Lumen Christi Institute
Making the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university
Featured Events & News
Webinar – Being Human in the Digital Age: A Discussion | Apr. 24, 2026
The dominance of technology in our lives and the precipitous rise of AI in the last few years has raised profound questions. We are being asked to think more deeply about what it means to be human, how we should (and whether we can) live with our creations, and what kind of life we can share together. In this webinar, professor of theology Jared Ortiz will interview philosopher Antón Barba-Kay about his new book, A Web of Our Own Making: The Nature of Digital Formation.
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Chicago Criminal Justice Reform Network Dialogue | May 4, 2026
CCJRN, an initiative of the Lumen Christi Institute, will host an invite-only evening dialogue with dinner to bring together those responsible for our criminal justice system and those most directly impacted by it: survivors of crime and returning citizens. The program will open with an (optional) Mass and will feature a panel of key players from the criminal justice system, followed by roundtable conversations.
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Apply to Ricketts House, our Catholic Student Residence
The Lumen Christi Institute offers a residential community for current and incoming male University of Chicago students, with capacity for nine total residents. As an intentional Catholic residence, the residents partake in weekly community meals, community prayer, and opportunities for intellectual and spiritual formation.
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Schola Antiqua – The Lion and the Lute: Music at the Court of Leo X (North Shore) | May 21, 2026
Leo X presided over one of the most resplendent courts of worship and art in the Renaissance, and his reputation as a champion of sacred music reached far beyond Rome. This program brings together magnificent choral music heard in the pope’s presence and music offered to him from afar, evoking the sacred beauty that animated his brief but consequential papacy. The event will take place at Loyola Academy Chapel.
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Schola Antiqua – The Lion and The Lute: Music at the Court of Leo X (University of Chicago) | May 22, 2026
The second of two concerts held by Schola Antiqua and hosted by LCI, this program brings together magnificent choral music heard in the pope’s presence and music offered to him from afar, from radiant sacred polyphony to the intimate lute artistry of Francesco da Milano. The concert will take place at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel and will feature a pre-show conversation on the nature of sacred music and a post-show Mass.
Learn More & RegisterLumen Christi has been one of the great spiritual achievements of the last 25 years. And to see Lumen Christi flourishing so well and expanding around the country is a sign of tremendous hope for the Church.
The longest intellectual tradition of any institution in the contemporary world.
Celebrated University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins once remarked that the Catholic Church has “the longest intellectual tradition of any institution in the contemporary world.” The mission of the Lumen Christi Institute is to make the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university and the broader culture. The Lumen Christi Institute’s programs enrich academic communities at the University of Chicago and beyond with the insights of Catholic thought, in order to engage our secular culture in dialogue and ultimately to renew our civilization by forming leaders for a global society in need of Christian wisdom.
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Making the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university