Notre Dame philosophy professor David Solomon. | Credit: de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, University of Notre Dame David Solomon, a longtime professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and founder of what is now the de Nicola Centre for Ethics and Culture, recently entered the Catholic Church, according to a former student writing for Word on Fire.
Solomon, who arrived at the university in 1968, came into the Catholic Church earlier this year in what Word on Fire’s Christopher Kaczor called “a culmination of a life of study [and] a consolation to his many friends”, as well as “an intensification of the union with his wonderful wife, Lou”, who became Catholic at the same time.
In a lecture several years ago, Solomon said that he started at the university “not only not a Catholic” but also “as innocent of any real understanding of Catholicism as one could be”.
“My view of all things Catholic, such as it was, grew out of a combination of ignorance and prejudice in about equal measure,” he said.
The philosophy professor retired in 2016 and holds the title of professor emeritus at the school. At the time of Solomon’s retirement, Notre Dame law professor Rick Garnett wrote that it was “impossible to overstate the importance of [his] contributions not only to the formation and education of thousands of Notre Dame students but also to the university’s Catholic character and mission”