Newman Study Institute
Catholic teaching,
rooted in reason.
An Irish institute offering courses in Catholic thought, philosophy, and the enduring intellectual tradition — open to students of any faith, or none.
A place to think, and to believe
We take our name from Cardinal John Henry Newman, whose life's work insisted that faith and reason are not enemies but companions. In that spirit, the Institute offers rigorous, welcoming courses that draw on two millennia of Catholic scholarship — and put the great questions of meaning, virtue, and truth back where they belong: at the centre of a life well lived.
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Our patron
Cardinal John Henry Newman
“Growth is the only evidence of life.”
Newman (1801–1890) was a scholar, priest, and later cardinal whose writings on conscience, education, and the development of doctrine remain landmarks of Christian thought. Canonised in 2019, he lived his conviction that a first-rate mind and a life of faith are not merely compatible — they enrich one another.
Read more about Newman and our missionA long tradition
From the monks of Ireland
to the classrooms of today
In the dark centuries after Rome fell, it was the monasteries of Ireland — Clonmacnoise, Glendalough, Skellig Michael — that preserved the writings, the languages, and the intellectual life of Christendom. Irish scholars copied and studied, taught and travelled, and eventually re-lit the lamps of Europe.
That inheritance is not a museum piece. It runs through Newman, through the long conversation about faith and learning, and into every course we offer at the Institute today. We are proud to teach in that tradition — and to keep it living.
Now enrolling
Our introductory course
Faith and Reason
A nine-month programme in three modules, taught live online each Tuesday evening. Recovers the philosophical and metaphysical foundations that underpin any serious engagement with the Christian faith. Open to Catholics, Protestants, and any serious enquirer.
Register & enrolStarts
Tuesday 13 October 2026
Schedule
Tuesdays 7–8pm (Ireland time)
Duration
Nine months, three modules
Format
Live online classes; course materials emailed weekly
Support our work
Help keep the tradition alive
The Institute is a non-profit endeavour. Every donation — large or small, in euro, dollars, or pounds — funds course materials, scholarships, and the long, quiet work of teaching.
Make a donation