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 The Aims of the Institute
Through education and research, we are implementing the thought of
Bernard Lonergan and his concern for the "human good" (or as our sub-title
reads, the "Good Under Construction"). The term "human good" was used by
Lonergan as a means of retrieving and applying what traditionally was called
the common good (Bernard Lonergan was a Jesuit theologian and philosopher
who was born in 1904 in Quebec, Canada and died in 1984). In his understanding
of the human good, he developed a way of distinguishing and relating all
the various goods that human beings seek: from the food that they eat and
produce in agricultural systems to the religious graces of God that are
carried and bestowed through a religious tradition.
 Theology,
Culture, and Education
Our educational and research projects will focus upon three areas.
First, as a training institute for theology, we will nurture the Church's
theological apostolate by fostering the religious, personal, moral, and
intellectual context in which a person develops theology. We will use Lonergan's
theology as a unifying context to advance both the theory and practice
of Catholic theology in a manner that faithfully respects the tradition
while genuinely responding to the call of aggiornamento issued by the Second
Vatican Council. We will offer seminars, discussion groups, and support
for the spiritual, moral, and intellectual formation of theologians. In addition,
we will provide both a location and financial support for theologians who
wish to further the thought of Bernard Lonergan through research and scholarship
(one of the possibilities includes funding for undergraduates who are majoring
in theology and would like to spend a summer doing research with us). Second,
we will address current cultural and social issues by translating Lonergan's
analyses into the needs of daily life.
We will be hiring promising individuals for research that will combine
thinking, reflection, and action. This research will address questions
that pertain to the "human good" raised by ecumenical issues, the human
and social sciences, physical science and technology, and health care.
Using the results of these studies, we will offer seminars, courses,
and discussion groups to the general public which will help people to integrate
work, family, political, and international activities with their faith.
Third, as a resource center for education, we will address the foundations
and nature of all stages of Catholic education. We will treat issues of
coordinated curriculum from kindergarten through graduate school as well
as interdisciplinary issues using Lonergan's understanding of human consciousness,
of human development, and of human community. With the fruits of these
studies, we will offer our resources to educators through seminars, courses,
and personal collaboration.
 The
Future of the Institute
Concern with the "good under construction" is simultaneously a concern
with a stewardship of history. Since the future is conditioned by how we
understand and respond to the world around us, we need ongoing appraisals
that will treat development, decline, and redemption. Thus, we hope to
continue raising crucial funds to support sustained research that will
develop insights from the wealth of our Catholic tradition and, through
education, make them available for the needs of today (special attention
will be given to building financial support for lay theologians since their
numbers continue to increase due to the call of Pope John Paul II and the
Church for them). In the end, the whole purpose of this institute is to
improve the way that Catholics and Christians integrate their faith to
all aspects of life by improving the way that we live out the religious
precepts of loving God and loving our neighbor as Christ has done and commands
us to do.
The Immediate Status of the Institute
Since 1993, discussion and reading groups focusing upon
Lonergan's book INSIGHT: A STUDY OF HUMAN UNDERSTANDING have been held either at The Catholic University
of America or at St. Anselm's Abbey. New seminars have been initiated. Two read and discussed Patristic,
Medieval, and Modern writings on the Trinity. A third discussed a book
on grace and human freedom by Dr. Michael Stebbins who led the seminar.
In 1997, a discussion seminar was initiated developing a philosophy
of science based upon Lonergan's work. This was led by Dr. John
Young and Dr. Ronald Vardiman. These seminars take place in an office and
seminar room dedicated to the Lonergan Institute at St. Anselm's Abbey and
maintained with the help of the monks and good
friends (especially Abbot Aidan Shea OSB). If we are able to get funding and increase
the number of members, perhaps this will expand. Much, in the end, depends
on divine providence. We can always use your prayers.
 Who
and Where We Are
The Institute is headed by Br. Dunstan Robidoux OSB, Vice-Director,
and David Fleischacker, Director. It is located in St. Anselm's Abbey
at 4501 South Dakota Avenue in Washington, D.C.. The idea of the Institute
developed, in part, from the reading and discussion groups that have been
established since the fall of 1993. From reading Lonergan, a
larger project has sprung, and we subsequently incorporated as a non-profit
organization on April 18, 1997.
Finances
At present we hope to raise $500,000 in order to fund both faculty
and a series of research projects that are linked to the three major tasks
mentioned earlier (including both a study of the relationship between religious
formation and theology, and the preparation of an integrated curriculum
for Catholic education from elementary to graduate school). We are hoping
that the majority of our funding will be solicited from foundations and
friends. If you wish to make a tax deductible donation, please send checks
payable to "The Lonergan Institute" to the address below.
Contact us immediately?
If you wish to write to us, send your letter to the following address;
THE
LONERGAN INSTITUTE
for the "Good Under Construction"
4501 S.
Dakota Ave. NE
Washington,
D.C. 20017
tel. 202-269-6650
fax 202-269-2312
e-mail
lonergan@lonergan.org
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