This Program focuses on the intersection of church, state, and society, and how the law structures and governs that intersection. Through a variety of programs, we encourage scholarship and meaningful conversation on the role of religious institutions, communities, and authorities in the social order. At the same time, we highlight the important role that they play in the content and protection of religious freedom. In conjunction with the University's other colleges and centers, the Program hosts conferences, workshops, and other events and is committed to increasing legal scholarship in order to promote dialogue on the interaction of these three dynamic, and often, colliding, aspects of society.

The Program on Church, State & Society enhances the distinctive Catholic mission of the Law School and the University. At Notre Dame, we believe that a variety of beliefs and opinions are indispensable to provoking debate, promoting scholarship, and building community; we believe in the pursuit and sharing of truth for its own sake; we believe in sustaining a dialogue between faith and reason across disciplines and in the multitude of discussions, debates, and inquiries that take place at the University; we believe in academic freedom that makes open discussion and inquiry possible; and we believe in collaborative, interdisciplinary research into a variety of different fields.