The Intellectual Appeal of Catholicism and the Idea of a Catholic University

Catholic identity will mean nothing in the world of higher education if it lacks a genuine intellectual dimension. Mark Roche understands that fundamental fact, tackles the problem directly, and deals with it cogently."" - Philip Gleason, author of Contending with Modernity: Catholic Higher Education in the Twentieth Century

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Mark W. Roche presents a clear, precise, and positive view of the challenge and promise of a Catholic university. Roche makes visible the ideal of a Catholic university and illuminates in original ways the diverse, but interconnected, dimensions of Catholic identity. Roche’s vision of the distinct intellectual mission of a Catholic university will appeal to Catholics as well as to persons who are not Catholic but who may recognize through this essay the unexpected allure of a Catholic university.