rest

How can we practice patient and life-giving leisure?

"Labor is the means toward...a day of rest...Sabboth...is not an interlude but the climax of living." - Abraham Joshua Heschel, "The Sabbath" (1951)

readings

Blaise Pascal, "Pensées" (1669)
Josef Pieper, "Leisure: The Basis of Culture" (1948)

refractor

Nancy Michael is Rev. John A. Zahm, C.S.C., Teaching Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Co-Director for the Neuroscience and Behavior major. Growing up in Livonia, Michigan, she didn’t have any idea that the kind of job she holds now even existed. After studying biomedical sciences at Western Michigan University and taking a meandering path in her twenties, she found her way back to graduate school in neuroscience. Her dedication to excellence, innovation, and wellness in education has earned her numerous teaching, advising, and community awards. Michael adopts community-centered methods to mitigate the impact of toxic stress on individuals and communities.

co-curricular events

Dance as Leisure w/ Prof. Colin Raybin

Nov 3

Just Dance. Sometimes, the best way to quiet a busy mind is to get the body moving. Celebrate the art of dance in a joyful experience that deepens your understanding of active leisure in your own life. Join Professor Colin Raybin and your classmates through dance and movement. No prior experience is required. If you think you have "two left feet," this event was made specifically for you. We aren't looking for professional technique; we’re looking for genuine joy.

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Music For Its Own Sake w/ Prof. Vanessa Chan

Nov 6, 13

Listen Differently. Music is incredibly prevalent in our modern world. Whether we’re out shopping, scrolling TikTok, driving around, or at the gym, music is embedded in our daily experience. In all of these cases, there is a ‘utility’ to music that attempts to capitalize on its appeal, using it as background. Join your classmates and Professor Vanessa Chan, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Neuroscience and Behavior, in giving careful attention to the music we so often use to simply fill the silence.

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How to Pray w/ Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C.

Nov 8

Rest for the Restless Heart. Join Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C., and your classmates in an exploration of the deep connection between rest and prayer. Guided by St. Augustine’s reflection on the “restless heart," this event will help you grow more aware of the purpose and characteristics of prayer, develop a habit of personal prayer, and find the stillness your soul craves. Learn more

RestFest w/ Student Health and Wellness

Nov 9

Don't just "take a break." Explore how it is a fundamental human need to rest, not just engage with distractions or take breaks from work. This festival will allow you to explore different types of restoration beyond a temporary break. Join your classmates and professional staff to learn about and practice different types of restoration, including spiritual or meditative, verbal expression and social support, physical expression, creative expression, deep sleep, and the daily examen. Learn more

called life life: taking initiative

Due in class by session 10: rest

Life Labs are engaging, interpersonal activities related to course topics that you complete on your own. You and your classmates will complete these activities during the same time period, enabling a shared communal experience.

This Life Lab invites you to practice taking initiative in friendship or community. Such action may be one way of responding to a calling to recognize the belovedness of others.

called life life: taking initiative

Additional Resources

Peruse the vast writings of Josef Pieper not only on leisure but also on language, tradition, time, happiness, death, education, justice, faith, and virtue.

Read Pope Francis’s apostolic letter extolling the thought of Blaise Pascal, especially his insights into the human inclination to distraction.

Watch a video of Alex Jones, CEO and Co-Founder of Hallow, speaking at the Notre Dame Rosary Rally (September 2025) about his search for inner peace and his time as a student at Notre Dame.

Consult the McDonald Center’s list of restorative practices that leverage the resources available on campus.