Economics and Catholic Social Thought: A Primer
2026-08-02 - 2026-08-05 | University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, Notre Dame, IN
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Now in its ninth year, this seminar is designed as an introduction and immersion into Catholic social thought for graduate students and (junior) faculty in economics, finance, or related fields. Participants will cover foundational principles in Catholic social thought, starting with the human person, dignity, freedom, subsidiarity, solidarity, and the common good, and moving toward applications of these principles to conceptual understandings and ethical considerations involving economic topics such as utility theory, firm and business ethics, wages, markets, globalization, poverty, and development. Participants will delve into social encyclicals, secondary sources, and relevant economics texts.
This seminar is sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute; the Catholic Research Economists Discussion Organization; the De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture; the Kellogg Institute for International Studies; and the the Institute for the Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, College of Arts and Letters, University of Notre Dame.
Format: There will be two sessions each day, featuring a different instructor. Each instructor will open with a lecture, and then we will turn to a seminar-style discussion of the texts and issues at hand. In the final sessions, we will discuss how the material can be applied to each student’s particular area of interest.
Location: The seminar will take place at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend.
Participants will arrive on August 2 and will depart on August 5.
There are no registration or tuition costs to the seminar.

All participants will be provided with accommodations and meals.
Partial travel reimbursement funds are available as awarded to offset travel costs.

Application Information: This seminar will be open to PhD students and faculty in economics, finance and related fields.
Applicants will be required to submit a completed online application form, including:
An updated CV.
A brief statement interest no longer than 750 words.
All application materials can be submitted via the online application.
Fifteen students will be admitted to this seminar.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the seminar is filled. For fullest consideration, apply by April 6, 2026
Please direct any further questions to seminars@lumenchristi.org

Catholic Social Thought: A Critical Investigation
2026-08-02 - 2026-08-08 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
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“The Lumen Christi Institute will host its second week-long seminar for recent PhDs interested in the Catholic intellectual tradition. In this seminar, participants will read, analyze, and discern continuities and discontinuities in Catholic social thought from the late 19th century to the present. Lectures, seminar reports, and discussion will focus on original sources (encyclicals and other magisterial documents), beginning with Rerum novarum (1892) and concluding with Caritas in veritate (2009) and Evangelii Gaudium (2013). This intensive course is multi-disciplinary, since this tradition of social thought overlaps several disciplines in the contemporary university including political science, political philosophy, law, economics, theology, and history. The seminar is an opportunity to meet 12 to 15 promising scholars working in different academic fields, all with interests tied to Catholicism.
This seminar is our 2026 annual postdoctoral/early career scholar seminar.
There are no seminar fees and reading materials are provided. LCI will cover accommodations and most meals. Additionally, participants travel expenses will be reimbursed up to $500.
Applicants must have received the Ph.D. no earlier than January 2022. Ph.D. candidates will be considered and must complete the Ph.D. by seminar (July 1, 2026).
The seminar will begin with Vespers, followed by a welcome dinner on Sunday, August 2 and conclude the evening of Friday, August 8.”
This project is made possible through the support of In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation and the generous support of our donors.

"From Ancient Wisdom to Person-Centered Care": Historical, Philosophical, and Theological Foundations of Healthcare
2026-08-04 - 2026-08-08 | Anselm House (University of Minnesota), 720 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, United States
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Anselm House & Lumen Christi Institute present:
“From Ancient Wisdom to Person-Centered Care”: Historical, Philosophical, and Theological Foundations of Healthcare”
August 4-August 8, 2026
At a time when many learners in the health sciences feel stretched thin, morally conflicted, or uncertain about who they are becoming, we have created a space for the hungry and the weary to slow down, ask deeper questions about the professions they are entering, and deepen their moral and spiritual perspectives as they seek purpose in the healing arts.
From Ancient Wisdom to Person-Centered Care is a 4.5-day immersive experience for graduate-level health sciences learners—especially medical and nursing students—who want time and space to reflect on the deeper meaning of medicine, faith, and vocation amid the realities of modern healthcare.
During the first 2.5 days, participants will gather around shared meals, interactive lectures, seminar-style discussions, and unhurried conversations with faculty to explore foundational texts from the Judeo-Christian tradition and its philosophical partners. Readings range from ancient Greek and Hebrew sources through figures such as Galen, Hildegard of Bingen, and Maimonides. Together, we will wrestle with enduring questions that continue to shape clinical practice today: What does it mean to care for the whole person? What is the clinician–patient relationship really for? How do calling, character, and conscience matter in healthcare? These questions will be explored in conversation with ancient wisdom and carried forward into contemporary contexts.
As the seminar unfolds, learners will also be introduced to modern philosophical and theological accounts of personhood, attending carefully to how the promise and pressure of contemporary medicine—especially where efficiency, technology, and institutional demands collide with deeply held values—can be navigated with integrity and hope.
The experience culminates in a day-and-a-half symposium with the noted physician and philosopher Daniel P. Sulmasy. His work on spirituality in healthcare will enliven participants’ imaginations as they engage him in an intimate setting with one of the leading voices at the intersection of medicine, ethics, and faith.
Hosted at the University of Minnesota, the program also includes time to explore local art and culture, participate in worship at congregations or parishes of one’s choosing, and build community with peers who seek to become clinicians formed not only by competence, but by wisdom.
If you are a graduate-level health sciences student who has ever wondered:

What is medicine and healthcare ultimately for?
How can I live my faith and values with integrity in healthcare?
How do I navigate moral conflict, burnout, or disillusionment as a clinician in training?
Who am I becoming through this work—and who do I hope to be?

—this experience may be for you.
The seminar will be led by Professors Jon C. Tilburt, M.D. (Mayo Clinic), Evan Beacom (University of Minnesota Twin Cities) & Daniel Sulmasy (Georgetown University)
LOCATION AND FORMAT
This is a fully in-person experience; no virtual option is available. Attendance for the full program is required. Learners interested in attending only the final 1.5-day symposium may find more information at www.Anselmhouse.org.
The seminar will be held at Anselm House at the University of Minnesota between Tuesday August 4th and Saturday August 8th.
QUALIFICATIONS AND APPLICATION
The seminar is an opportunity to meet 15 promising scholars training in the medical fields at the graduate or resident level. There are no seminar fees and reading materials are provided. Accommodations and most meals will be provided. Additionally, participants will be reimbursed travel expenses up to $350.
Application Information:

Applicants will be required to submit a completed online application, including:

An updated CV/resume.
A brief statement of research interest related to seminar theme no longer than 750 words.
An academic letter of recommendation that speaks to the applicants academic qualifications and ability to participate in a collaborative learning seminar format.

All application materials can be submitted via the online application. Fifteen participants will be admitted to this seminar.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the seminar is filled. For fullest consideration, apply by April 6, 2026.

This seminar is made possible by Anselm House and the support of the Lumen Christi Institutes grant, In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation, and the generous support of donors.
Learners interested in attending only the final 1.5-day symposium may find more information at www.Anselmhouse.org.
Contact us with any questions at seminars@lumenchristi.org.

Newman Forum Summer Institute | There and Back Again: The Adventures of Heroes, Saints, and Pilgrims
2026-08-05 - 2026-08-09 | University of St. Mary of the Lake, 1000 E Maple Avenue, Mundelein, IL, 60060, United States
Newman Forum for High School Students
2026 Summer Institute
“There and Back Again: The Adventures of Heroes, Saints, and Pilgrims”
August 5-9
University of St. Mary of the Lake
APPLY HERE
Registration Deadline: June 29th, 2026 | $450
Early Bird Registration Discount: May 31st, 2026 | $250

Course Description
St. Augustine once wrote that we should “so seek as if we should find, and so find as if we were going to go on seeking.” Join us on the beautiful grounds of Mundelein Seminary for a week of exploring the Western and Catholic intellectual tradition as we examine together the rich theme of the journey. Our texts will be drawn from the Bible, Greek Mythology, and Christian literature, theology, and spirituality from the Medieval Era to the modern day. In our expedition together—alongside the likes of such adventurers as Odysseus, Augustine, Dante, Bonaventure, Teresa of Avila, and Don Quixote—we will consider what it means to set out as sojourners and pilgrims longing for a true homeland in which we’ve never lived, to act heroically in the face of a broken world, and finally to return home to God, accepting the call to be saints. As Pope Francis has said, all Christians are “people on a journey”: how can these biblical, literary, and theological narratives of journeying and pilgrimage help us to understand better our own holy journeys toward the fullness of time, when God shall be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28)?
High school students (including rising freshmen and recently graduated seniors) are welcome to apply for this 5-day seminar. Mornings will consist in academic seminars and small group, and afternoons will focus on these themes through team-building activities.
Applications are open until June 29th. Within two weeks of submitting their application, students will be informed of their admission decision. At that time students or their parents can request scholarship consideration. By July 15, students will be sent a handbook, welcome packet, syllabus & readings, and waiver forms. Students will be able to request a roommate at that time. The Newman Forum will try (but cannot promise) to accommodate all roommate requests. Students will be housed in two-bed units in the USML Conference Center. Males and females will be housed in different wings of the Conference Center.

Time is allocated in the Summer Institute schedule for private reading. Students do not need to prepare in advance. Students will be taught to use the Shorter Christian Prayer breviary to pray morning and night prayer. Mass is held daily and Confession will also be offered.
For more information, please email NewmanForum@LumenChristi.org
