Seton Hall’s 28th Annual Faculty Summer Seminar Leads to New Publication

The Center for Catholic Studies has published Modern Misenchantments: St. Augustine’s Wisdom for Challenging the Idols of Consumerism and Nationalism, a collection of faculty essays developed from Seton Hall University’s 28th annual Faculty Summer Seminar.

Held May 26–28, 2026, the three-day seminar brought Seton Hall faculty together for sustained conversation, shared reading and engagement with the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. The annual program was hosted by the Center for Catholic Studies, the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership and the G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture.

This year’s seminar was facilitated by William T. Cavanaugh, Ph.D., professor of Catholic studies and director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University. Cavanaugh is the author of The Uses of Idolatry, which provided a central text for the seminar’s exploration of the ways idolatry can illuminate contemporary political, economic and cultural life.

On the first day, participants considered idolatry as a theological lens for understanding modernity. The discussion examined the idea that worship does not simply disappear in a secular age but can become directed toward created things. Faculty reflected on how this perspective can challenge conventional boundaries between religion, politics and economics and how the biblical critique of idolatry can function as a form of self-examination.

The second day focused on nationalism, Christian identity and the Church as a community of discernment. Participants explored the relationship between patriotism and nationalism, questions of allegiance and sacrifice and the role of Catholic social thought in helping Christians discern responsibilities to political communities and the common good.

The final day turned to consumerism, material culture and practices of resistance. Faculty considered how consumer culture can shape desire, identity and relationships and discussed ways Catholic social teaching, the Incarnation and the Eucharist can inform a more personal and responsible approach to economic life. The conversation also addressed classroom practices that can help students think critically about consumer culture, technology, attention and the common good.

The seminar’s intellectual work continued after the event through a collection of faculty essays. The resulting publication features contributions by Josephine DeVito, Anthony Haynor, Mark Horowitz, Richard M. Liddy, Jose Lopez, Jon Radwan, Elizabeth Brewer Redwine, Lisa Rose-Wiles, Judith Chelius Stark and Barakat Olayinka Yisa.

Their essays extend the seminar’s central questions into areas including Catholic higher education, nationalism, service, artificial intelligence, leadership, communication, consumer culture and the formation of desire. Together, the volume demonstrates how a shared engagement with the Catholic Intellectual Tradition can generate reflection across disciplines and connect theological questions with teaching, scholarship and University life.

Patrick Manning, Ph.D., director of the Center for Catholic Studies, directed the seminar, and Gloria Garafulich-Grabois, director of the G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture, edited the publication.

The Faculty Summer Seminar is one of the Center for Catholic Studies’ longstanding faculty formation programs. By bringing colleagues from across disciplines into sustained conversation around the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, the program creates space for faculty to reflect together on questions that inform their teaching, scholarship and participation in Seton Hall’s Catholic mission.

Read the 2026 Faculty Summer Seminar publication here.

Categories: Arts and Culture, Faith and Service