Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 21, 2025 / 18:30 pm

The University of Notre Dame has reinstated “Catholic Mission” among its staff values after it opted to drop the language in an effort to reprogram the school’s Catholic identity as overarching.

In a Nov. 21 staff announcement, Notre Dame President Robert A. Dowd, CSC, said commitment to the school’s Catholic mission was referenced in the preamble to the new four staff values announced at a town hall meeting last week “as a way to show its overarching importance.”

“Thanks to some constructive feedback we received, we now realize that placement is causing confusion and that some could interpret that not as elevating our mission as we intended but as a sign of diminishing commitment,” he said. “To avoid any further confusion, we have now included the language on Catholic mission as the first of our five core values.”

“Catholic Mission” is now listed first in the university’s staff values, with the description: “Be a force for good and help to advance Notre Dame’s mission to be the leading global Catholic research university.”

Dowd emphasized that the school’s Catholic mission “guides and informs all that we do and how we work together,” adding: “Our Catholic mission has animated our common work from the university’s founding, and it will always be our guiding force.”

“I could not be more grateful for the many ways you embody the very best of Notre Dame,” he concluded, addressing Notre Dame staff. “As I have said on many occasions, you inspire me with your generosity, kindness, and dedication to Our Lady’s university.”