met with him in his office, he casually mentioned in passing that he was not himself Catholic. I was so shocked that I stared at him in amazement and with a slight laugh blurted, “What?! Why??” He laughed a bit uncomfortably, looked at the floor, and replied, “Maybe after we’ve known one another longer we’ll talk about that.” I spent the next year and a half serving the CEC as the program coordinator, hoping I was getting closer to that time.
His zeal, energy, and good humor made me think this must have been what it was like to know C.S. Lewis. I wished Lewis were Catholic, too — so badly. I decided he must be now that he’s dead (he believed in Purgatory after all!), so I asked him to intercede for David to convert while still on this earth. A decade and a half later, when [former CEC colleague] Elizabeth Kirk told me this news, I cried and laughed and shouted for joy. A wonderful surprise, indeed.
A former student, Monica (Korson) Nistler, recalled how his class taught her moral reasoning:
His teaching always had such a thoughtfulness to it. His was the first class where I learned to think and debate moral issues from a secular perspective, not abandoning Catholic moral teaching but rather trying to encourage others to arrive at the same conclusions by appealing to their inherent reasoning and intellect rather than pelting them with Theology. I was in awe of him and just thought he was brilliant—and such a sweet, polite man.
Another former student who knew him well, Octavia Ratiu, was an undergraduate assistant at the Center for Ethics and Culture from 2007-2011. She said, “Professor Solomon’s presence at the CEC gave a distinct feeling of peace, security and being ‘at home.’ This happy news completed what felt like it was already the case.”
After a lifetime of teaching virtue ethics, somehow it feels like the most natural thing that Dr. Solomon became Catholic:
Solomon has given us all yet another lesson by his powerful example: to take the next step that God gives us. His conversion is a culmination of a life of study, a consolation to his many friends, and an intensification of the union with his wonderful wife Lou, who entered the Catholic Communion on the same day.
Welcome home, Dr. Solomon! Our prayers are with you.
And today we celebrate...