Lumen Christi Institute

Greek New Testament (Spring)
2026-04-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-05-01 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-05-08 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-05-15 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
REGISTER BELOW
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Refreshments Provided
This event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Students will receive a copy of the texts.
“In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” This dramatic opening salvo of the Letter to the Hebrews, summarizing salvation history, is one of the most famous and consequential one-liners in the New Testament. But who is this Son? How is he “appointed heir of all things”? What is the relationship between God’s message through him and His message through the prophets? In this reading group, we will examine, through careful study of the Koine Greek text, how the Letter to the Hebrews answers these questions and more, with an eye to the authorship, audience, and genre of this mysterious text. All levels of Greek proficiency are encouraged to join. Advance preparation is recommended but not required.
Schedule:

April 9*: Hebrews 10.1–18 (Christ’s Sacrifice)

April 17: Hebrews 10.19–39 (Exhortation to Persevere)

April 24: Hebrews 11.1–22 (Examples of Faith Part I)

May 1: Hebrews 11.23–40 (Examples of Faith Part 2)

May 8: Hebrews 12

May 15: Hebrews 13

*The first session takes place at the normal time but on Thursday.
Series Description:
Language Reading Group
Each quarter, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts at least one classical language reading group at Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.). The reading groups are usually held over a shared meal and all participants are provided a copy of the text. Any student interested in working on his or her classical languages is welcome to join. No religious affiliation is necessary.

The Cloud of Unknowing
2026-04-27 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-05-04 18:00 - 19:30
REGISTER BELOW
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided
This event is designated for University of Chicago undergraduate students. Students will receive a copy of the text. You may pick up your copy any time during business hours from Gavin House. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org.
Description:
The Cloud of Unknowing, a gem of English mysticism, is both a guide and a warning to the spiritual seeker. Written anonymously in the 14th century, the Cloud troubles the relation between man and God, making spirituality an antidote to the secular world and despair the path towards glimpses of enlightenment. Through the Cloud and the writings of contemporary thinkers and mystics, we will explore the spiritual lives of medieval laity and differing conceptions of the contemplative life.
Schedule:

April 6th: Introduction, What is Spiritual Life?

Exhortation, Chs. 1-6

April 13th: The Contemplative Life

Chs. 7-24

April 20th: The Work of the Soul

Chs. 25-46

April 27th: Perfection of the Soul

Chs. 46-60

May 4th: Conclusion, Practical Considerations

Chs. 61-75, Book of Privy Counseling

Optional Readings: Group Folder
Series Description:
Undergraduate Reading Group
Each quarter, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts a number of student-led reading groups at Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.). The reading groups are usually held over a shared meal and all participants are provided a copy of the text. Any undergraduate interested in a shared reading of a great text is welcome to join. No religious affiliation is necessary.

An Ordinary Life Well Lived: Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead
2026-04-29 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-05-06 18:00 - 19:30
REGISTER BELOW
6:00 – 7:30 | Dinner Provided
This event is designated for University of Chicago graduate students. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org.
Description:
“Love is holy because it is like grace–the worthiness of its object is never really what matters.” – Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead tells the story of Congregationalist minister John Ames, who, with the knowledge that the end of his life is near, decides to pen a testament to his seven-year old son, something for his son to keep close as he grows up without his father. Ames’ reflections are wide-ranging and probing: on faith and doubt, on fathers and sons, on forgiveness, and on return of an old friend’s prodigal child who threatens to disturb the peace Ames has made with his life. We’ll meet each week to discuss the novel and what Ames’ testament might teach us about love, grace, parenthood, and what it means to live well. In a world that prizes speed, spectacle, and novelty for its own sake, Gilead urges the opposite: attention, slowness, and fidelity to an ordinary life well lived. This, Marilynne Robinson says, “is an interesting planet. It deserves all the attention you can give it.” Join us each week as we do just that.
Schedule:

Week 1 (Wed. April 1)

Pg. 1–41

Week 2 (Wed. April 8)

Pg. 42–81

Week 3 (Wed. April 15)

Pg. 82–120

Week 4 (Wed. April 22)

Pg. 121–162

Week 5 (Wed. April 29)

Pg 162–206

Week 6 (Wed. May 6)

206–end.

Series Description:
Graduate Student Reading Group
Each quarter, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts a number of student-led reading groups at Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.). The reading groups are usually held over a shared meal and all participants are provided a copy of the text. Any graduate student interested in a shared reading of a great text is welcome to join. No religious affiliation is necessary.

The Master and Margarita
2026-04-30 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-05-07 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-05-14 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-05-21 19:00 - 20:30
REGISTER BELOW
Meets Weekly on Thursdays: April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21
7:00 – 8:30 (the time has changed) | Dinner Provided
This event is designated for University of Chicago undergraduate students. Students will receive a copy of the texts. You may pick up your copy any time during business hours from Gavin House. Please reach out to William Hurley for any questions (whurley@lumenchristi.org).
A city whose citizens refused to believe in the existence of Jesus, God or Satan. A certain Satan who arrived in this city—Moscow—with his retinue, on a hot spring day. A nameless writer pilloried by his novel on Pontius Pilate and his fiery lover who was willing to do anything to save him, including going to literal hell. A mental facility. A talking black cat who cheated in chess and loved kerosene. The cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the knight Pontius Pilate.
A culmination of religious and political satire, warm humor, and surreal imagination, Mikhail Bulgakov’s masterpiece was at the same time ardent and deeply philosophical.
Our weekly dinnertime reading group will freely discuss the text in an enriching and inclusive communal setting. In our final session on Week 9, Professor Caryl Emerson from Princeton University will join us to answer questions and wrap up important themes of the book.
For each week, there will be 30-40 pages of required reading, and 10-20 pages of optional reading. Our conversation will focus on the required readings. At the end of each session, I will briefly go over the plot in the optional chapters so that we are on the same page. With that said, Bulgakov should be a light and delightful read, and I encourage everyone to do the optional chapters too. The questions and fragmented bullet points, as seen below, are guidelines that may prompt conversation but we definitely don’t have to adhere to them. Note that although they are generalized and willfully opaque, they still contain mild spoilers.
Copies of The Master and Margarita will be provided to all participants. Weekly meetings are held over dinner. Weekly reading assignments are kept at or below 30 pages.
Each quarter, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts a number of student-led reading groups at Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.). The reading groups are usually held over a shared meal and all participants are provided a copy of the text. Any undergraduate interested in a shared reading of a great text is welcome to join. No religious affiliation is necessary.
Schedule:

April 2

Book One, Ch. 1-3 (p. 3-41)
Optional: Ch. 4-6 (p. 42-67)

April 9

Book One, Ch. 7-9 (p. 68-94)
Optional: Ch. 10 (p. 95-104)

April 16

Book One, Ch. 11-13 (p. 105-139)
Optional: Ch. 14 (p. 140-147)

April 23

Book One, Ch. 15-16 (p. 148-170)
Book One, Ch. 18 (p. 183-201)
Optional: Ch. 17 (p. 171-182)

April 30

Book Two, Ch. 19-22 (p. 205-246)

May 7

Book Two, Ch. 23-24 (p. 247-282)
Optional: Ch. 25 (p. 283-292)

May 14

Book Two, Ch. 26-27 (p. 293-326)
Optional: Ch. 28 (p. 327-337)

May 21

Book Two, Ch. 29-30 (p. 338-353)
Book Two, Ch. 32-Epilogue (p. 363-373)
Optional: Ch. 31 (p. 354-356)

Series Description:
Undergraduate Reading Group
Each quarter, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts a number of student-led reading groups at Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.). The reading groups are usually held over a shared meal and all participants are provided a copy of the text. Any undergraduate interested in a shared reading of a great text is welcome to join. No religious affiliation is necessary.
