Toth–Lonergan Spring Lecture: Finding a Path in the Dark

The Center for Catholic Studies invites the University community and friends of Seton Hall to the Spring 2026 Toth–Lonergan Lecture, delivered by Visiting Toth–Lonergan Professor Jonathan Heaps, Ph.D. His talk, “Finding a Path in the Dark: Lonergan's Guidance for Getting Oriented in a Disorienting World,” explores Bernard Lonergan’s practical guidance for cultivating clarity, responsible judgment and moral orientation in times marked by uncertainty and rapid change.

The lecture will take place from 4:30-6 p.m., Thursday, April 16, 2026, in University Center, Meeting Room 206. The event will be recorded and made available on the University and Center YouTube channels at a later date. Please register here to attend.

In a cultural moment where familiar maps can feel unreliable—socially, politically and spiritually — Lonergan’s work offers a durable framework for “getting oriented.” Drawing on Lonergan’s account of how we come to know, choose and act responsibly, Heaps will consider what it means to seek understanding patiently, test our judgments and act with integrity even when outcomes are unclear. The lecture will highlight Lonergan’s emphasis on attentiveness, intelligence, reasonableness and responsibility as habits that support personal and communal flourishing — and that help us identify and resist patterns of confusion and decline.

The Toth–Lonergan Lecture series is a semi-annual program of the Center for Catholic Studies that brings the Catholic intellectual tradition into conversation with contemporary questions across disciplines. These lectures are designed to be accessible to a broad audience and to foster thoughtful discussion among students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests.

About Jonathan Heaps
Jonathan Heaps, Ph.D., is the director of the Bernard Lonergan Institute at Seton Hall University and serves as the Visiting Toth–Lonergan Professor for Spring 2026. His scholarship and teaching engage the Catholic intellectual tradition with questions of meaning, moral discernment and cultural renewal, with particular attention to the thought of Bernard Lonergan.

The Toth/Lonergan Endowed Professorship in Interdisciplinary Studies
This Professorship was created by the Center for Catholic Studies to honor two great figures: Bernard Lonergan, S.J. and Deacon William Toth. The professorship supports Seton Hall’s mission to foster dialogue between faith and the contemporary sciences, professions and culture through research, teaching and public programming.

Father Lonergan (1904–1984) was a renowned scholar widely regarded as one of the foremost Catholic thinkers of the twentieth century. His major works, Insight: A Study of Human Understanding (1957) and Method in Theology (1972), link faith and theology with contemporary disciplines by way of a generalized empirical method (GEM). Seton Hall University also publishes The Lonergan Review, edited by Monsignor Richard Liddy, through the Center’s ongoing work in the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute.

Deacon Toth (1940–2008) taught moral theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary and School of Theology and founded the Institute on Work within the Center for Catholic Studies, which later became the Micah Institute. He also served as chair of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Archdiocese of Newark. Deacon Toth sought to link Catholic theology with the professions, especially business and law.

About the Center for Catholic Studies
Founded at Seton Hall University in 1997, the Center for Catholic Studies fosters ongoing dialogue between the Catholic intellectual tradition and contemporary culture across disciplines. Through scholarly initiatives, publications and programming, the Center supports faculty development, interdisciplinary collaboration, intellectual life, student engagement and ongoing innovation in service of Seton Hall’s Catholic mission.

Categories: Faith and Service