• Seton Hall University

Welcome to the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute at Seton Hall University. Bernard Lonergan, S.J., (1904-84) was a twentieth century Catholic philosopher and theologian whom Newsweek cited as among "the finest philosophical thinkers of the twentieth century." In November 2006, the Center for Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University launched the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute dedicated to the study of his ideas and their application in contemporary culture.

Directed by Jonathan R. Heaps, Ph.D., The Institute is dedicated to the study of Bernard Lonergan's Generalized Empirical Method—GEM—and its application to contemporary culture.  Lonergan’s method is empirical in a “generalized” way because it aims to explain not only the data of our senses but also what Lonergan called “the data of consciousness.” It seeks to understand not only the method of empirical sciences but also the methods of human studies and theology. The Lonergan Institute contains all of Lonergan's published works, copies of his most significant unpublished writings, doctoral dissertations on Lonergan's work and a selection of significant secondary literature, as well some Lonergan "memorabilia," including letters and photos.

In addition to ongoing research and scholarship, the Institute collaborates in faculty development and sponsors annual lectures in Lonergan Studies. It also publishes a peer-reviewed journal, The Lonergan Review. 

"For the love of God, being in love with God, can be as full and as dominant, as 
overwhelming and as lasting an experience as human love."
- Bernard J. Lonergan

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