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Reading Groups
Event Series Confederacy of Dunces Graduate Reading Group

Confederacy of Dunces Graduate Reading Group

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL

Take a journey with us through the vibrant streets of New Orleans' French Quarter as we read A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole's masterpiece of humor and a character study of one of the giants of literature, Ignatius J. Reilly. In this group, we will explore the book's cadre of distinctive characters and Toole's synthesis of New Orleans' contradictory gumbo of vice, race, and French Catholicism. We hope we'll be able to balance the belly laughs with the thoughtful insights the book offers into the absurdity of the modern world, the struggle to live an authentic life, and whether a Medieval tome works better as a guide to living a good life or a doorstop.

Reading Groups
Event Series Latin Vulgate Reading Group

Latin Vulgate Reading Group

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL

St. Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible was used exclusively by the Western Church for centuries; its significance for the Roman Catholic tradition cannot be overstated. In this group, we will work through sections of the Vulgate in order to appreciate its beauty and practice our Latin. For the first session, no preparation is necessary; we will decide together which texts we will read. Please come with a desire to grow in Latin Bible knowledge with St. Jerome and friends!

Reading Groups
Event Series Dante’s Divine Comedy Graduate Reading Group

God-Talk: The Heart of Judaism Reading Course

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL
Rev. Andrew Summerson, University of St. Michael’s College

David Novak, one of the most distinguished Jewish theologians in the world, offers a new interpretation of how the Jewish people and the Jewish tradition talk about God. What does the Torah say about God? How does the God of the Torah talk about Godself? And how does the God of the Torah talk about human beings? The book traces the history and theology of God-talk in Judaism, and how it remains relevant, now more than ever, and speaks directly to contemporary issues such as human rights.

Non-Credit Courses
Event Series Non-Credit Course | Experience of Grace

Non-Credit Course | Experience of Grace

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL
Fr. Peter Bernardi, SJ, Lumen Christi Institute

Christian Faith proclaims that we are saved by divine Grace.  What is “grace” and how do we experience it?  What is special about the Catholic understanding of grace?  What  major controversies have clarified the understanding of grace?   This class will draw on Scripture, short autobiographical accounts, and film to show the transformative power of grace in the lives of men and women such as Paul of Tarsus, Augustine of Hippo, Ignatius of Loyola, Edith Stein, Dorothy Day, and Bernard Nathanson who were enabled by grace to flourish beyond what they could "ask or imagine" .

Cultural Forum

“Listening in on ‘The Great Conversation'” | The University of Chicago in the 1940s — 1960s

Ralph Lerner, University of Chicago | David Novak, University of Toronto | John W. Boyer, University of Chicago

What was college life like at the University of Chicago at mid century? Atomic fission was being achieved under Stagg Field; the intensive four-year Core Curriculum was in full swing; and world-historical scholars like Friedrich Hayek, Leo Strauss, and Hannah Arendt were on faculty. The eminent political philosopher (AB '47) Ralph Lerner and renowned theologian David Novak (AB '61) will reflect on their undergraduate years at the college, the role the University played in their intellectual journeys, and the place of religious belief in the life of the mind.

Lectures & Symposia

Maimonides on Islam and Christianity

Yousef Casewit, University of Chicago | Matthew Levering, University of Saint Mary of the Lake | David Novak, University of Toronto

In biblical times, the religious divide between the Jews and the Gentiles was straightforward: the Gentiles worship a variety of "other gods" (polytheism); the Jews alone worship the One and Only God, the Creator of the universe (monotheism). But with the rise of Christianity and Islam, there are now two peoples claiming to worship the same God as do the Jews. How did Maimonides accept these claims, yet cogently affirm the superiority of Judaism?

Reading Groups
Event Series Confederacy of Dunces Graduate Reading Group

Confederacy of Dunces Graduate Reading Group

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL

Take a journey with us through the vibrant streets of New Orleans' French Quarter as we read A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole's masterpiece of humor and a character study of one of the giants of literature, Ignatius J. Reilly. In this group, we will explore the book's cadre of distinctive characters and Toole's synthesis of New Orleans' contradictory gumbo of vice, race, and French Catholicism. We hope we'll be able to balance the belly laughs with the thoughtful insights the book offers into the absurdity of the modern world, the struggle to live an authentic life, and whether a Medieval tome works better as a guide to living a good life or a doorstop.

Reading Groups
Event Series Latin Vulgate Reading Group

Latin Vulgate Reading Group

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL

St. Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible was used exclusively by the Western Church for centuries; its significance for the Roman Catholic tradition cannot be overstated. In this group, we will work through sections of the Vulgate in order to appreciate its beauty and practice our Latin. For the first session, no preparation is necessary; we will decide together which texts we will read. Please come with a desire to grow in Latin Bible knowledge with St. Jerome and friends!

Cultural Forum

What Can We Say About God? An Interview with David Novak on God-Talk

University Club of Chicago 76 E Monroe St Chicago, IL 60603, Downtown, IL
David Novak, University of Toronto | Melanie Barrett, University of St. Mary of the Lake

The Judeo-Christian tradition has long grappled with how man speaks of God and how God speaks of of himself.  In his new book, God-Talk, the distinguished Jewish philosopher David Novak offers a new perspective on how the Jewish people and tradition talk about God. What does the Torah say about God? How does the God of the Torah talk about himself? And how does God talk about human beings?

Non-Credit Courses
Event Series Non-Credit Course | Experience of Grace

Non-Credit Course | Experience of Grace

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL
Fr. Peter Bernardi, SJ, Lumen Christi Institute

Christian Faith proclaims that we are saved by divine Grace.  What is “grace” and how do we experience it?  What is special about the Catholic understanding of grace?  What  major controversies have clarified the understanding of grace?   This class will draw on Scripture, short autobiographical accounts, and film to show the transformative power of grace in the lives of men and women such as Paul of Tarsus, Augustine of Hippo, Ignatius of Loyola, Edith Stein, Dorothy Day, and Bernard Nathanson who were enabled by grace to flourish beyond what they could "ask or imagine" .

Reading Groups
Event Series On the Nature of Angels: Thomas Aquinas Reading Group

On the Nature of Angels: Thomas Aquinas Reading Course

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL

One of St. Thomas Aquinas's very last projects was a treatise on angels. With a more historical approach than that of either Summa on the subject, it addresses such topics the immateriality of angels, their origin, their knowledge, and the distinctions among them, including the distinction between the good ones and the bad ones. Along the way, it offers some of Thomas’s most sophisticated discussions of the metaphysics of creation, hylomorphism, and participation.

Reading Groups
Event Series Confederacy of Dunces Graduate Reading Group

Confederacy of Dunces Graduate Reading Group

Gavin House 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL

Take a journey with us through the vibrant streets of New Orleans' French Quarter as we read A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole's masterpiece of humor and a character study of one of the giants of literature, Ignatius J. Reilly. In this group, we will explore the book's cadre of distinctive characters and Toole's synthesis of New Orleans' contradictory gumbo of vice, race, and French Catholicism. We hope we'll be able to balance the belly laughs with the thoughtful insights the book offers into the absurdity of the modern world, the struggle to live an authentic life, and whether a Medieval tome works better as a guide to living a good life or a doorstop.