News & Media

From 2012 to 2020, Fr. Paul Mankowski, SJ delivered hundreds of lectures and master classes at the Lumen Christi Institute. Seeking to share the depth of his scholarship, this podcast offers many of his lectures (edited for coherence and quality) to the public in digital format for the first time. 

The first season features a course that Fr. Mankowski gave on Joseph Ratzinger’s Jesus of Nazareth, and dozens of lectures centered around the books of the Bible (including Genesis, many of the prophets, the Gospel of Matthew, and St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans). Two interviews with people who knew Fr. Mankowski well and can offer an entry point to his person and scholarship conclude the season.

The Lumen Christi Institute follows St. Paul’s injunction to attend to whatever is true, noble, right, admirable, and lovely (Phil 4:8). LCI supports this endeavor by sponsoring a number of graduate student reading groups that may explore any genre, theme,

Christ is Risen! On Easter Sunday, I write to tell you about St. Mary of Egypt, who is remembered by the Catholic Church on April 2 – Holy Thursday this year.
Rose Johnson, one of our Development Associates, tells her story of how Lumen Christi has shaped her adult relationship with Christ, especially during her time as a graduate student at UChicago.

Learn More and Register for the concert in Wilmette (May 21st) Learn More and Register for the concert at UChicago (May 22nd) The Lumen Christi Institute is excited to host Schola Antiqua for a series of concerts on the music

News
March 23, 2026
In the season of Lent, the Church calls us to reflect upon Christ’s years of ministry. In pondering His revelation and His divine miracles, I am particularly reminded of one essential part of Christ’s journey toward Jerusalem: He did not
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 intellectual interests. Applications are due March 22.
News
February 18, 2026
At the Ash Wednesday liturgy, the priest says, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These special words remind me of a fundamental tension in humankind, described by Bishop Erik Varden.
How do stories assist us in the making of a real human being? In troubled times how could we forge a deeper life? Join the Lumen Christi Institute as it welcomes Dr. Martin Shaw for an event celebrating the release
In this event for UChicago students, acclaimed mythographer and storyteller Dr. Martin Shaw will explore both the theory and practice of mythmaking. First, Shaw will guide us through the “ancient technologies” of myth, and its relationship to initiation rites and
News
January 19, 2026
Today, our country remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. On April 19, 1963, King wrote his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," addressed to fellow clergymen who criticized his activities as "unwise and untimely."
On New Year's Day, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. In the reflection below, Pope St. John Paul II explains a deepening in his devotion to our Blessed Mother.
News
December 25, 2025
Today, I write to you with a reflection about gifts. The passage comes from the Book of Prayer and Meditation (1554), written by the Dominican friar Louis of Granada.