Reimagining the Catholic University with Pieper, Newman, and Dawson: Contemporary Insights on Liberal Learning and Leisure

By Timothy O’Malley and Leonardo Franchi

This compact volume argues compellingly for a classical understanding of leisure within the context of Catholic universities and explores how a critically nuanced reading of the work of philosopher Josef Pieper, theologian St John Henry Newman and cultural historian Christopher Dawson can reframe debates over the nature of Catholic universities.

Chapters facilitate a refreshed understanding of how leisure, as proposed by Pieper, potentially promotes a liberal, humanistic vision of the Catholic university as a site of integral human development. In doing so, the book fundamentally questions and re-evaluates the purpose of a university, reframing the idea of what it constitutes both in theory and practice. This approach enables institutions to remain open to diverse intellectual traditions while confidently drawing upon their own rich heritage to create genuinely hospitable academic communities. Ultimately, the book offers a vision for reforming Catholic higher education that challenges the increasingly utilitarian and market-driven models dominating contemporary university life.

Grounded in solid historical foundations while offering innovative thinking around Catholic university reform, the book will be of interest to scholars, researchers and postgraduate students with an interest in Catholicism and the philosophy of education. Those more broadly interested in exploring the intersection between education, philosophy, and religion will also find the volume of use.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1032951966
• ISBN13: 9781032951966
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.