Our Events

Rémi Brague (Sorbonne/University of Munich) cosponsored by the France Chicago Center at the University of Chicago We commonly conceive of the Good as being what we should do, sharing Aristotle’s rejection of Plato’s Idea of the Good and his reduction of the good to what can be done by a free subject. Since this subject is a human being, it must first come to be by being born, a process in which we don’t “do” anything and are radically non-free. To what extent can we call this process “good”? If not, we cannot  ensure the perpetuation of humankind. Should humankind...

A master class discussion on On the God of the Christians (and one or two others) by Rémi Brague with Rémi Brague (Sorbonne/University of Munich) REGISTER HERE In this one-off seminar, participants will discuss the bookOn the God of the Christians with the author, philosopher Rémi Brague. They will discuss Prof. Brague’s philosophical treatment of the unique character of the Christian conception of God among religions and philosophies. Topics will include the nature of Christian monotheism; revelation; the relation of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism; the Trinity; the Good; and human freedom. Participants will be provided with a complimentary copy of the book...

Mark Shiffman (Villanova University) cosponsored by the Medieval Studies Workshop “…is there a notion of love abroad in the world which, although we do not yet realize it, renders the marriage bond intolerable in its very essence?” Denis de Rougemont, Love in the Western World The celebration of passionate romantic love in the modern West has its cultural roots in the courtly poetry of medieval Provence. In Love in the Western World, Denis de Rougemont argues that this poetic tradition tacitly communicates the religious vision of the Cathars, a Gnostic dualist sect that disdained marriage and the body. His thesis unfolds...

a luncheon discussion with Mark Shiffman (Villanova University) REGISTER HERE More than a decade ago, David Brooks coined “organization kids” to describe a generation of America’s elite university students driven from early childhood toward a nearly certain goal: success. Today, these students are not as confident that success is inevitable. They are often beleaguered by the fear that all of their effort and achievement won’t be enough. This anxiety has led to a steady decline in humanities majors across the country. In this discussion, Prof. Shiffman will make a case for the humanities as an antidote to this anxiety and...

An event for legal scholars and law students cosponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute and the Law Professors’ Christian Fellowship. FRIDAY, JANUARY 2 4:00-7:00PM University Club of Washington, DC 1135 16th Street NW Washington, DC 20036 with Barbara E. Armacost (University of Virginia Law School) Robert Vischer (University of St. Thomas School of Law) REGISTER HERE This event is intended for legal scholars and law students. Others interested in attending, please contact info@lumenchristi.org or 773-955-5887. EVENT SCHEDULE: 4:00 “The Vocation of a Christian Lawyer” with Barbara E. Armacost & Robert Vischer 5:15 Vespers, Fr. Paul K. Rourke, S.J. 5:45 Reception

Tuesdays, January 6-March 3 Gavin House, 1220 East 58th Street 6:00pm:  Informal Dinner 6:30pm: Presentation REGISTER HERE Intended for university students and recent graduates. Others interested in attending please contact info@lumenchristi.org. SCHEDULE: Tuesday, January 6 Geert Grote and Devotio Moderna Aaron Canty, Saint Xavier University Tuesday, January 13 Julian of Norwich Scott Moringiello, DePaul University Tuesday, January 20 A Recipe for Conversion and Reform: St. Catherine of Siena’s Letter 346 to Pope Urban VI Karen Scott, DePaul University Tuesday, January 27 The Council of Constance Scott Moringiello, DePaul University Tuesday, February 3 Erudition, Education, and Reform: Erasmus and Renaissance Christian Humanism Brad Gregory, University of Notre Dame...

Lawrence Cunningham (University of Notre Dame) cosponsored by Calvert House and the Chicago Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society Among the most well-known spiritual figures of the 20th Century, Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was an aspiring poet and writer before his conversion and eventual entrance into a Trappist Monastery in 1941. It took time for Merton to understand that his writing was not alien to his chosen contemplative vocation but integral to it. This realization helped him to write works such as Thoughts in Solitude and New Seeds of Contemplation and deepened his spiritual development in all of its complexity. Merton helps us to understand how...

Jon Levenson (Harvard University) Cosponsored by the University of Chicago Divinity School and the Jewish Studies Workshop The patriarch Abraham has a central role in the self-understanding of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. He is also widely considered a symbol of common ancestry, moral conviction and future unity among the three “Abrahamic” religions. This lecture will consider the distinct interpretations Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have given to the biblical narratives concerning Abraham, exploring the enduring theological divergences and agreements.

a symposium with Jonathan Lear (University of Chicago) Bernard McGinn (University of Chicago) Lisa Ruddick (University of Chicago) Rosanna Warren (University of Chicago) Thomas Pavel,  Moderator (University of Chicago) cosponsored by the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought REGISTER HERE Many of the cultural products of the world’s civilizations have arisen out of the inner life of religious figures, poets, and philosophers, in which the roots of self-knowledge, creative imagination, or communion with God are found. Without neglecting the interior lives of ordinary people, one can cite as examples Socrates’s mystic trances, St. Teresa of Avila’s discovery of an “interior castle,”...

Bernard McGinn (University of Chicago) REGISTER HERE In this three-hour seminar, Prof. McGinn will lead students through the major themes of Teresa of Ávila’s The Interior Castle, a masterpiece of Christian mysticism by one of the most profound spiritual figures in the History of Christianity. Participants will be provided with a complimentary copy of the book if needed and are required to read it in preparation for the seminar. The Paulist Press version of Teresa of Avila: The Interior Castle is preferred but not required if you already own another version. This master class is open to all graduate and undergraduate students, including...