Mission and History

Center for Catholic Studies

Mission of the Center

Founded at Seton Hall University in 1997, the Center for Catholic Studies is dedicated to fostering a dialogue between the Catholic intellectual tradition and all areas of study and contemporary culture. It co-established the new core curriculum at Seton Hall, including Signature Courses such as: "The Journey of Transformation" and "Christianity and Culture in Dialogue." Focusing on the central role of the faculty, the Center regularly sponsors faculty development programs, including seminars, workshops and retreats. It also sponsors an undergraduate degree program in Catholic Studies, with major, minor and certificate programs, as well as foreign study opportunities. The Center, which includes the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute, the Micah Institute for Business and Economics and the G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture, offers opportunities for study and research, as well as ongoing programs on faith and culture topics for the general public all over the world. The Center publishes the prestigious Chesterton Review, as well as The Lonergan Review and Arcadia, a student journal.

 

History of the Center

The Center for Catholic Studies has existed at Seton Hall University since 1997. From the beginning the Center dedicated itself to faculty development, especially faculty seminars linking the Catholic intellectual tradition with broader faculty concerns. It has also sponsored lectures on Catholic and humanistic concerns and has become the home of the G. K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture, with its prestigious, The Chesterton Review, the Micah Institute for Business and Economics and, most recently, the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute. In 1998 the Center initiated a minor in Catholic Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences. This minor that has been populated by a number of students, particularly those who have participated in various foreign study course/trips sponsored by the Center – to Italy, Mexico, Poland, and Australia. 2003 saw the initiation of the undergraduate major in Catholic Studies. Students may also take a second major or a minor in Catholic Studies. A number of other students take Catholic Studies courses as electives and participate in Catholic Studies programs. The study abroad programs are generally fully subscribed. Whereas the major in Catholic Studies provides a broad liberal arts education exploring the interaction of Catholicism with various disciplines and cultures throughout the world, students are encouraged to consider foreign study opportunities. For-credit foreign study course trips are available each academic year, both in partnership with other institutions and through programs offered by the Center for Catholic Studies.  

The program in Catholic Studies has been of special interest for a number of faculty because it allows them to link their specialization with broader areas of  interest. Not only are Catholic Studies programs emerging in Catholic universities around the country but they are emerging in public universities as well. Seton Hall University is the only university in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area that offers an undergraduate degree program in Catholic Studies, offering a major, double major, minor or certificate program, along with a full range of co-curricular activities and community life.