Lumen Christi Institute
Making the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university
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The Lumen Christi Institute is forming educators who will bring the Catholic intellectual tradition back into the classroom—where it belongs. Will you help us sustain a community where Catholic educators and students thrive?
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Conversion in the Modern Church: The World, the Flesh, and the Devil | Nov. 15, 2025
Experience the silence, prayer, and chant with the monks at the Monastery of the Holy Cross. In addition to a taste of the contemplative life, join a conversation hosted by the Prior of the Monastery, Fr. Peter Funk. He will lead a discussion on “Conversion in the Modern World,” with a focus on “The World.”
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Applications Open for the Nicklin Fellows Program
The Nicklin Fellows are the recipients of a competitive, application based fellowship for undergraduate students. Nicklin Fellows are granted exclusive access to research and development grant funds to pursue their academic and intellectual interests. Applications are due on December 12, 2025.
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Seeking Graduate Reading Groups for the Winter & Spring Quarters
The Lumen Christi Institute seeks leaders for its Winter and Spring Quarter graduate student reading groups. These groups are rooted in friendship, hospitality, and the pursuit of truth, and they may explore any genre, theme, time, and place. Proposals for prospective groups are due on December 5, 2025.
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2025 Annual Report
Click here to view our annual report and program overview from the 2024-25 academic year.
Learn MoreLumen 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