Lumen Christi Institute

Humanism as an Educational Ideal
2021-02-06 16:00 (America/Chicago)
The ideal of educating the total human person – the project that took on the name “humanism” – became a widespread norm for education in the Christian world of early modern Europe, whence it spread to North and South America. This humanist ideal has competed for influence with other educational ideals, most especially with those pursued by universities. Fr. John O’Malley examines the sources of the humanistic style of learning, the place of that style in Catholic culture, and, more broadly, in the world in which we live. He examines the courses of study that came to characterize it, how humanism has developed and adapted over time, and what may be its prospects in the future.
This event is co-presented with the Harvard Catholic Forum, and co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute, the Collegium Institute, the Nova Forum, the Institute for Faith and Culture, the St. Paul’s Catholic University Center, and the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Pledges of the Saints: The Cult of Relics in the Catholic Tradition
2021-02-13 11:00
This event is co-presented with the Bollandist Society. This event is co-sponsored by America Media, the Collegium Institute, the Harvard Catholic Forum, the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, the Nova Forum, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, the Saint Benedict Institute, and the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage.
The physical remains of saints are often referred to as pignora, that is, as security deposits or pledges of the continued concern that the saints, although in heaven, continue to show for those who venerate them. In this lecture will discuss the origin of the cult of relics, the process by which these cults, originally concentrated on the tombs of saints, became mobile, and how the veneration of saints led to the dismemberment of saints’ bodies and the distribution of relics throughout Christendom. It will also consider the resulting anxieties about relics’ authenticity, the efforts to control and regulate the cult of relics, and the competition that relics have received from other types of sacred or sanctified objects.

Learning Poverty and Education Pluralism: The Global Catholic Education Report 2021
2021-02-16 11:00
Catholic schools serve close to 62 million students globally at the preschool, primary, and secondary levels, with in addition more than 6 million students enrolled at the post-secondary level. By managing the largest non-governmental network of schools and universities in the world, the Catholic Church plays an important role in efforts to achieve SDG4, especially in low-income countries. In 2020, OIEC released the first Global Catholic Education Report. The second edition of the report for 2021 under the new collaborative Global Catholic Education project (www.GlobalCatholicEducation.org) focuses on learning poverty, education pluralism, and the implications of the COVID-19 Crisis. The report explores the impact of the crisis on educational attainment and learning across countries, as well as the issue of education pluralism, suggesting that education pluralism should be taken into account when considering state support for nonprofit faith-based schools and universities. The report also discusses regulatory framework for Catholic schools and universities, as well as interventions that could improve educational outcomes. Finally, the report includes an updated statistical annex on enrollment trends in Catholic schools and universities in more than 100 countries. After a presentation summarizing the main findings from the Global Catholic Education Report 2021, panelists will share their views on how Catholic schools and universities globally could improve the education they provide and confront some of the most pressing challenges they face.
Free and open to the public. The event will be held online over Zoom and will be livestreamed on YouTube. This event is organized with the Catholic Research Economists Discussion Organization (CREDO), Global Catholic Education, Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education (GRACE), the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), and the International Office of Catholic Education (OIEC). This event is cosponsored by America Media, and the Roche Center for Catholic Education.
Presentation:
Quentin Wodon, International Office of Catholic Education
Discussants:
François Mabille, Secretary General, International Federation of Catholic Universities
Augusta Muthigani, National Executive Secretary, Commission for Education and Religious Education, Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops
Halsey Rogers, Lead Economist, World Bank, Washington, DC

Miracles: Source of Truth or Violation of Natural Law?
2021-02-18 19:30
From the beginning, Christian faith has been founded on the evidence of miracles: the Incarnation, the Resurrection, the signs and wonders worked by Jesus, the workings of the Holy Spirit in the Church. But miracles, especially those claimed to have happened after New Testament times, have provoked unease and skepticism, even among Christians. Enlightenment rationalism tended to argue them away completely. Professor Johnson asks: what place do miracles have in the Biblical vision? And how should we understand them today?
This event is co-presented with the Harvard Catholic Forum, as their Daniel Harrington SJ Memorial Lecture. This event is co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, the Institute for Faith and Culture, the St. Paul’s Catholic University Center, St. Peter Parish (Cambridge, MA), Catholic Parishes of Arlington, MA, and the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Medical Ethics, Science Fiction, and What it Means to be Human
2021-02-20 10:00 | ONLINE, World Wide Web, INTERNET
Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute’s Newman Forum. Open to current high school students. This event is cosponsored by the University of Saint Mary of the Lake at Mundelein Seminary, the Archdiocese of Chicago Vocation Office, and Duc in Altum schools collaborative.
In a world of genetic engineering, what does it mean to be human? Do rapid medical advancements tempt us to ‘play God’?
What if you could implant a device that would improve your memory? Would you do it? Should you do it? Should you be allowed to take the ACT with a “memory prosthesis?”
Should insurance companies be able to analyze your genetic code and offer you different rates based on when they predict you will die? Or even deny you insurance altogether?
How can we tally up the moral and ethical implications of medical advances when they’re moving so fast, they seem to come straight out of science fiction novels?
Join us on Saturday, February 20th for a half-day, online conference, “Medical Ethics, Science Fiction, and What it Means to be Human.” Professor Jeffrey Bishop (SLU) will guide us through the philosophical and theological problems connected to technological advancement. Professor Michael Murphy (Loyola Chicago) will show us how science fiction can help us think about ethical issues from a creative perspective.
While it may seem strange, the Catholic Church’s intellectual tradition may give us the resources we need to think about what we should do when technological advance has offered us the opportunity to “be as Gods” (Genesis 3:5).
Cost is $15 per participant. Scholarships are available. Group discount (flat rate of $100) for groups of 7+ student participants! Group leaders are invited to be discussion group leaders, if they so choose. Duc in Altum affiliates receive an additional discount. Please contact Austin (awalker@lumenchristi.org) or Madison (mchastain@lumenchristi.org) for more information on large group procedures.
Schedule:
9:00am — Welcome & Prayer
9:10am — 1st Lecture (35 minutes)
9:50am — 1st Q&A (15 minutes)
10:05am — short break
10:15am — 2nd Lecture
10:55am — 2nd Q&A
11:10am — Discussion Group (35/40 mins, w/time for break built in)
12:00pm — Final Panel w/both Lecturers
12:20pm — Closing Prayer (10 minutes)
We will introduce the prompts for our Spring Essay Contest at the conclusion of the conference!

The Impact of Asteroids
2021-02-24 13:30
This event is presented by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame as part of The Steno Lectures; Discussions at the Intersection of Faith and Science and co-sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute, the Society of Catholic Scientists, and the Harvard Catholic Forum.
As the human race increasingly covers planet Earth, we are providing an ever-growing target for the regular impacts of near-Earth objects. What are the odds that impactors from space will do major damage to human life on Earth? What’s the underlying science? And what are the larger implications for our place in the universe?

Conversion and the Rehabilitation of the Penal System
2021-03-04 20:00
This event is co-sponsored by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago, the Boston College Law School, the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Kolbe House Jail Ministry, St. Paul’s Catholic University Center, the Collegium Institute’s Legal Humanities Project, the National Center for the Laity, America Media, and Oxford University Press.
There is growing bipartisan awareness of the need to reform the American criminal justice system. Solutions have been sought for over-criminalization, over-incarceration, and the disproportionate effect of the system upon minority communities. Many have observed a difference between European models of criminal justice, such as that in Germany, and the unique harshness of their American counterpart.
Yet the answer to the ongoing crisis may lie beyond mere policy changes. Professor Andrew Skotnicki of Manhattan College argues that the problems inherent to our criminal justice system are rooted in misguided theology and anthropology. Join Professor Skotnicki and Cecelia Klingele (University of Wisconsin Law School) for their discussion of Skotnicki’s book, Conversion and the Rehabilitation of the Penal System (Oxford University Press, 2019), moderated by Cook County Judge Tom Donnelly. They will consider the origins of the current criminal justice system, the challenges that it faces, and the resources from the Catholic tradition that may offer a way forward.
This event is part of the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network, a new initiative of the Lumen Christi Institute.

Spirituality and the Saints
2021-03-13 11:00
This event is co-presented with the Bollandist Society and co-sponsored by America Media, the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, and the Harvard Catholic Forum.
In this presentation, Fr. Mark Rotsaert will look to sanctity as a gift of the Spirit and reflect on the different ways one can become a saint and the universal call to holiness according to Pope Francis’ exhortation Gaudete et exsultate. Do saints have a specific kind of spirituality? Is sanctity the same as perfection? Are the saints perfect?

Fragile Democracy: Technocratic Takeover and Popular Renewal
2021-03-20 10:00
This event is co-presented with the Nova Forum and co-sponsored by America Media, the Collegium Institute, the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, and the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies.
We are experiencing a crisis of democracy more powerful than anything seen in a generation: inequality continues at a galloping pace; policing is increasingly racialized and militarized; political decision-making appears remote and divorced from the lives of ordinary people.
This panel discussion—including renowned philosopher Charles Taylor–will consider sources and solutions to the present crisis of democracy by drawing on two recent books: Reconstructing Democracy by Charles Taylor, Patrizia Nanz, and Madeleine Beaubien Taylor and We Built Reality by Jason Blakely.
Both works identify within our political and cultural crisis the loss of democratic participation and the rise of top-down technocratic, managerial rule.

Themes in Catholic Social Thought: Three Necessary Societies
2021-03-26 13:00 - 15:00
Open to current graduate students. This master class will take place online on Zoom. Copies of the readings will be provided. Others interested in participating should contact us.
The modern social magisterium, which emerged during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903), held that the dignity of human society exemplified in three necessary societies. By nature or grace, human beings are domestic (marriage-family), political, and ecclesial animals. Each has an origin in some kind of necessity, but the necessities are paths to human excellence and happiness. In the first master class we will consider the political and documentary history of the teachings on the origin and interrelation of these societies. In the second master class we will look carefully at the deeper ontology of social order.
Join us on April 23 for a follow-up master class to this topic on “Society as Sacrament.”

A Good Man is Hard to Find: St. Joseph in Art
2021-03-27 15:00
This event is co-presented with the Harvard Catholic Forum and co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, the Ars Vivendi Arts Initiative of the Collegium Institute, the St. Paul’s Catholic Center, the St. Lawrence Institute for Faith and Culture, and the New England Chapter of the Patron of the Arts Vatican Museums.
St. Joseph was an unassuming latecomer to the history of art, but once discovered, his images evolved rapidly to serve the Catholic Church during challenging times. From model for the papacy, to symbol of marriage and fatherhood, to guide for a good death and advocate for the worker, St Joseph’s many guises have made him one of the Church’s greatest spiritual treasures. Following Pope Francis’ dedication of 2021 to St. Joseph, this talk will look at Giotto, Raphael, Murillo and others as we uncover the many faces of this quiet saint.

How to be a Corinthian
2021-03-30 19:00
This event is cosponsored by Calvert House Catholic Center.
The first recipients of St. Paul’s letters did not keep their letters to themselves; as part of the organic life of the Church that Catholics call “Tradition,” the letters of Paul were collected together and incorporated into the New Testament. One amazing consequence of this Tradition at work is that everyone who reads these letters, regardless of time or place, becomes a Corinthian, or a Roman, or an Ephesian, thanks to the unifying power of the Holy Spirit. This conference will reflect on how the early Church received these letters, and highlight specific texts that reveal how the voice of St. Paul still reaches us, both individuals and the Body of Christ collectively, today.

The Origins of Mass Incarceration: The Courts and the 1960s Criminal Procedure Revolution?
2021-04-08 19:00
This event is co-sponsored by Georgetown University Law Center, Notre Dame Law School, Boston College Law School, the University of St. Thomas School of Law, the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago, Catholic Prison Ministry Coalition, Kolbe House Jail Ministry, Seattle University, the Seattle University Crime and Justice Research Center, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, Fordham University School of Law, the Institute on Religion, Law and Lawyer’s Work at Fordham University School of Law, The Center on Race, Law, and Justice (Fordham University School of Law), the University of Denver College of Law Federalist Society, and the University of Colorado Federalist Society

American principles of justice and equality lead our culture to value the criminal trial as a fair hearing for the accused and vindication for the victims of crime. But the reality of the U.S. justice system falls far short of this ideal, making criminal trials the rare exception amidst a wave of plea bargains. When trials do take place, judges are often forced to impose mandatory sentences that do not fit the unique context of a given case.
Join Judge Stephanos Bibas from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, and author of The Machinery of Criminal Justice (Oxford University Press, 2015), and Professor William Pizzi, as they discuss Pizzi’s new book, The Supreme Court’s Role in Mass Incarceration (Routledge, 2020). Pizzi provocatively argues that the Supreme Court’s attempts to expand defendants’ rights in the 20th century unexpectedly led to the mass incarceration crisis today. He points to Canada as a beacon of hope, where an unelected, professional judiciary customizes sentences to fit the actual case. Unlike American courts, where judges are forced by repeat-offender laws to sentence defendants to decades for a minor offense, Canada’s judiciary freely metes out proportionate sentencing.
The discussion will be moderated by Cook County Judge Tom Donnelly.
This event is part of the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network, a new initiative of the Lumen Christi Institute.

The Eucharist in Art: Visualizing Mystery
2021-04-10 15:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is co-presented with the Harvard Catholic Forum and co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, the Ars Vivendi Arts Initiative of the Collegium Institute, the St. Paul’s Catholic Center, the St. Lawrence Institute for Faith and Culture, and the New England Chapter of the Patron of the Arts Vatican Museums.
The 17th century Catholic Church found itself engaged in a battle over the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Most Protestant Reformers rejected the teaching of Transubstantiation, while an increasingly empirical culture grew doubtful that a piece of bread and a glass of wine could ever be more than mere matter. To return the gaze of the faithful to mystery, to assist congregations to see beyond the material, the Catholic Church called upon the talent of Caravaggio. the Carracci School and other great artists, who produced works that still delight, teach and move people today. This talk will look at old masterpieces with new eyes, revealing how artists used their gifts to render the invisible, visible.

Teaching Catholic Doctrine en Español
2021-04-13 19:00
This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology. This event and series is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.
Language matters, and it matters much when sharing the best of our faith convictions with one another. Without language there is no communication, understanding or community. Sharing faith in the United States of America in an increasingly Hispanic church demands that we take questions associated with language seriously. Nearly fifteen million Catholics in the U.S. are Spanish-speaking immigrants. Many are raising their children “in Spanish.” Even though the vast majority of Hispanics are U.S. born and English-speaking, Spanish constantly shapes their cultural and religious imagination. In this presentation, we will reflect on the intersectionality of language, culture and religious identity among U.S. Hispanic Catholics at the time of sharing the faith and reflect theologically. To teach Catholic doctrine “en español,” literally or metaphorically, is an invitation to embrace the many creative ways in which God calls us to be church in the twenty-first century.

Pierre Manent on Natural Law and Human Rights
2021-04-16 13:00 - 16:00
This event is cosponsored by University of Notre Dame Press and the de Nicola Center for Ethics & Culture.
Shortly after the promulgation of the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, Jacques Maritain wrote, “With regard to Human Rights, what matters most to a philosopher is the question of their rational foundations. The philosophical foundation of the Rights of man is Natural Law. Sorry that we cannot find another word!” In his recent book Natural Law and Human Rights: Toward a Recovery of Practical Reason (Notre Dame Press, 2020), leading Catholic political philosopher Pierre Manent takes a different and decidedly more critical approach to the relationship between natural law and human rights.
Manent argues that the project of human rights is inextricably tied to an erroneous modern understanding of human beings as naturally isolated and apolitical individuals. He tries to show that this impoverished understanding of human nature, and thus human rights as its offspring, distorts our self-understanding and saps the intelligibility of law, natural or otherwise, as well as the fecundity of human action. As part of a solution to these difficulties, he concludes the book with a novel approach to natural law thinking that he proposes as a way of recovering the dignity of practical reason and moral action. While this book represents Manent’s first extended treatment of natural law, he examines these issues through the same tripartite lens of politics, philosophy, and religion that he has developed in his earlier publications.
In this master class, we will situate Manent’s book on natural law within the wider context of his work as a whole, and we will then discuss his arguments concerning natural law and human rights in some detail, with due sensitivity to his method of integrating insights from politics, philosophy, and religion. Finally, we will attempt to see Manent’s book as part of a conversation between prominent Catholic and secular political philosophers.

Ambrose and Augustine on Christian Holiness
2021-04-17 14:00
Free and open to the public. This event was held online through Zoom and live-streamed to YouTube. This event was co-presented with the Bollandist Society.
While Saints Ambrose and Augustine never define Christian holiness, this was the pursuit that fueled all of their writings, all of their sermons, and directed their everyday lives. By examining the writings of these two pillars of the Western Church, today’s talk seeks to show how Ambrose and Augustine understood holiness and what that might mean for our lives today.

Globalization from the People: Fratelli Tutti and the Latino Social Teaching of Pope Francis
2021-04-20 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology. This event and series is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a flash point for globalization as a sign of the times, revealing the best and worst of our interconnected human family. Released during the pandemic, Pope Francis’s Fratelli tutti speaks directly to the political crisis of globalization, following the worldwide financial and ecological crises addressed in the previous two social encyclicals of the twenty-first century. Despite the public conversation about Fratelli tutti, very little attention concerns the Latino theological and political imagination of Pope Francis’s social teaching. This talk examines the new encyclical of the first Hispanic Pope from the global South as someone formed in a teología del pueblo. Among the relevant topics raised in Fratelli tutti, we will explore the peculiar relationship between neoliberalism and universal human rights, and the providential role of popular movements for promoting global solidarity in sharp contrast to populism.

Among the Fragments: Race and the Fragile Hope of Wholeness in America
2021-04-22 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom. This event is presented by the Veritas Forum at the University of Chicago and co-sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute, the University Bible Fellowship, Christ Church Chicago, Living Hope Church, Vineyard Church Hyde Park, CRU, Poema, the Christian Legal Society, InterVarsity, UChicago Lutheran Campus Ministry, Calvert House, and Holy Trinity Church.
The legacy of race in America has left our society fragmented and fragile. But is there hope? Can Christianity provide a vision for joining these fragments together; a vision for human wholeness? Join Yale theologian Willie Jennings for an honest conversation during this interactive forum hosted by Veritas and the Christian community at UChicago.

Master Class on "Toward an Adequate Anthropology: Social Aspects of Imago Dei"
2021-04-23 13:00 - 15:00
Open to current graduate students. This master class will take place online on Zoom. Copies of the readings will be provided. Others interested in participating should contact us.
This master class is a follow-up to the March 26 session on Three Necessary Societies. The first master class considered pontifical teachings about the three societies necessary for human eudaimonia: domestic, political, and ecclesial. Having discussed how that theme evolved in Catholic social teaching, the second master class moves to a deeper metaphysical and theological consideration of social orders. The question is whether social unions are made unto the image and likeness of God. The reading will be Prof. Hittinger’s essay “Toward an Adequate Anthropology: Social Aspects of Imago Dei.”

Was Something Lost? Thomas Aquinas, Intellectual Disability, and the 16th Century Spanish Colonial Debates
2021-04-27 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology. This event and series is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute. This event is cosponsored by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. Live closed captioning will be made available on Zoom.
In the 16th century, there was a subtle shift in the way the Spanish Dominican interpreters of Thomas Aquinas spoke about the anthropological and moral significance of our rational faculties. Historical and textual markers, indicating both the origin and development of this interpretive shift, present amid the fierce engagement of the Spanish colonial debates.
Much has been written on the specific topic of those debates: i.e., the allegations concerning the rational status and moral aptitude of the Amerindian peoples and, by extension, the justice or injustice of the Spanish colonial enterprise in the Americas. However, it is difficult to find any scholarly work on the subject of the Spanish colonial debates: i.e., the anthropological and moral questions relevant to persons who seem to “lack the full use of reason.” Bearing that distinction in mind, between the topic and subject of the debates, this presentation for Lumen Christi is focused on persons who actually (and not allegedly) lack the full use of reason.
Key interpretations, appropriations, and arguments about Aristotle and Aquinas—in the writing of John Mair, Francisco de Vitoria, and Bartolome de las Casas—will be retraced to show how Aquinas’s way of thinking about the intellectual dignity and inalienable contemplative aptitude of persons who “lack the use of reason” came to be displaced from the main currents of Thomistic theological discourse.

Automation and the Future of Work: Insights from Economics and Catholic Social Thought
2021-04-29 14:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is co-presented with CREDO and cosponsored by the Las Casas Institute, Catholics at Booth, and America Media.

God is Complicated – Science is Complex
2021-04-29 19:00
Free and open to the public. Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute’s Newman Forum for High School Students. Cosponsored by The Society of Catholic Scientists and Mundelein Seminary.
The most important development in modern science that you’ve likely never heard of is “Complexity Theory.”
Why do highly ordered structures seem to emerge almost spontaneously from chaotic, random collections?
Whether it’s galaxies forming in the early universe, thousands of birds forming single flocks that move in perfect unison, or the possible emergence of life from random interactions of organic molecules, Complexity Theory is producing exciting new insights into how it all comes together. And if God works through complex systems, what does that tell us about the divine ordering of the natural world? Join us at 7pm CT on Zoom for a fascinating dive into complexity.
Please consider helping to underwrite the cost of the event, so it can reach the widest audience of Catholic high school students. Click HERE to donate, and be sure to indicate “High School Program” or “Newman Forum” in the memo.

United by Their Loves: Deciphering Augustine’s Understanding of a People
2021-05-01 10:00
This event is cosponsored by America Media.
The president in his inaugural address quoted Augustine of Hippo’s definition of a people as “a multitude defined by the common objects of their love.” This surprising event offers us the occasion to consider Augustine’s definition and its implications for our understanding of life in society: what role do our loves play in fashioning us as people? Can disparate loves divide a people? What does Augustine think we should love in order to belong to the people who inhabit the City of God? Join us for a moderated conversation between Profs. Russell Hittinger, Michael Sherwin, O.P., and Jennifer Frey on Augustine and the loves that form a People.

Latino Youth and Evangelization
2021-05-04 19:00
This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology. This event and series is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.
There are complex dynamics to account for when examining the intersectionality of religious identity, social context, and the lived experience of young Latinx in the U.S, and there is much to reflect upon when attending to the everyday life or lo cotidiano of young Latinx. Current research shows that almost half of Catholics in the United States self-identify as Hispanic, and that more than half of those Hispanic Catholics are young. To better understand the religious dynamics of young Latinx, we first must identify those who are affiliated as Catholics and those who are not, and examine how they understand their relationship with the faith. This requires a process of listening, reflection and participatory-action. There is a large group of young Latinx who self-identify as Catholics and no longer affiliate nor participate in a local church or any form of pastoral activity. In some cases, their faith identity and daily practice as Catholics is a pilgrimage where the Church is home, the streets, and other spaces, and the practices of their everyday life represent Catholicism.
This conversation aims to provide both practical and theological insight emerging from the particularities of pastoral and research work with young Latinx and their familias/comunidades. There is a great need to open concrete spaces in which young Latinx are listened to as they name themselves and are affirmed as active agents in the sharing of the good news of the Gospel. Let’s continue the conversation!

Spring 2021 Hispanic Theology Series
In the last half century, the demographics of Catholicism in America has shifted dramatically as Latino Catholic communities continue to grow. Today, nearly 50 percent of American Catholics are Latino. What are the trends and currents of Hispanic theology in the US? How does it draw from the deep wells of polyglot Catholic Intellectual tradition and from the experience of Catholics on the ground? How is Hispanic theology a resource today not only for Latino communities, but also the broader Church?
Join Tuesdays this Spring as the Lumen Christi Institute presents some of the top Latino/a scholars in the United States for an introduction to Hispanic Theology.
This series and event is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute and cosponsored by ACHTUS: The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the US , La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars of Religion, Corazón Puro, the Hispanic Theological Initiative, Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, Calvert House Catholic Ministry, Dominican University Ministry Program, the Ecclesia in America Network, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Óscar Romero Scholars Program at Catholic Theological Union, Iskali, Commonweal Magazine, and America Media.
Upcoming events in our series:
May 11 Beauty and Justice in the City: the Restoration of St. Adalbert’s, in Pilsen, with Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado (University of Scranton), Peter Casarella (Duke University), and Juan Soto (Gamaliel)
May 18 Latino Christology, with Roberto Goizueta (Boston College) and Neomi de Anda (University of Dayton)
May 25 The Ethics of Immigration, with Victor Carmona (University of San Diego) and Nichole Flores (University of Virginia)
June 1 Future Directions of Hispanic Theology with Peter Casarella (Duke University) and Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado (University of Scranton)

The Crisis of Mysticism: Quietism in 17th Century Spain, Italy, and France
2021-05-06 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is co-sponsored by the Collegium Institute, the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion, and Herder & Herder.
The Crisis of Mysticism (Herder & Herder, 2021), by Bernard McGinn is the first book in English in seventy years to give a full account of the struggle over mystical spirituality that tore the Catholic Church apart at the end of the seventeenth century, resulting in papal condemnation of some mystics and the decline of mysticism in Catholicism for almost two centuries. Join Professors McGinn (University of Chicago), David Tracy (University of Chicago), and Sandra Schneiders (Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University), for a conversation on The Crisis of Mysticism, moderated by Willemein Otten (University of Chicago).

The Virgin Mary in the Art of Latin America 1520 - 1820
2021-05-08 15:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is co-presented with the Harvard Catholic Forum and co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, the Ars Vivendi Arts Initiative of the Collegium Institute, the St. Paul’s Catholic Center, the St. Lawrence Institute for Faith and Culture, and the New England Chapter of the Patron of the Arts Vatican Museums.
Latin Americans in colonial times had an abounding love for the Virgin Mary. During these 300 years, devotions to Mary proliferated widely, particularly among Amerindian groups who identified with her compassion, and her role as an intercessor and mother. The Virgin of Guadalupe is still the most important religious image in Latin America, but many other local devotions sprouted as well, each with distinctive imagery, in large cities and tiny villages, alike from Quito (present-day Ecuador) to Chiloé (Chilean Patagonia). This talk will explore how artists of every background and walk of life transformed imported European images of the Virgin to make her a truly Latin American saint.

Beauty and Justice in the City: the Restoration of St. Adalbert's, in Pilsen
2021-05-11 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event was held online through Zoom and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology. This event and series are made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.
Latinx Theology has always had a dual focus on the beauty of the symbols of Popular Catholicism and the cry of the poor in urban settings. In this session, one of the premier Latina voices on beauty and justice, Dr. Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, will have a discussion with a long-time community activist in Chicago about the application of this dyad to the concrete setting of Latinx Catholic life in the city of Chicago. The ongoing discussion of the proposed restoration of St. Adalbert’s will serve as a case study for thinking about how “God lives in the city” (Pope Francis).

Spring 2021 Hispanic Theology Series
In the last half century, the demographics of Catholicism in America has shifted dramatically as Latino Catholic communities continue to grow. Today, nearly 50 percent of American Catholics are Latino. What are the trends and currents of Hispanic theology in the US? How does it draw from the deep wells of polyglot Catholic Intellectual tradition and from the experience of Catholics on the ground? How is Hispanic theology a resource today not only for Latino communities, but also the broader Church?
Join Tuesdays this Spring as the Lumen Christi Institute presents some of the top Latino/a scholars in the United States for an introduction to Hispanic Theology.
This series and event is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute and cosponsored by ACHTUS: The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the US , La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars of Religion, Corazón Puro, the Hispanic Theological Initiative, Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, Calvert House Catholic Ministry, Dominican University Ministry Program, the Ecclesia in America Network, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Óscar Romero Scholars Program at Catholic Theological Union, Iskali, Commonweal Magazine, and America Media.
Upcoming events in our series:
May 18 Latino Christology, with Roberto Goizueta (Boston College) and Neomi de Anda (University of Dayton)
May 25 The Ethics of Immigration, with Victor Carmona (University of San Diego) and Nichole Flores (University of Virginia)
June 1 Future Directions of Hispanic Theology with Peter Casarella (Duke University) and Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado (University of Scranton)

West Suburban Catholic Culture Series on "The Liturgy"
2021-05-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Ruth Lake Country Club, 6200 South Madison Street, Hinsdale, IL
REGISTER HERE FOR THE JUNE 9 PRACTICUM

In 1918, the German priest Romano Guardini lamented that “the lack of fruitful and lofty culture causes spiritual life to grow numbed and narrow.” The remedy was that “prayer must be simple, wholesome, and powerful,” while also being “rich in ideas and powerful images, and speak a developed but restrained language.” Guardini concluded that this “is precisely the way in which the prayer of the liturgy has been formed.”
The events of recent months have made us acutely aware of what we lose when the Church’s rites, ceremonies, and corporate worship (the liturgy) are taken from us. Guardini wrote The Spirit of the Liturgy as the First World War ravaged Europe in order to remind his readers how the Church’s worship meets the deep, complex and paradoxical yearnings of man, centers a people in the Lord, and gives them new language and insight into the central mysteries of the faith. He called the liturgy “nothing else but truth expressed in terms of prayer.” Perhaps we could use a similar reminder now.
Resuming in March 2021, the Lumen Christi Institute will host a monthly series on the Liturgy at the Ruth Lake Country Club in Hinsdale. Topics for the spring include liturgical music, the theology of sacred vestments, and the Liturgy of the Hours. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served before a lecture and Q&A.
SPRING SEMESTER SCHEDULE
Wednesday, March 10
Liturgical Music with Fr. Peter Funk (Monastery of the Holy Cross)
Wednesday, April 21
The Liturgy of Sacred Vestments with Br. Mark Visconti (St. John Cantius)
Wednesday, May 12
Liturgy of the Hours with Abbot Austin Murphy (St. Procopius Abbey)
FALL SEMESTER SCHEDULE
September 24
Guardini’s The Spirit of the Liturgy with Christopher Carstens
October 14
Post-Vatican II Reform and Benedict XVI’s Reform with Kevin Magas
November 11
Sacred Architecture with Denis McNamara

From 92 Pages to More Than 60,000: How the Bollandists Created the "Science of the Saints"
2021-05-15 14:00
Free and Open to the Public. This event is co-presented with the Bollandist Society.
2:00 PM CDT (GMT -5) | 21:00 (Brussels)
For many centuries the Church has been venerating the saints. During Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, thousands of Lives have been written in Greek, in Latin and in the languages of the Christian East. Very soon wonderful and imaginary elements were mixed with historical ones, creating “legends”. If the awareness appeared quite early that all Lives of saints were not equally trustworthy, it is only at the beginning of the 17th century that scientific criteria were applied for the first time to that literature.
Critical hagiography is the “science of the saints”, a discipline which was created by Jean Bolland, a Belgian Jesuit, who initiated the publication of what would become the largest ever collection of Lives of saints: the Acta Sanctorum. Through the following three centuries, this unique enterprise would not proceed unchallenged given the attachment of many to the wonderful elements related to their patron saints. Nowadays a scientific approach commands the inquiries for beatification, and critical hagiography has become an intensively cultivated field in universities.
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This event will be moderated by Fr. Michael Garanzini, S.J.

Latino Christology
2021-05-18 19:00
This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology. This event and series are made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.
Two experts on Latinx Christology will share their perspectives on the uniqueness as well as the universality of the Latinx spirituality of the crucified Christ. Beyond the stereotypical and often caricatured “bloody crucifix,” these scholars will lay out their complementary visions of how in the Hispanic Catholic tradition and in daily life today this Hispanic practical theology and cultural reality address the solidarity with the poor, the struggle to be a Church of the poor, and the transformative vulnerability and unheeded voices of lay and religious women.

Spring 2021 Hispanic Theology Series
In the last half century, the demographics of Catholicism in America has shifted dramatically as Latino Catholic communities continue to grow. Today, nearly 50 percent of American Catholics are Latino. What are the trends and currents of Hispanic theology in the US? How does it draw from the deep wells of polyglot Catholic Intellectual tradition and from the experience of Catholics on the ground? How is Hispanic theology a resource today not only for Latino communities, but also the broader Church?
Join Tuesdays this Spring as the Lumen Christi Institute presents some of the top Latino/a scholars in the United States for an introduction to Hispanic Theology.
This series and event is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute and cosponsored by ACHTUS: The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the US , La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars of Religion, Corazón Puro, the Hispanic Theological Initiative, Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, Calvert House Catholic Ministry, Dominican University Ministry Program, the Ecclesia in America Network, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Óscar Romero Scholars Program at Catholic Theological Union, Iskali, Commonweal Magazine, and America Media.
Upcoming events in our series:
May 25 The Ethics of Immigration, with Victor Carmona (University of San Diego) and Nichole Flores (University of Virginia)
June 1 Future Directions of Hispanic Theology with Peter Casarella (Duke University) and Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado (University of Scranton)

The Ethics of Immigration
2021-05-25 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology. This event and series are made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.
The U.S. Catholic Bishops have lobbied for and spoken eloquently about the need for a comprehensive immigration reform and have done so over the course of multiple administrations. These Latino/a experts in moral theology will not only speak to the fact that this call to action remains unheard, even by some Catholics, but to the question of the principles in the Catholic tradition and beyond that can serve as resources for a Latino theology of migration. Carmona has looked to St. Thomas Aquinas as a starting point and Flores to the Latino experience of being familia. A rich conversation will ensue.

Spring 2021 Hispanic Theology Series
In the last half century, the demographics of Catholicism in America has shifted dramatically as Latino Catholic communities continue to grow. Today, nearly 50 percent of American Catholics are Latino. What are the trends and currents of Hispanic theology in the US? How does it draw from the deep wells of polyglot Catholic Intellectual tradition and from the experience of Catholics on the ground? How is Hispanic theology a resource today not only for Latino communities, but also the broader Church?
Join Tuesdays this Spring as the Lumen Christi Institute presents some of the top Latino/a scholars in the United States for an introduction to Hispanic Theology.
This series and event is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute and cosponsored by ACHTUS: The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the US , La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars of Religion, Corazón Puro, the Hispanic Theological Initiative, Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, Calvert House Catholic Ministry, Dominican University Ministry Program, the Ecclesia in America Network, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Óscar Romero Scholars Program at Catholic Theological Union, Iskali, Commonweal Magazine, and America Media.
Upcoming events in our series:
June 1 Future Directions of Hispanic Theology with Peter Casarella (Duke University) and Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado (University of Scranton)

René Girard, Conversion, and the Present Media Moment
2021-05-27 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event was held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event was co-sponsored by Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and America Media.
While social media has become a source of meaning and identity formation for many, its dangers have become clear in recent years, from promoting disinformation to algorithm-aided polarization. Despite these dangers, can social media be a medium for the Gospel? Does a model for discipleship within social media exist?
René Girard’s theory of mimesis or imitation provides a powerful diagnostic for analyzing aspects of human behavior and culture that contribute to the current media climate, including rivalry, escalation, and scapegoating. It also points towards the fragile possibility of positive mimesis: imitation of Christ.
Join us for a panel drawing together Girard scholars and Catholic media experts to explore how Girard’s analysis can inform our understanding of the current media climate and how we might approach social media as a space for evangelization and conversion.
Image ©Basso Cannarsa/Opale

Future Directions of Hispanic Theology
2021-06-01 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology. This event and series is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.
Where do we go from here? Concluding our spring Hispanic Theology Series, Professor Peter Casarella and Dean Michelle Maldonado will discuss the current landscape of Hispanic Theology, considering the most pressing needs and most promising opportunities in the field. Join us for this lively conversation, moderated by Professor Horacio Vela (University of the Incarnate Word).

Spring 2021 Hispanic Theology Series
In the last half century, the demographics of Catholicism in America has shifted dramatically as Latino Catholic communities continue to grow. Today, nearly 50 percent of American Catholics are Latino. What are the trends and currents of Hispanic theology in the US? How does it draw from the deep wells of polyglot Catholic Intellectual tradition and from the experience of Catholics on the ground? How is Hispanic theology a resource today not only for Latino communities, but also the broader Church?
Join Tuesdays this Spring as the Lumen Christi Institute presents some of the top Latino/a scholars in the United States for an introduction to Hispanic Theology.
This series and event is made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute and cosponsored by ACHTUS: The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the US , La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars of Religion, Corazón Puro, the Hispanic Theological Initiative, Saint Benedict Institute, the Nova Forum, Calvert House Catholic Ministry, Dominican University Ministry Program, the Ecclesia in America Network, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Óscar Romero Scholars Program at Catholic Theological Union, Iskali, Commonweal Magazine, and America Media.

Saint Among the Skyscrapers: The American Afterlife of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini
2021-06-10 12:30
ONLINE REGISTRATION
$10 registration fee for the online event. Registration required. A link to the livestream will be sent to registrants on the day of the event.
IN PERSON REGISTRATION
You can now register for this in-person event taking place at the University Club of Chicago (76 E. Monroe St.) from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Cosponsored by the University of North Carolina Press.
Drawing on the recent book, A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American (University of North Carolina Press, 2019), this lecture will focus on St Frances Cabrini, an Italian missionary who arrived in New York in 1889 and died in Chicago in 1917. Cabrini and the congregation she founded, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, made their mark on Chicago and her other foundations throughout the United States, South America, and Europe. Cabrini progressed quite rapidly through the process of canonization, the elaborate series of steps through which the Catholic Church affirms that a holy person entered God’s eternal presence at the moment of death. This lecture explores her “afterlife” in historical memory, examining the role that Chicago played in presenting her as a saint for their city, the nation, and the world.

Race and Justice in America
2021-06-23 19:00
This event is part of the Lumen Christi Institute’s Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network.
National conversation about racial bias in law enforcement has become increasingly polarized over the last year. Some deny the existence of any widespread discrimination, while others see systemic racism as an inextricable part of American criminal justice, and call for defunding or even abolishing police forces.
Professor Brandon Vaidyanathan says that racial bias in the criminal justice system is more complicated. A number of factors, including personal prejudice, laws and policies with racist origins, and broader cultural disparities that reflect the history of American racial discrimination, all contribute to a system that is neither irredeemably racist nor free from racial bias. Recognizing this complex interplay of problems, says Vaidyanathan, can help us move toward solutions.
Join Brandon Vaidyanathan, Herschella Conyers, and Darren Davis for a conversation moderated by Cook County Judge Tom Donnelly, as they discuss race in contemporary American criminal justice and a path to equality in a fractured nation.
This event is cosponsored by the Institute for Human Ecology.

The Song of Songs in Monastic Interpretation
2021-06-27 19:30
Free and open to the public. This event was held online through Zoom and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a summer webinar series on Monastic Wisdom.
The Song of Songs is the Bible’s treasure-house of love poetry, a cycle of songs sung between a man, a woman, and their friends, lush with the imagery of nature and of intense human longing. In it the name of God nowhere to be seen; believers have always, however, cherished it as a figurative representation of the ideal love between God and humanity; indeed, one of history’s most forceful movements for Christian celibacy – the Cistercian renewal of the twelfth-century – was famous for tending to treat the Song of Songs as the very heart of the Bible. This challenges us with the following very basic question: what does it mean to speak of God in romantic terms?

Wisdom from the Heart of the Cistercian Tradition
Join us once per month, June through September, for four Sunday evening sessions featuring monks from Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey who will lead us through a series of reflections examining the contours of the monastic intellectual tradition. At the foundations of the Cistercian order is the reform movement of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. In faithfulness to their founder, these webinars invite participants to see how the monastic approach to Scripture, theology, and the common life might reform our own understanding and endeavors in the labors of daily Christianity.
This series is co-presented with Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey, and co-sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum, the Nova Forum, the Saint Benedict Institute, and Studies in Catholic Faith and Culture at the University of Dallas.
Upcoming sessions:
July 25, 7:30 PM CT:
A School for the Lord’s Service”: A Meditation on the Rule of St. Benedict
Fr. Abbot Peter Verhalen, O. Cist.
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August 22, 7:30 PM CT:
The Monastics before the Scholastics: An Introduction to Medieval Monastic Theology
Fr. John Bayer, O. Cist.
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September 26, 7:30 PM CT:
The Christological Structure of Spiritual Growth In the Thought of St. Bernard
Fr. Roch Kereszty, O. Cist.

The Thought of John Henry Newman
2021-07-04 00:00 - 2021-07-10 00:00 | University of Saint Mary of the Lake, 1000 East Maple Avenue Mundelein, IL 60060, Mundelein, IL
Now in its eighth year, this intensive seminar will examine the achievements of Saint John Henry Newman as a theologian, philosopher, educator, preacher, and writer. Remarkably, in each of these areas Newman produced works that have come to be recognized as classics: An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, The Grammar of Assent, The Idea of a University, The Parochial and Plain Sermons, and the Apologia Pro Vita Sua. This seminar will approach Newman’s thought through a critical engagement with these texts.
Format: There will be two 2-hour sessions each day. The seminar will include presentations by Fr. Fields and by participants on the readings assigned, followed by seminar-style discussion.
Location: The seminar will take place at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. Participants will be provided with lodging and meals for the duration of the seminar, and a travel stipend.
Application Information: This seminar is open to PhD students, post docs, and junior faculty in the humanities and relevant fields.
Applicants will be required to submit:

A completed online application form.
An updated CV.
At least one and as many as two letter(s) of recommendation from a member of the program in which the applicant is currently enrolled.
A statement of research interest no longer than 750 words, which includes an explanation of how this seminar might bear on the student’s current or future research plans.
One academic writing sample (30 pages maximum).

2021 Newman Forum Summer Institute
2021-07-08 00:00 - 2021-07-11 00:00 | University of Saint Mary of the Lake, 1000 East Maple Avenue Mundelein, IL 60060, Mundelein, IL
In-person summer experience for high school students exploring truth, goodness, and beauty at Mundelein Seminary
Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute’s Newman Forum. Open to current high school students and incoming college freshman only. This seminar is cosponsored by the University of Saint Mary of the Lake at Mundelein Seminary, and the Archdiocese of Chicago Vocation Office.

DRIVING QUESTIONS
“It is through wonder that men now begin and originally began to philosophize; wondering in the first place at obvious perplexities, and then by gradual progression raising questions about the greater matters too…” -Aristotle, Metaphysics 982b
“The Christian remains the guardian of that metaphysical wonderment which is the point of origin for philosophy and the continuation of which is the basis of its further existence. Wonderment is constantly on the point of turning into a marveling at the beauty of existence as a whole…”
-Hans Urs von Balthasar, The Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics, Volume V, The Realm of Metaphysics in the Modern Age
Philosophy begins in wonder: How can I explain what I see, put words to what I feel, or communicate what seems inexpressible?
Looking out at the world, one wonders: Is there some order to the universe and to my soul? Or is it all random?
We wonder most of all about the true, the beautiful, and the good: Is there such a thing as Truth? Beauty? Goodness? There must be, but so many people disagree! How can one talk about the reality of concepts that seem so hotly contested?
OVERVIEW
In this 4-Day Summer Institute, high school students will be introduced to the disciplines and distinct methodologies of philosophy and theology through college-level lecture and discussion of the three “transcendentals” of truth, goodness, and beauty. Figures under consideration will include Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Bonaventure, Aquinas, Newman, Ratzinger, von Balthasar, as well as relevant biblical texts.
We will balance academic formation with spiritual formation, focusing on themes of discernment, vocation, and the practices that comprise an intellectually informed and responsible life of faith. In addition to a balance of the spiritual and intellectual, we will also balance work and play. Mornings will be devoted to lectures and discussion, with afternoons and evenings filled with excursions and fun programming (including a trip to Six Flags!)
>> CLICK HERE TO APPLY <<
Applications are now closed. Check back next Spring 2022 for information on the 2022 Summer Institute!

SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, JULY 8
Day 1 — Student Arrival
4:00pm Check-In (Building E, Main Entrance)

Room assignments
Time to settle in

5:00pm Welcome Mass (Building E, Chapel)
6:00pm Dinner (Building B, Dining Hall)
7:00pm Icebreakers & House Rules (Building N, Classrooms)
8:00pm S’Mores (Fire Pit)
9:00pm Night Prayer (Building E, Chapel)

FRIDAY, JULY 9
Day 2
7:30am Morning Prayer (Building E, Chapel)
8:00am Breakfast (Building B, Dining Hall)
9:30am Morning Class (Building N, Classooms)

30 min. Philosophy lecture
30 min. Theology lecture
15 min. Q&A each

11:00am Small Discussion Groups (Building N, Classrooms)
12:00pm Leave Mundelein for Six Flags
7:00pm Leave Six Flags to Return to Mundelein
8:00pm Night Prayer (Building E, Chapel)

SATURDAY, JULY 10
Day 3
7:30am Morning Prayer (Building E, Chapel)
8:00am Breakfast (Building B, Dining Hall)
9:30am Morning Class (Building N, Classrooms)
11:00am Small group (Building N, Classrooms)
12:00pm Lunch (Building B, Dining Hall)
12:45pm Break
2:30pm Outdoor Games (Ball Fields)
4:00pm Vocation Talks (Mundelein Grounds)
6:00pm Dinner (Grab-N-Go, Building B, Dining Hall)
9:00pm Night Prayer (Building E, Chapel)

SUNDAY, JULY 11
Day 4 — Student Departure
8:00am Breakfast (Building B, Dining Hall)
8:30am Morning Class (Building N, Classrooms)
10:00am Farewell Mass (Building E, Chapel)
11:00am Brunch (TBD)
12:00pm Small group (Building N, Classrooms)
12:45pm Big group (Building N, Classrooms)
1:30pm Students depart

Safety & Wellness Information:
Mundelein Seminary’s COVID-19 procedures at the time of the Summer Institute will be consistent with State Guidelines for outdoor and indoor group gatherings. Complete information regarding protocol will be circulated to all accepted students as the Institute nears.
Single occupancy accommodations are available to all accepted students. To the extent that you are comfortable, accepted students are encouraged to select “Double Occupancy” come registration time. This will assign each student a roommate to bunk with for the duration of the Institute. Siblings will room together. Male and female students are assigned to separate floors, and there are no communal bathrooms. Nightly curfew will be strictly observed. There will be one adult chaperone for every three students, with a balanced number of male and female chaperones.
Arriving to the Institute late and/or leaving early will not be permitted.
Further information about allergies, medical concerns, dress code, etc. will be made available to accepted students upon registration.

Irenaeus of Lyon’s Adversus Haereses: A Seminar on the Foundations of Early Christian Theology
2021-07-11 09:00 - 2021-07-16 17:00 | St. Meinrad Archabbey, 200 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN
July 11—16, 2021, Fr. John Behr and Professor Lewis Ayres will lead a summer seminar of graduate students in a close reading of Irenaeus’ Adversus Haereses. One of the first systematic presentations of the Christian theology, Irenaeus’ refutation of Gnosticism, as well as his bold defense of the canon of Scripture and its connection with the preaching of the apostles, set the trajectory for future theological reflection. Through the engagement of this principal text, students will be able to grasp the contours of the early Church’s discernment of the Christian faith.
The seminar will be held in the monastic setting of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana. Meals and lodging will be provided and students will receive a travel stipend.
Working knowledge of relevant ancient languages will be helpful, but not essential. Preference will be given to Ph.D. students in theology, though advanced M.A. students will be considered.
There will be two sessions each day in the morning and in the afternoon. Each session will include lectures and seminar-style discussions working through all five books of Adversus Haereses. Students will be expected to prepare the readings carefully and participate in the discussions of the material.
Applicants will be required to submit:

A completed online application form.
An updated CV.
At least one and no more than two letter(s) of recommendation.
A statement of research interest no longer than 750 words, which includes an explanation of how this seminar might bear on the student’s current or future research plans.
One academic writing sample (30 pages maximum).

All application materials can be submitted via the online application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Fifteen students will be admitted to this seminar. Applications are now closed.
Please contact us with any questions.
Required Reading Before Seminar
Irenaeus, Against Heresies in Ante-Nicene Fathers 1, eds. A. Roberts and J. Donaldson (Edinburgh, 1887; reprinted Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987). [digital copy provided in advance]
Preliminary Bibliography
This bibliography contains only a few suggestions of things worth reading before our sessions together. Moreover, it lists only works in English. This will give a distorted view of scholarship on Irenaeus, but it is a point of departure. For further literature see the extensive biography in John Behr’s Irenaeus of Lyons (Oxford, 2013), which we suggest you read before we meet.
If you can read literature other than English it is important to be aware of the extensive notes attached to the multi-volume Sources Chrétiennes edition of Against Heresies, and the huge corpus of the late Spanish scholar Antonio Orbe. Behr’s bibliography will provide indications to both these resources. If you have French, an invaluable resource for the biographies of writers in this period is Pierre Nautin’s Lettres et Écrivains Chrétiens des IIe et IIIe Siècles. Not in Behr’s bibliography but a useful book (if you have German) is Brox, Norbert, Offenbarung, Gnosis und gnostischer Mythos bei Irenäus von Lyon (Salzburg/Munich: Verlag Anton Pustet, 1966).
Translations

Roberts, A., and J. Donaldson (eds.), ANF 1 (Edinburgh, 1887; repr. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1987). [this is the version that we will send around as a word document. It is also available online fairly easily]
Unger, D. J., rev. J. J. Dillon, St. Irenaeus of Lyons Against the Heresies, Book 1, ACW 55 (New York: Paulist Press, 1992).
Unger, D. J., rev. J. J. Dillon, St. Irenaeus of Lyons Against the Heresies, Book 2, ACW 65 (New York: Paulist Press, 2012).
Unger, D.J. rev. Irenaeus M. C. Steenberg, St. Irenaeus of Lyons: Against the Heresies, Book 3, ACW 64 (New York: Newman Press, 2012).
Grant, R. M., Irenaeus of Lyons (New York: Routledge, 1997) [Extracts].
Behr, J., St Irenaeus of Lyons: The Apostolic Preaching (New York: SVS, 1997).

Secondary Literature

Behr, J. Asceticism and Anthropology in Irenaeus and Clement, OECS (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).
Blowers, Paul M., ‘The Regula Fidei and the Narrative Character of Early Christian Faith’, Pro Ecclesia 6 (1997), 199-228.
Brakke, David, The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010).
Briggman, A. God and Christ in Irenaeus. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018).
Farkasfalvy, D., ‘Theology of Scripture in St Irenaeus’, RB 78 (1968), 319-33.
Hill, Charles E. Who Chose the Gospels? Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).
Steenberg, M. C. Irenaeus on Creation: The Cosmic Christ and the Saga of Redemption (Leiden: Brill, 2008).
Markschies, C. Gnosis: An Introduction. Trans. John Bowden. London: T&T Clark, 2003.

Nicholas of Cusa & Qur’anic Exegesis
2021-07-21 18:00
Free and open to the public. This event was held online through Zoom and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a webinar series, “Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters,” presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the American Cusanus Society.
This session will focus on “faithful interpretation” (pia interpretatio) as characteristic of Nicholas of Cusa’s approach to the Qur’ān as a book that claims to be revealed by God. He argues that it is possible to take the Qur’ān seriously as a theological source for Christian faith. Following Nicholas of Cusa’s example he will also talk about his own experiences as a Christian theologian reading the Qur’an as confirmation and critique of Jews and Christians as “People of Scripture” (ahl al-kitāb).

Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters
The 1965 Vatican II document Nostra Aetate 3 encouraged Catholics and Muslims to “forget the past” and focus on a more positive future together, one based on dialogue and cooperation. Since then, Catholics at all levels, from popes to parishioners, have heeded this call. However, the complicated, centuries-long history of Christian-Muslim relations demands attention. Instead of “forgetting the past,” Catholics need to revisit this history, both on their own and with their Muslim partners. In this series, we will examine Nicholas of Cusa’s approach to the Qur’an; the history of Mary as a bridge or barrier in Christian relations with Muslims; and St. Francis and Pope Francis as models of fraternal encounter.
This series is co-presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the American Cusanus Society. This series is cosponsored by the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute, the Australian Catholic University, the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, St. Paul’s Catholic Center, the Nova Forum for Catholic Thought, the Saint Benedict Institute, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, and both the Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies and the Encountering Islam Initiative at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).
Upcoming events:
August 18, 6:00 p.m. CDT
Mary & Muslims: Bridge or Barrier?
Dr. Rita George-Tvrtkovic (Benedictine University)
Respondent: Dr. Zeki Saritoprak (John Carroll University)
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September 8, 6:00 p.m. CDT
Francis & Francis: Encountering Muslims, Past & Present
Dr. Jason Welle, OFM (Pontifical Institute for Arabic & Islamic Studies, Rome)

Truth and Authority in Augustine's City of God
2021-07-25 00:00 - 2021-07-31 00:00 | University of Saint Mary of the Lake, 1000 East Maple Avenue Mundelein, IL 60060, Mundelein, IL
This seminar is an intensive week-long course in how to read, analyze, and discern the many themes in Augustine’s most ambitious and sprawling work. The City of God tells the history of two societies, and their respective origins, progress, and appointed ends. The story is engaged first from the evidence of profane history (I-XI) and then from the evidence of revelation (XII-XXII). In this seminar, participants will discuss how Augustine reckons with the crisis of the ancient and the human city, and whether it is possible to reconcile truth and authority across the competing domains of polity, religion, and philosophical wisdom. These themes will be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective, addressing questions pertinent to students in political science, philosophy, law, theology, religious studies, and history.
Format: There will be two 2.5-hour sessions each day. Each session will include an opening lecture and seminar-style discussion of the text and the issues at hand. Students will be expected to prepare the readings carefully and participate in the discussions of the material.
Location: The seminar will take place at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL. Students will be provided with lodging, meals, and a travel stipend.

Application Information: This seminar will be open to JD, PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty in the humanities and relevant fields (such as philosophy, theology, English, classics, law and history).

Applicants will be required to submit:

A completed online application form.
An updated CV.
At least one and as many as two letter(s) of recommendation from a member of the program in which the student is currently enrolled.
A statement of research interest no longer than 750 words, which includes an explanation of how this seminar might bear on the student’s current or future research plans.
One academic writing sample (30 pages maximum).

The Thought of René Girard: Understanding the Faith in a Secular Age
2021-07-25 00:00 - 2021-07-31 00:00 | Mary & Joseph Retreat Center, 5300 Crest Road, Los Angeles, CA
Photo Credit: Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service
APPLY HERE
THE APPLICATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO MAY 1.
One of the most influential 20th century Catholic thinkers, René Girard transformed our understanding of culture, religion, and human behavior. His “mimetic theory” builds on the demystifying power of the Old and New Testaments to illuminate the religious history of mankind. Through an intensive reading of his more accessible works, in conjunction with the fiction of the greatest writers, this five-day seminar will explore Girard’s key insights into imitation, conflict, and scapegoating, connecting them to central themes of Christian theology.
Format: There will be two 2.5-hour sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday, the morning session will be followed by a post-lunch excursion. Each session will a seminar-style discussion of the text and the issues at hand. Students will be expected to prepare the readings carefully, submit study questions in advance, and participate actively in each session.
Location: The seminar will take place at a retreat center in Los Angeles from July 26-30 (there will be an opening dinner on the evening of July 25th, and students will be expected to arrive at 5pm) with lodging provided from Sunday evening through Saturday morning. Participants will be provided with lodging and meals for the duration of the seminar, and a travel stipend of up to $350.
Application Requirements: This seminar is open to all undergraduate students (including 2021 graduates) interested in understanding the thought of one of the great modern Christian apologists.
Applicants will be required to submit an online application form including:

A list of completed coursework.
At least one and as many as two letter(s) of recommendation from a professor at the school in which the student is currently enrolled.
A statement of interest no longer than 750 words, which includes an explanation of how this seminar might bear on the student’s current intellectual interests.

All application materials can be submitted via the online application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Fifteen applicants will be admitted to this seminar. Application materials are due May 1.
APPLY HERE

A School for the Lord’s Service: A Meditation on the Rule of St. Benedict
2021-07-25 19:30
Free and open to the public. This event was held online through Zoom and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a summer webinar series on Monastic Wisdom.
Written for monks living in Italy almost 1600 years ago, The Rule of St. Benedict is remarkable for its wisdom, its discretion, and its clarity. St. Benedict draws on Scripture and the theological tradition that preceded him to craft a text that combines both detailed prescriptions for daily life in a monastery and the principles of a spiritual theology. All these prescriptions and theological principles he sees as foundation of a School for the Lord’s Service. In this webinar we will look at several elements of that “school” that guide any Christian to “run along the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing wit the inexpressible delight of love” (Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue 49).

Wisdom from the Heart of the Cistercian Tradition
Join us once per month, June through September, for four Sunday evening sessions featuring monks from Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey who will lead us through a series of reflections examining the contours of the monastic intellectual tradition. At the foundations of the Cistercian order is the reform movement of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. In faithfulness to their founder, these webinars invite participants to see how the monastic approach to Scripture, theology, and the common life might reform our own understanding and endeavors in the labors of daily Christianity.
This series is co-presented with Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey, and co-sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum, the Nova Forum, the Saint Benedict Institute, and Studies in Catholic Faith and Culture at the University of Dallas.
Upcoming sessions:
August 22, 7:30 PM CT:
The Monastics before the Scholastics: An Introduction to Medieval Monastic Theology
Fr. John Bayer, O. Cist.
—
September 26, 7:30 PM CT:
The Christological Structure of Spiritual Growth In the Thought of St. Bernard
Fr. Roch Kereszty, O. Cist.

Master Class on "Friendship with God: Apprenticeship of the Christian life"
2021-08-04 14:00 - 17:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
REGISTER HERE
Open to current graduate students. Advanced University of Chicago undergraduate students are also welcome. Others who are interested in participating should contact us at info@lumenchristi.org. PDF copies of the readings will be provided for registrants.
Far from offering a romantic or sentimental notion of divine friendship, the Scriptures develop a theology of divine intimacy that portrays friendship with God as an apprenticeship in Christ. Through the filial friendship established by the grace of baptism, Christians are called to participate in Christ’s salvific mission. Friendship with God initiates Christians into the mystery of Christ’s cross and resurrection and teaches them how to bear the fruit of salvation by working in the vineyard and by tending the flocks. Divine friendship is nothing other than the way of Christ by which we are configured to his life, death, and resurrection. Patristic authors develop their own understanding of these biblical themes, offering theologies of divine friendship that will influence Thomas Aquinas’ definition of charity as itself a type of friendship with God. This masterclass will offer an introductory account of this biblical and patristic vision.
Readings

Scripture: Genesis 15.1-20; 18.1-33; 22.1-19; 38.1-26; Exodus 2.1-3.15; 15.22-27; 16.2-35; 17.1-7; 33.7-23; Song of Songs 5.1; 8.11-14; Wisdom 1.1-12.27; 15.18-19.27; Matthew 11.16-19; 20.1-16; 22.1-14; 26.47-50; Luke 12.4-7; 21.12-19; John 3.13-36; 11.5-12; 13.1-21.19; Acts 7.20-38; Second Peter 1.3-11; James 2.21-23; 4.4; Third John 1.15
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, bks 8 and 9.
Konstan, David. Friendship in the Classical World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), pp. 95-115, 167-170.
Sherwin, Michael. On Love and Virtue (Emmaus Academic, 2018), chs 6-7, 12 (pp. 123-153, 221-248).

Schedule
1:30 Coffee & Pastries | 2:00 Session 1 | 3:25 Break | 3:35 Session 2 | 5:00 End, wine & cheese

Mary & Muslims: Bridge or Barrier?
2021-08-18 18:00
Free and open to the public. This event is part of a webinar series, “Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters,” presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the American Cusanus Society. This event is cosponsored by the Collegium Institute.
In 1965, Nostra Aetate 3 acknowledged that Christian and Muslims share a devotion to Mary. But did Christians always view Mary as a bridge? A few medieval Latins stressed concord between the two Marys, but others raised the Virgin on military standards in battles against Muslims. This talk will consider the myriad ways in which Mary’s role in Christian-Muslim relations has shifted back and forth from bridge to barrier and back again. The lecture with Dr. Rita George-Tvrtković will be followed by a response from a Muslim scholar, Dr. Zeki Saritoprak, and further dialogue.

Professor George-Tvrtkovic generously provided the following bibliography for those interested in further reading:
•Abboud, Hosn. Mary in the Qur’an: A Literary Reading (Routledge, 2014).
•George-Tvrtkovic, Rita. Christians, Muslims, and Mary: A History (Paulist, 2018).
•Hearden, Maura. “Lessons from Zeitoun: A Marian Proposal for Christian-Muslim Dialogue.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 47, no. 3 (2012).
•Pentcheva, Bissera. Icons and Power: The Mother of God in Byzantium (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2006).
•Remensnyder, Amy. La Conquistadora (Oxford University Press, 2014).
•Saritoprak, Zeki. Islam’s Jesus (University of Florida Press, 2014).
•Saritoprak, Zeki. “Mary in Islam,” in The Oxford Handbook of Mary, ed. Chris Maunder (Oxford University Press, 2019).
•Schleifer, Aliah. Mary the Blessed Virgin of Islam (Fons Vitae, 1998).
•Shoemaker, Stephen. Mary in Early Christian Faith and Devotion (Yale University Press, 2016).

Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters
The 1965 Vatican II document Nostra Aetate 3 encouraged Catholics and Muslims to “forget the past” and focus on a more positive future together, one based on dialogue and cooperation. Since then, Catholics at all levels, from popes to parishioners, have heeded this call. However, the complicated, centuries-long history of Christian-Muslim relations demands attention. Instead of “forgetting the past,” Catholics need to revisit this history, both on their own and with their Muslim partners. In this series, we will examine Nicholas of Cusa’s approach to the Qur’an; the history of Mary as a bridge or barrier in Christian relations with Muslims; and St. Francis and Pope Francis as models of fraternal encounter.
This series is co-presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the American Cusanus Society. This series is cosponsored by the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute, the Australian Catholic University, the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, St. Paul’s Catholic Center, the Nova Forum for Catholic Thought, the Saint Benedict Institute, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, and both the Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies and the Encountering Islam Initiative at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).
Upcoming events:
September 8, 6:00 p.m. CDT
Francis & Francis: Encountering Muslims, Past & Present
Dr. Jason Welle, OFM (Pontifical Institute for Arabic & Islamic Studies, Rome)

The Monastics Before the Scholastics: An Introduction to Medieval Monastic Theology
2021-08-22 19:30
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a summer webinar series on Monastic Wisdom.
What is monastic theology? Is it just an alternative to Thomism or the more “philosophical” (or more serious?) tradition of theology? Should the works of monastic theologians be relegated, as Thomas Merton feared they were, to the shelves of “spiritual” or devotional literature, as pious options extrinsic to theological discipline? With St. Anselm as our guide, Fr. John will discuss how theological method must include a properly “monastic” element.

Wisdom from the Heart of the Cistercian Tradition
Join us once per month, June through September, for four Sunday evening sessions featuring monks from Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey who will lead us through a series of reflections examining the contours of the monastic intellectual tradition. At the foundations of the Cistercian order is the reform movement of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. In faithfulness to their founder, these webinars invite participants to see how the monastic approach to Scripture, theology, and the common life might reform our own understanding and endeavors in the labors of daily Christianity.
This series is co-presented with Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey, and co-sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum, the Nova Forum, the Saint Benedict Institute, and Studies in Catholic Faith and Culture at the University of Dallas.
Upcoming sessions:
September 26, 7:30 PM CT:
The Christological Structure of Spiritual Growth In the Thought of St. Bernard
Fr. Roch Kereszty, O. Cist.

Francis & Francis: Encountering Muslims, Past & Present
2021-09-08 18:00
Free and open to the public. This event is part of a webinar series, “Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters,” presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the American Cusanus Society.
This session will consider two Christian-Muslim encounters: the first between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan al-Malik in 1219 in Egypt during the Crusades, and the second between Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi eight centuries later, on Feb. 4, 2019, when they co-signed the historic “Document on Human Fraternity.” How have personal relationships between Christians and Muslims affected both the practice of interreligious dialogue and the Catholic theology of Islam?

Catholics & Muslims: History, Theology, Encounters
The 1965 Vatican II document Nostra Aetate 3 encouraged Catholics and Muslims to “forget the past” and focus on a more positive future together, one based on dialogue and cooperation. Since then, Catholics at all levels, from popes to parishioners, have heeded this call. However, the complicated, centuries-long history of Christian-Muslim relations demands attention. Instead of “forgetting the past,” Catholics need to revisit this history, both on their own and with their Muslim partners. In this series, we will examine Nicholas of Cusa’s approach to the Qur’an; the history of Mary as a bridge or barrier in Christian relations with Muslims; and St. Francis and Pope Francis as models of fraternal encounter.
This series is co-presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the American Cusanus Society. This series is cosponsored by the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute, the Australian Catholic University, the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, St. Paul’s Catholic Center, the Nova Forum for Catholic Thought, the Saint Benedict Institute, the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, and both the Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies and the Encountering Islam Initiative at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).

Master Class on "The Integralism of Jacques Maritain" Part I
2021-09-24 14:00 - 17:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
REGISTER HERE
THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT. Open to current graduate students and University of Chicago Undergraduates. Others who are interested in participating should contact us. Copies of The Primacy of the Spiritual: On the Things that are not Caesar’s (Cluny Media, 2020) will be provided for registrants.
Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) was perhaps the most influential Catholic social and political philosopher of the 20th century. He taught at Columbia and Princeton, and was a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Chicago, where he gave the Walgreen Lectures, later published as Man and the State (1951). Appointed the French Ambassador to the Holy See after WWII, Maritain’s thought influenced not only four popes but also the generation of bishops who attended the Second Vatican Council.
This master class will focus on his critique of Action Française, a right-wing integralism led by Charles Maurras and supported by many influential French Catholics, including Maritain himself. It’s slogan La politique d’abord! (“Politics first!”) was condemned by Rome, causing Maritain to rethink his own position in The Primacy of the Spiritual (1927).

This is the first of a series of three master classes on the political thought of Jacques Maritain. Dates for the subsequent master classes are to be announced.
PART II
We turn to Maritain’s most important work, Integral Humanism (1936). Published on the eve of the Second World War, it had its most profound effect upon the post-war generation engaged in rebuilding Europe and eventually reforming the Church at the Council. In it, Maritain clearly proposes an alternative to the political integralisms of his era.
PART III
We take up Maritain’s mature political philosophy, encapsulated in his University of Chicago lectures. Man and the State reflects his recent work on human rights commissions, and it represents a fairly accurate testament of his philosophy of the nature and limits of political order.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact us.

The Christological Structure of Spiritual Growth In the Thought of St. Bernard
2021-09-26 19:30
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. This event is part of a summer webinar series on Monastic Wisdom.
The development of spiritual life is caused and modeled by the stages in the history of Jesus: the converting soul first develops an emotional love for Jesus in the flesh: This love is moody and lacks judgment in discerning right and wrong (amor carnalis). Next, Jesus the teacher instructs the soul in the moral virtues (amor rationalis) but the soul lacks the joy of love and virtue. In the final stage of spiritual growth the soul is able to know and love the glorified risen Christ (amor spiritualis) who dwells in the soul as wisdom, the taste of good.

Wisdom from the Heart of the Cistercian Tradition
Join us once per month, June through September, for four Sunday evening sessions featuring monks from Our Lady of Dallas Monastery who will lead us through a series of reflections examining the contours of the monastic intellectual tradition. At the foundations of the Cistercian order is the reform movement of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. In faithfulness to their founder, these webinars invite participants to see how the monastic approach to Scripture, theology, and the common life might reform our own understanding and endeavors in the labors of daily Christianity.
This series is co-presented with Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey, and co-sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum, the Nova Forum, the Saint Benedict Institute, and Studies in Catholic Faith and Culture at the University of Dallas.
Previous events in this series:
June 27, 2021:
The Song of Songs in Monastic Interpretation
Fr. Joseph Van House, O. Cist.
—
July 25, 2021:
A School for the Lord’s Service”: A Meditation on the Rule of St. Benedict
Fr. Abbot Peter Verhalen, O. Cist.
—
August 22, 2021:
The Monastics before the Scholastics: An Introduction to Medieval Monastic Theology
Fr. John Bayer, O. Cist.

The University and Your Soul: Integrating Faith, Prayer, and the Intellectual Life
2021-09-28 18:00 - 19:30 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current University of Chicago undergraduates ONLY. Registration required. FREE DINNER! Cosponsored by Calvert House Catholic Center.
Join the Lumen Christi Institute and Calvert House for a panel discussion of practical ways to engage and integrate your Catholic faith and intellectual life at the university.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact us.

Cruel But Usual: Solitary Confinement's Tortured History
2021-09-30 19:00
Free and open to the public. This event will be held online through Zoom (registration required) and live-streamed to YouTube. Presented by the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network and cosponsored by the Catholic Mobilizing Network.
Pope Francis has denounced the use of solitary confinement. He describes it as “torture” employed under the “pretext of offering greater security to society or special treatment for certain categories of prisoners, its main characteristic is none other than external isolation.” The result is the degradation of the human person through the imposed “lack of sensory stimuli, the total impossibility of communication and the lack of contact with other human beings induce mental and physical suffering such as paranoia, anxiety, depression, weight loss, and significantly increase the suicidal tendency.”
Our panel of legal scholars will discuss solitary confinement in light of history and contemporary practice. Professor Andrea Armstrong, whose work was highlighted in the August 16, 2021 issue of the New Yorker, will discuss contemporary conditions of solitary confinement, including its effects on healthcare and mortality in the Louisiana prison system. Her presentation will include art, pictures, and video of solitary cells used recently in Louisiana. Professor David Shapiro will take us back to the beginning of solitary confinement in the United States, discussing his important work on early use of solitary confinement in the Walnut Street Jail. This groundbreaking work was published in the Harvard Law review. Finally, Professor John Stinneford will endeavor to tie present and past together by discussing the relationship between solitary confinement and the American punishment tradition. The panelists will also discuss constitutional, statutory, and administrative approaches to solitary confinement However, we must discuss these varied views regarding the the legality of solitary confinement in light of Pope Francis’s question: Can depriving a human being of the company of other humans ever be just?

Conscience and Human Rights in Thomas Aquinas and Some Predecessors
2021-10-07 17:00 | Swift Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture, 1025 E 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
Free and open to the public. Registration is required. Contact us with any questions. Note the time for this event has been changed from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
In discussions of the history of the philosophy of human rights, typically a distinction is made between theories that understand rights as objective and those that understand them as subjective (or, to use a more contemporary term, more “personalistic”). This talk relates this issue to the history of reflection, especially by Christian thinkers leading up to the thirteenth century, regarding conscience. It argues ultimately that Thomas Aquinas’s understanding of conscience, influenced as it is by Aristotle, entails an understanding of human rights that is primarily objective. It concludes with a few remarks about the advantages of such an understanding.

This convening is open to all invitees regardless of vaccination status and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.
If you are not currently affiliated with the University (enrolled student, faculty, or staff) it is expected that you review the University’s COVID mitigation efforts. The University expects every event attendee to adopt precautions designed to mitigate the risk of viral transmission.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Justice and Peace: A Radical Reconsideration of Public Safety – A Roundtable Discussion
2021-10-07 19:00 - 20:30
8:00 PM ET | 7:00 PM CT | 5:00 PM PT
This zoom webinar event is free and open to the public. Presented by Seattle University and The Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network.
Nearly fifty years ago, Pope St. Paul VI said, “If you want Peace, work for Justice.” Echoing his words, “No Justice, No Peace” has become the chant of protesters from Seattle to Atlanta seeking freedom not only from excessive use of force by police but also from unjust inequities across social and political structures. This roundtable presentation invites policing scholars in the fields of law, criminology, and theological ethics to explore how we might build peace on a foundation of justice. The interdisciplinary panel will address the future of public safety through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching.
Professor Herschella Conyers (University of Chicago Law School) bleakly assesses the current state of affairs: “[R]eform must begin … with an acknowledgement of the sad history and present conditions that have left the people totally alienated from the police, and afraid for their physical and emotional safety.” Similarly, Professor Michael Scott (Arizona State University) points to a possible source of guidance: “[I]nsofar as the Catholic Catechism represents a coherent and comprehensive moral code, and if one accepts the proposition that law, law enforcement and governance must, minimally, be moral, then the Catholic Catechism…merits being consulted on police reform.” “In dialogue with the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, Professor Michael Jaycox (Seattle University) argues that “a credible Catholic commitment to pursuing the common good would have to include, at minimum, ensuring whatever social conditions are necessary for Black freedom from white violence.” To advance the common good, Professor Tobias Winright (St. Louis University) suggests that involving “the police in other community and social peacekeeping activities serves to contextualize, moderate and restrain that use of force, ensuring that it is a last resort.”
This panel serves as the keynote event for a three-day colloquium addressing Catholic perspectives on criminal justice reform. The workshops and public lectures include leading scholars examining how Catholic tradition and social thought might inform the challenges confronting today’s American criminal justice system.

A Life in Service of the Truth: The Legacy of Fr. Paul Mankowski, SJ
2021-10-08 17:30 - 19:45 | University Club of Chicago, 76 E Monroe St Chicago, IL 60603, Downtown, IL
Fr. Paul Mankowski (1953 – 2020) was a brilliant essayist, a singular wit, and a devoted son of the Church. Born in South Bend, Indiana, he put himself through the University of Chicago while working summers in a steel mill. Called to a vocation with the Society of Jesus, Fr. Paul entered the novitiate in 1976 before studying Classics at Oxford and Semitic languages at Harvard.
Though lacking all instincts for self-promotion, Fr. Paul quickly gained a reputation for his erudition and his razor-sharp intellect. He suffered greatly for his loyalty to the Church before finding a home at the Lumen Christi Institute at the University of Chicago. Having returned to his alma mater, he served as a fulcrum of intellectual and spiritual formation for countless students. In passing away unexpectedly on September 3, 2020, Fr. Paul Mankowski left a legacy of principled and courageous allegiance to the Church and her tradition of integrated intellectual and spiritual life.
This event will celebrate the life and legacy of Fr. Paul Mankowski through a conversation with Professor Gary Anderson (University of Notre Dame), who will comment on Fr. Paul’s work as a scholar. and Fr. Kevin Flannery, SJ ( Pontifical Gregorian University), who will reflect on Fr. Paul’s life as a Jesuit (with Fr. Paul’s letters as a point of departure).

Conversation on "The Rage of Innocence"
2021-10-14 17:00 | Loyola University Chicago Law School, 25 East Pearson Street, Chicago, IL
Free and open to the public. Presented by the Loyola University Chicago School of Law and the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network. Cosponsored by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago.
A discussion of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth with author and Professor Kris Henning in conversation with Pulitzer Prize winning author of Locking Up Our Own, Professor James Forman, Jr.
In January 2019, Pope Francis told the detainees at a Panamanian youth prison: “You are part of [God’s] family; you have a lot to share with others.” A fruitful society, he said, “is able to generate processes of inclusion and integration, of caring and trying to create opportunities and alternatives that can offer new possibilities to the young, to build a future through community, education and employment. Such a community is healthy.” Unfortunately, our communities fail to offer a healthy, inclusive, and caring environment for court-involved youth–particularly youth of color–as Professor Kris Henning dramatically reveals.
In a searing and clear indictment of the juvenile and criminal legal system, Kris Henning draws on her 25 years of representing young people accused of crimes to show the day-to-day brutalities endured by Black youth growing up under constant surveillance and persistent threat of physical and psychological abuse by police. Join Profs. Henning and Forman in a discussion of her critical and timely new book.

The Salvific Power of the Inner Life of Christ: The Witness of the Ecumenical Councils
2021-10-21 17:00 | Swift Hall, First Floor Common Room, 1025 E 58th St,Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
Free and open to the public. Registration for in-person attendance is not required, but requested. Contact us with any questions. Note the time for this event has been changed from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This event is cosponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum.
Standard accounts of salvation in both East and West typically do not include a consideration of how Christ’s inner life-his thoughts, feelings, and intentions- are salvific. Such an omission is inconsistent with the witness of both the Scriptures and the ecumenical councils.
In affirming the necessity for human salvation of Christ’s human mind and will, the ecumenical councils implicitly affirmed the salvific value of Christ’s inner life without providing a description of its inner contents. On the basis of Scripture and both Eastern and Western traditions, such a description can be summarized by the notion of Christ’s saving “doxological contrition”.
Fr. Anatolios will also lead a master class for students and faculty on Friday, October 22 on The Doctrine of Salvation in Nicholas Cabasilas’s The Life in Christ.

This convening is open to all invitees regardless of vaccination status and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.
If you are not currently affiliated with the University (enrolled student, faculty, or staff) it is expected that you review the University’s COVID mitigation efforts. The University expects every event attendee to adopt precautions designed to mitigate the risk of viral transmission.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

The Doctrine of Salvation in Nicholas Cabasilas's "Life in Christ"
2021-10-22 14:00 - 17:00
THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT. Open to current graduate students and University of Chicago Undergraduates. Others who are interested in participating should contact us. Copies of Life in Christ will be provided for registrants.
Life in Christ “originates in this life and arises from it. It is perfected, however, in the life to come, when we shall have reached the last day. It cannot attain perfection in men’s souls in this life, nor even in that which is to come without already having begun here.”
So writes the 14th century Greek theologian Nicholas Cabasilas in The Life in Christ. This work is a classic, synthetic presentation of the Christian understood through the lens of the Byzantine Christian tradition. This master class will feature a disciplined reading of The Life in Christ led by Fr. Khaled Anatolios and will discuss Cabasilas’ soteriology found within the work.
Fr. Anatolios will also give a public lecture on Thursday, October 21 on The Salvific Power of the Inner Life of Christ: The Witness of the Ecumenical Councils.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact us.

The Riddle of the Ring: Dark Magic & Spiritual Danger in Tolkien
2021-10-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current students and faculty. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. | Lecture at 6:30 p.m.
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.” Everyone knows that Sauron made the One Ring, but nobody—including Tolkien—seems to know how it worked, perhaps because nobody—including Tolkien—explained how Sauron made it. Where did Tolkien get the idea of magic rings? What would it mean to make a magic ring? And what might explain its effects? In this lecture, Professor Rachel Fulton Brown gives a brief history of English magic in quest of the making of Sauron’s One Ring and explores the spiritual dangers in attempting to make such rings for Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits—and Men.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Jacques Maritain's Integral Humanism
2021-11-05 14:00 - 17:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT. Open to current graduate students and University of Chicago Undergraduates. Others who are interested in participating should contact us. Copies of “Integral Humanism” from The Collected Works of Jacques Maritain XI (Notre Dame Press, 1996) will be provided for registrants.
Integral Humanism (1936) is Maritain’s masterwork at mid-career. Having separated himself from the Catholic political integralism in France during the 1920s he needed to put forth his own position – his own integralism, in a manner of speaking. His thesis is that the options of political modernity are shaped by incomplete and reductive humanisms, which need the correction and anchoring of an “integral humanism.” He believed that this should be the Catholic contribution to the crises of the 20th century. After all, he reasoned that the crippling disputes at the level of politics are symptoms of underlying anthropological confusions. The book was read and pondered by every pope from Pius XI to John Paul II.
Assigned Reading

Part I, on the tragedy of humanism (pp. 156-173). Namely, the unresolved dialectic between theocentric and anthropocentric humanisms that emerged in early modernity. Under the sign division, whether in tears or in revolt, every creature asks how the humanum is to be rehabilitated (p. 168).
Part II, beginning at p. 196, the formulation of a new humanism.
Parts III and IV on the prospects of a new Christendom.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.

If you have any questions please contact us.

Lunch with Dr. Lucas Mix - What Part Does Science Play in Salvation?
2021-11-09 13:30 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current students. Presented by Brent House and the Lumen Christi Institute.
One often hears of debates about science versus religion, or science’s compatibility with religion, but in the Christian tradition what might it mean to ask whether science plays a part in salvation? There are many possible answers: science can be interpreted as an alternative to grace (salvation by science alone), as a means of grace (God gives us science as part of redemption), as a product of grace (science as sanctification), or as fully irrelevant to salvation. Join us for lunch with the Rev. Dr. Lucas Mix, an Episcopal priest and astrobiologist, as he explores this provocative question.

How to Run Away From Home: Preparing for College as a Catholic
2021-11-13 10:00 | Swift Hall, 1025 E 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
Cosponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago Vocations Office and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

You’ve been told since you started school that you need to go away to college. Leave home, get an education, and begin “adulting.”

Everyone has a “guide” for the journey: Kaplan, Fiske, US News, Princeton Review, and so on.

But if you’re looking for an account of how to leave home in order to find it, you won’t find a better guide than Scripture, believe it or not. The Bible can be considered one big story of leaving home in order to find it, along with the hazards and holy moments along the way. It’s inspired countless Christians to journey, to search, to become pilgrims.

>> Don’t make a decision about where you’ll go or who you’ll be in college without considering this conference. <<

Join us as we explore the theme of “leaving home” in Scripture, literature, and history. From Genesis to Revelation, we’ll explore how the theme of “leaving home” is developed and elaborated. Then, we will look at the life of St. Anthony the Great, who decided to leave home and go to the desert simply by hearing the Gospel.

How should you leave home? Come find out.

REGISTER HERE

Open to all high school students.

Schedule:

9-9:30am Registration and Grab-and-Go Breakfast

9:30-9:45am Welcome and Opening Prayer

9:45-10:15am Lecture #1 on Salvation History

10:15-10:30am Q&A #1

10:30am-11:15am Break and Game

11:15-11:45am Lecture #2 on the life of St. Anthony

11:45am-12:00pm Q&A #2

12:00pm-1:00pm Grab-and-Go Lunch & Discussion Group

1-1:30pm Eucharistic Adoration

1:30-2:30pm Reflection Time

Cost: $20. Scholarships are available. Parents and teachers who bring students can attend for free.
(Learn more about this and other Newman Forum events at the NEW! Newman Forum website: www.newmanforum.org)

Michelangelo's Women: Feminine Genius in the Frescoes of the Sistine Chapel
2021-11-17 18:00 | Swift Hall, First Floor Common Room, 1025 E 58th St,Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
Cosponsored by the Department of Art History.

This convening is open to all invitees regardless of vaccination status and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.

If you are not currently affiliated with the University (enrolled student, faculty, or staff) it is expected that you review the University’s COVID mitigation efforts. The University expects every event attendee to adopt precautions designed to mitigate the risk of viral transmission.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Fall Non-Credit Course: "The Living Jesus at the Intersection of History and Faith"
2021-11-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
REGISTER HERE
6:00 Dinner | 6:30 Lecture
This weekly non-credit course is open to current students and faculty. Registrants are free to attend as many sessions as they choose. Sessions do not presuppose previous attendance or prior knowledge of the subject.
Jesus of Nazareth, a Galilean Jew crucified in a remote corner of the Roman Empire nearly 2,000 years ago, is considered one of the world’s greatest teachers and the founder of its oldest institution. More books and films have been produced about Jesus than any other historical person. This non-credit class will consider both what historical methods can ascertain about Jesus and the meaning and warrant for the Christian belief that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God and the universal Savior.
October 5 | Introductions; the questions we bring; the modern quest(s) for the ‘historical’ Jesus
October 12 | The Gospel of Mark: the earliest narrative of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection
October 19 | The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ: historical event and theological meaning
October 26 | Transformative Encounter with the Living Jesus: St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians
November 2 | Early Christological Controversies & the Nicene Creed
November 9 | Encountering the Living Jesus in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
November 16 | Jesus through the centuries in Christian art
November 30 | Contemporary Christology: fake news vs. “Good News”

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact us.

MidCentury Catholic Modern: the Church and Other Possible Modernities
2021-12-06 21:00 - 22:30
Presented by the Collegium Institute and cosponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute, America Magazine and the Nova Forum for Catholic Thought.
In the ferment of the mid 20th-Century, Catholic writers and artists sought to develop a new, distinctly Catholic, modernity. They navigated the political challenges of fascism, communism, and liberalism. In this event, we look to the history of MidCentury Catholicism, with figures like Georges Rouault, the Maritains, Dorothy Day, and Claude McKay, and its response to the cultural, intellectual, and political ferment of the 1920s-60s. What can we learn from these great figures as 21st Century people grapple with the challenges of our century?
A collection of recent books have highlighted the impact of Catholicism on modernity and modernity on Catholicism. In this webinar event we gather three scholars—James Chappel, author of Catholic Modern: The Challenge of Totalitarianism and the Making of the Church, Brenna Moore author of Kindred Spirits: Friendship and Resistance at the Edges of Modern Catholicism, and Stephen Schloesser, SJ, author of Jazz Age Catholicism: Mystic Modernism in Postwar Paris—to discuss those turbulent years with an eye to understanding our own modern moment.
REGISTER HERE

Promoting Integral Human Development: Challenges and Opportunities for the Church and Catholic Organizations
2021-12-15 11:00 - 12:15
Free and open to the public. This event was held online over Zoom. This event was presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the Catholic Research Economists Discussion Organization (CREDO), and was cosponsored by Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education (GRACE), the International Office of Catholic Education (OIEC), the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), the World Organization of Former Students of Catholic Education (OMAEC), the World Union of Catholic Teachers (UMEC-WUTC), the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE), the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, America Media, the Collegium Institute, the Harvard Catholic Forum, the Nova Forum, the Saint Anselm Institute, and the Saint Benedict Institute.
The concept of integral human development (IHD) is fundamental for the Catholic Church, and the role played by the Church in promoting IHD is essential to its mission. The term IHD emerged from Populorum Progressio, the encyclical on the development of people in which Pope Paul VI stated that “the development of peoples must be well rounded; it must foster the development of each man and of the whole man.” This webinar will feature a conversation on challenges and opportunities for the Church and Catholic organizations to promote IHD. This event will feature a presentation of the Global Report 2021 on Integral Human Development prepared by Quentin Wodon and soon to be available on the Global Catholic Education website, followed by a discussion with a panel of experts – Katherine Marshall, Patrizio Piraino, and Diana Filatova – and a question and answer session with participants.

The Search for God: Testimonies to Grace
2022-01-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
This weekly non-credit course is open to current Chicago area students and faculty. Others interested in attending should contact us. Registrants are free to attend as many sessions as they choose. Sessions do not presuppose previous attendance or prior knowledge of the subject.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Matthew Arnold described the receding of “the Sea of Faith” in the poem “Dover Beach.” Today the culture of unbelief is even more pervasive, especially in secular academia. The stories of those who have struggled with intellectual doubts and personal conflicts in their quest for God and religious faith have much to teach and to inspire us. While each one’s spiritual search is highly personal, our own faith journeys can benefit from the conversion stories of men and women who embraced Christian faith, freed by grace to flourish beyond what they could “ask or imagine” [Ephesians 3:20]. Using autobiographical accounts, this class will highlight the spiritual itineraries of philosophers, scientists, literary figures, artists and a variety of others who came to believe in God, and in God’s Son Jesus Christ, and in Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church.
6:00 PM Dinner | 6:30 PM Lecture
January 11 | The Contemporary Crisis of Belief [Hybrid event: online and in-person]
What reasons are given for rejecting belief in God and Catholic faith? What reasons give credibility to believing in God and making a commitment to the Catholic faith? Some Conversion Stories: St. Paul of Tarsus, William Wilberforce, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, Dr. Francis Collins, Dawn Eden [Goldstein], Jennifer Fulweiler, W.H. Auden AND Miracles that changed lives.
January 18 | St. Augustine of Hippo [Hybrid event: online and in-person]
“…our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”
January 25 | St. John Henry Newman [Return to in-person only]
Apologia pro Vita Sua: “From the time that I became a Catholic…[I] have had no anxiety of heart whatever. I have been in perfect peace and contentment; I never had one doubt… it was like coming into port after a rough sea; and my happiness on that score remains to this day without interruption.”
February 1 | St. Thérèse of Lisieux
The Story of a Soul: “But I feel especially that my mission is about to begin, my mission of making God loved as I love Him, of giving my little way to souls… Yes, I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth” [uttered a few weeks before her death at age 24 from tuberculosis]. Her dying words: “My God, I love you”
Optional film viewing: Alain Cavalier’s acclaimed film “Thérèse”
February 8 | Dorothy Day
“We have all know the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”
Optional film viewing: documentary film, “Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me a Saint”
February 15 | Conversion Stories
Edith Stein: “I could not put the book down [St. Teresa of Jesus’s Autobiography] and read through to the end. When I closed it, I said to myself: This is the truth.”; Rabbi Israel Zolli: Why I Became a Catholic.
Optional film viewing: “Edith Stein: The Seventh Chamber”
February 22 | Conversion Stories: Scientists, Philosophers and Literary Figures
Jacques Maritain; Avery Dulles: “One miracle that stood up to every test was the Resurrection”; Flannery O’Connor; C.S. Lewis; Dr. Susan Greenfield (leading neuro-scientist at Oxford Univ.) who rejects “this unshakeable belief, which is as strong as any religious belief, that science is the only approach to understanding the world around you”; Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist and Catholic convert, responding to the question why she had become a Catholic: “Because it is the one thing that has stopped me from going mad.”
Optional film viewing: “Shadowlands” (the BBC version)
March 1 | Contemporary Conversion Stories
Special guests will share their spiritual journeys.

Testimonies to Grace: A Film Series
Operating parallel to this non-credit course will be a series of film viewings hghlighting several of the conversion stories covered in the non-credit course. This series is co-presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and Calvert House, and will be held January 31 – Feb 21 at Calvert House (5735 S University Ave) and Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.. Registration is encouraged, but not required. Those who are not registered (or are not already registered for the non-credit course) will need to present a University ID or CNET ID upon request.
January 31, 5:45 PM
“Thérèse” (1 hr 34 min)
Directed by Alan Cavalier
February 8, 5:30 PM, at Gavin House
“Dorothy Day: Don’t Call me a Saint” (1 hr 30 min)
Directed by Claudia Larson
February 14, 5:45 PM
“Edith Stein: The Seventh Chamber” (1 hr 50 min)
Directed by Marta Meszaros
February 22, 5:15 PM, at Gavin House
“Shadowlands” (BBC version) (1 hr 13 min)
Directed by Norman Stone

Christian Intellectual Life in Today’s Universities: A Conversation with Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP
2022-01-15 13:00
Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP is the newly appointed rector of the Angelicum, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. A prominent American theologian, Fr. White has also directed the Thomistic Institute in Washington, D.C. for many years. In this public webinar, Nova Forum executive director David Albertson interviews Fr. White about the state of Christian intellectual life in today’s universities, the challenges facing the secular academy, and the prospects of a renewal of Catholic intellectual formation.
This event is presented by the Nova Forum for Catholic Thought, and cosponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute.
Register for the event through the Nova Forum website HERE

POSTPONED: Jacques Maritain's "Man and the State"
2022-01-21 15:00 - 18:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE NEW DATE IN THE COMING WEEKS.
THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT. Open to current graduate students and University of Chicago Undergraduates. Others who are interested in participating should contact us. Copies of Man and the State (CUA Press, 1998) will be provided for registrants.
Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) was perhaps the most influential Catholic social and political philosopher of the 20th century. He taught at Columbia and Princeton, and was a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Chicago, where he gave the Walgreen Lectures, later published as Man and the State (1951). Appointed the French Ambassador to the Holy See after WWII, Maritain’s thought influenced not only four popes but also the generation of bishops who attended the Second Vatican Council.
This master class will consider Maritain’s mature political philosophy, encapsulated in his University of Chicago lectures. Man and the State reflects his recent work on human rights commissions, and it represents an accurate testament of his philosophy on the nature and limits of political order.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.

If you have any questions please contact us.

Making a Case for the Humanities with Zena Hitz
2022-02-02 14:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current graduate students and faculty. Box lunches will be served.
In her recent book, Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of the Intellectual Life, Zena Hitz writes “For some time, intellectual institutions in the United States have been under significant financial and political pressure to abandon education for programs with economic or political uses… we academic professionals have lost touch with our origins in ordinary human intellectual activity. We have thus lost the capacity to justify and explain to our fellow citizens or to philanthropists—much less to ourselves—why our institutions matter” (p.198).
Should one studying or teaching in the humanities promote its importance within the university and in society? If so, how should one go about doing this, or learning how to do this?
Join us for a discussion with Zena Hitz on the relationship between academic training in the humanities and the intellectual life.
Zena Hitz will also participate in a public conversation on Lost in Thought at later that day.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Conversation on "Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life"
2022-02-02 18:00 | Swift Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture, 1025 E 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
Free and open to the public. Cosponsored by the Undergraduate Program in Religious Studies at the University of Chicago. Copies of the book will be available for sale by the Seminary Co-op Bookstore at the event. This program will be held as a hybrid, in-person and online event.
Join us for a conversation on Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life (Princeton University Press, 2020) with author Zena Hitz.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In an overloaded, superficial, technological world, in which almost everything and everybody is judged by its usefulness, where can we turn for escape, lasting pleasure, contemplation, or connection to others? While many forms of leisure meet these needs, Zena Hitz writes, few experiences are so fulfilling as the inner life, whether that of a bookworm, an amateur astronomer, a birdwatcher, or someone who takes a deep interest in one of countless other subjects. Drawing on inspiring examples, from Socrates and Augustine to Malcolm X and Elena Ferrante, and from films to Hitz’s own experiences as someone who walked away from elite university life in search of greater fulfillment, Lost in Thought is a passionate and timely reminder that a rich life is a life rich in thought.
Today, when even the humanities are often defended only for their economic or political usefulness, Hitz says our intellectual lives are valuable not despite but because of their practical uselessness. And while anyone can have an intellectual life, she encourages academics in particular to get back in touch with the desire to learn for its own sake, and calls on universities to return to the person-to-person transmission of the habits of mind and heart that bring out the best in us.
Reminding us of who we once were and who we might become, Lost in Thought is a moving account of why renewing our inner lives is fundamental to preserving our humanity.
We will also host a lunch discussion with Zena Hitz for graduate students and faculty at 1:00 p.m. on February 2.

This convening is open to all invitees who are compliant with UChicago vaccination requirements and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.
If you are not currently affiliated with the University (enrolled student, faculty, or staff) it is expected that you review the University’s COVID mitigation efforts. The University expects every event attendee to adopt precautions designed to mitigate the risk of viral transmission.
Event attendees will be required to wear a N-95, KN-95, or KF-94 mask in Swift Hall. KN-95 masks will be provided for anyone who needs one.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Big Questions and Catholic Scientists: A Science and Religion Fair for High School Students
2022-02-05 10:00 - 16:30 | University of Saint Mary of the Lake, 1000 East Maple Avenue Mundelein, IL 60060, Mundelein, IL
Open to all high school students, parents, and teachers. Students attend for FREE (and all adult admission fees are waived if accompanied by at least one student.)
In partnership with the Soceity of Catholic Scientists and the McGrath Institute for Church Life. Cosponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago Vocations Office and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

Want to learn from accomplished Catholic scientists about the harmony of faith and science? Interested in the Big Questions on the frontiers of scientific discovery? Then come to this Science and Religion Fair on February 5th at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.
Attendees will get to learn from distinguished scientists who embrace both the Catholic faith and modern science, following the example of St. Albert the Great, patron saint of science.
Conference Highlights Include:

One 25-minute Opening Talk on Science and Faith, and Cosmology and Extraterrestrial Life.

Many have claimed that modern science and Christian faith are fundamentally at odds and have historically been in conflict. Professor Stephen Barr, President of the Society of Catholic Scientists, will show how a better understanding of Catholic teaching, of science and of history paint a very different picture.

A choice of multiple ‘Lightning Round’ Talks on crucial topics:

“Is the Universe Made for Life?” (Stephen Barr, President, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Delaware): In recent decades physicists have discovered that many features of the fundamental laws of physics are “just right” to make life (including complex living things such as ourselves) possible. These are sometimes called “anthropic coincidences.” Do these show that the universe was made with us in mind? Or does the “multiverse” idea explain them? Or possibly both?
“What is a human being and when does life begin?” (Maureen Condic, Assoc. Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Univ, of Utah School of Medicine): The questions of who is a human being and when does a human being arise during the process of human development have profound implications for society, for medicine and for the law.
“Earthquakes, their Consequences, and the Jesuit Pioneers of Seismology” (Natasha Toghramadjian, 4th year graduate student, Harvard University): The great earthquake of 1755 obliterated the Catholic city of Lisbon and caused many to question their faith. It also spurred the creation of the science of seismology, often called “the Jesuit Science” because of the pioneering work of Jesuit missionaries who set up the first seismic stations in many areas of the globe. This talk will tell about the remarkable history of earthquakes and their consequences and the speaker’s own field work on three continents.
“Wonder in Science and Faith” (Chris Stoughton, Senior Scientist at Fermilab): Dr. Stoughton will talk about wonder and the approach of scientists to their work, both in historical examples and through the witness of contemporary scientists.
“Evolution and Creation: A Catholic Perspective” (Sr. Stephen Patrick Joly, O.P., Ph.D., Lansing Catholic HS): For some, the scientific theory of evolution is seen as incompatible with a God who has knowingly and purposely fashioned us. But, as s Pope Benedict XVI stated, creation and evolution represent “two complementary — rather than mutually exclusive — realities.” This talk will guide participants to see the harmony between evolutionary biology and the Catholic faith.
“Modern Science, the Catholic Church, and the Galileo Affair” (Cory Hayes, Professor of Philosophy and Theology, St. Joseph Seminary College): Beginning with Copernicus and ending with St. John Paul II, Dr. Cory Hayes will examine the trials of Galileo, the major players involved and the issues that were at play in his 1633 condemnation by the Inquisition, overcoming misconceptions and deepening our understanding of the lessons it has for us today.
“Extraterrestrial Life and the Catholic Faith” (Tim Dolch, Assistant Professor of Physics at Hillsdale College.): How likely are rational ET creatures to exist? How do scientists search for them? What theological questions would their existence raise?”

Big Questions/Ask-a-Scientist Poster Session

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet Catholic scientists one-on-one and ask them about their fields of science, career paths, the big unsolved questions in their areas of science, being a Catholic in science, and anything that they are curious about. The scientists they will meet will be a varied group: young and old; male and female; experimenters and theorists; and in many areas of research. Students interested in STEM subjects and teachers interested in renewing their own understanding will dialogue about high-impact topics, including: genetics, mathematics, materials science, evolutionary biology, superstring theory, cosmology, environmental science, neuroscience and brain research, and much more.

Schedule:
9:00am – 9:45am: Breakfast and Registration
9:45am – 10:00am: Opening Prayer, Welcome & Introduction
10:00am – 10:45am: Keynote “Science and the Catholic Faith” (Stephen Barr, President, Society of Catholic Scientists)
10:45am – 11:00am: Break
11:00am – 11:30am: Lighting Round Talks #1
11:30am – 12:30pm: Lunch
12:45pm – 1:15pm: Lighting Round Talks #2 (with optional adoration in Conference Center Chapel)
1:15pm – 1:25pm: Break
1:30pm – 2:00pm: Lighting Round Talks #3 (with optional adoration in Conference Center Chapel)
2:00pm – 2:15pm: Break
2:15pm – 3:30pm: “Big Questions/Ask-a-Scientist” Poster Session
3:30pm: Closing Remarks and Prayer

Learn more about this and other Newman Forum events on the Newman Forum website.

Student Lunch with Stephen Barr on "Should a Catholic Scientist Care About the Liberal Arts?"
2022-02-07 14:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current graduate students and faculty. Cosponsored by Calvert House. Box lunches will be served.
Join us at Gavin House, home of the Lumen Christi Institute, for a discussion with physicist Stephen Barr (President, Society of Catholic Scientists) for a conversation on what a Catholic scientist can learn from the study of philosophy, theology, and literature. Open to all students and faculty. Box lunches will be served.
Prof. Barr will also give a lecture on Feb. 7 on “Is the Universe Made for Life? Anthropic Coincidences and Multiverse Ideas”

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

This event was made possible in-part through the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this course are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Is the Universe Made for Life? Anthropic Coincidences and Multiverse Ideas
2022-02-07 18:00 | Kersten 120, 5720 South Ellis Avenue, Hyde Park, IL
Free and Open to the Public.
The late Stephen Hawking wrote, “Our universe and its laws appear to have a design that is both tailor-made to support us and, if we are to exist, leaves little room for alteration.” What lies behind such a claim? And what might explain such a remarkable fact (if it is a fact)? Join us as Dr. Stephen Barr speaks on both the science and the speculations surrounding anthropic coincidences.

This convening is open to all invitees who are compliant with UChicago vaccination requirements and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.
If you are not currently affiliated with the University (enrolled student, faculty, or staff) it is expected that you review the University’s COVID mitigation efforts. The University expects every event attendee to adopt precautions designed to mitigate the risk of viral transmission.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

This lecture is made possible in-part through the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this course are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Winter 2022 Undergraduate Reading Group: “Progress is Dead: Nietzsche’s Indictment of Modern Life in The Genealogy of Morals”
2022-02-10 18:00
“We are unknown to ourselves, we knowers: and with good reason.”
The modern world tells us—and we tell ourselves—that we are enlightened and free, but it isn’t true. Our claims to knowledge are just another moral prejudice; our ostensible freedom is disguised slavery. So contends Friedrich Nietzsche in his On the Genealogy of Morality, where he punctures the self-satisfaction of socialists, democrats, reformers, the bourgeoisie, philosophers, scientists, and anyone else who claims to have it all figured out.
This three-week reading group will discuss the three treatises of the Genealogy and debate the following claims:

February 10 Is Democracy Slavery? (First Treatise, “ ‘Good and Evil,’ ‘Good and Bad’” pp. 10-34)
February 24 Is Justice Real? (Second Treatise, “ ‘Guilt,’ ‘Bad Conscience,’ and Related Matters, pp. 35 – 67)
March 10 Does Science Kill Life? (Third Treatise, “What do ascetic ideals mean?” pp. 68 – 120)

The reading group will be led by David Lyons, Assistant Instructional Professor in the Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago. Each week, we will meet and discuss over dinner at Gavin House (1220 E. 58th St.). Dinner is served at 6pm. Discussion begins at 6:15. The goal is to think deeply about the text, ask meaningful questions, and debate in good faith. Perhaps we’ll even touch on the meaning of life. Questions can be directed to Austin Walker.

Redeeming Punishment: Catholic Approaches to Criminal Justice Reform
2022-02-10 19:00 - 20:15 | Fluno Center, Auditorium, 601 University Ave, Madison, WI 53715, Madison, WI
The Lumen Christi Institute’s Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network and the Catholic Social and Political Thought Initiative of the UW-Madison Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy present Catholic Perspectives on Criminal Justice Reform: a Scholarly Colloquium. This three-day public lecture and workshop series gathers a diverse array of legal scholars and ethicists to explore how Catholic tradition and social thought can inform the many challenges confronting today’s American criminal justice system.
As part of this colloquium, there will be a keynote panel on “Redeeming Punishment: Catholic Approaches to Criminal Justice Reform,” featuring Dean Strang, Cecelia Klingele, Rev. Javier del Castillo, and Secretary Kevin Carr, moderated by the Hon. Thomas Donnelly. This keynote event is open to the public. Attendance for the full colloquium is invite-only. For more details on the event schedule and presenters, see our news item HERE.

Special thanks to the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy for hosting this colloquium of the Lumen Christi Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network (CCJRN), and to the following people and institutions for making this colloquium possible:
Most. Rev. Donald Hying, Rev. Eric Nielsen, St. Paul’s University Student Center, Professor Richard Avramenko, University of Wisconsin Law School, and Badger Catholic
Oher cosponsors of the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network include:
Georgetown University Law Center, Notre Dame Law School, Boston College Law School, Fordham University School of Law, Loyola University Chicago Law School, University of St. Thomas School of Law, The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, The Institute on Religion, Law, and Lawyer’s Work at Fordham University School of Law, Center on Race, Law, and Justice at Fordham University School of Law, Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago, Catholic Prison Ministry Coalition, Kolbe House Jail Ministry

Master Class on Newman's Oxford University Sermons
2022-02-11 11:00 - 13:00
REGISTER HERE
This event will be held online over Zoom. Open to current graduate students and faculty. Others interested in participating should contact us.
More info TBA.
Fr. Fields will also lead a summer seminar for graduate students on the thought of John Henry Newman at Merton College, Oxford this summer. More information can be found here.

The Theologian’s Vocation in the Academy Today: A Master Class for Graduate Students in Theology
2022-02-12 11:00 - 13:00
Open to current graduate students in theology. Others interested in participating should contact us.
A two-part, online master class for graduate students in theology on the vocation of the theologian in the contemporary academy.
Dates: January 15 & February 12 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CST via Zoom
Overview:
What is the vocation of the Catholic theologian in the academy today? The increasing focus within higher education toward producing economically successful citizens within late modernity’s secularized culture is well-known. Within the theological world itself, graduate programs in theology are deeply compartmentalized into distinct sub-disciplines that often take their self-understanding and academic culture from the need to find a place within the modern research university. These pressures make it difficult to reflect theologically on one’s role in both the Church and the academy—and yet it is evermore vital that we do so. How then do we conceive of the unity of theological disciplines, and how might we—trained in our distinct silos—work towards that unity? Tomorrow’s theologians urgently need resources to reflect on their role within such a vision of the academy.
Seminar 1: The Academic Theologian and Newman’s Idea of a University
If we are to consider our current situation thoroughly, we need to explore a set of deep questions that have endured for theologians since the very beginnings of the modern university. There is no better text to facilitate a dive into these questions than John Henry Newman’s The Idea of a University.
While Newman speaks about a college culture very different from ours – research for him is the preserve of the gentleman scholar rather than the university! – two fundamental themes of his work will serve as points of departure for our discussion. The first is his definition of the goal of education as the nurturing of the “liberal” mind; the second is his presentation of a secular education’s failure to teach humility.
By engaging these themes in Idea of a University we can focus our own questions about the goal of college education itself, and examine how far any program of liberal education can instill the virtues at which Christians aim. How does the Christian scholar conceive a career caught in these tensions?
Texts to prepare: Newman’s Idea of a University, “Discourses 5, 8, & 9,” accessible HERE.
Seminar 2: Academic Theology and the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian
Often the life of a theologian in the university who is committed also to the life of the Church is cast in terms of a balance between obedience and academic freedom. But perhaps this dichotomy should not be our first consideration when we imagine the theologian’s role in a university.
To engage the question, we will discuss the International Theological Commission’s Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian. In what ways does this text sketch an agenda for academic theologians? How does it succeed and/or fail to grasp the tensions in the institutions where we teach? As in the first seminar, our goal is not so much a study of this text, as using this text as a lens through which to explore and re-envision our lives as theologians today.

Ecumenical Panel on "For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church"
2022-02-17 18:30 | Swift Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture, 1025 E 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
Free and open to the public. This program will be held as a hybrid, in-person and online event. Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the Fordham Orthodox Christian Studies Center. Cosponsored by the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion and the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies.
“As we make this journey towards full communion, we already have the duty to offer common witness to the love of God for all people by working together in the service of humanity”
—Common Declaration of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis, May 2014.
This panel will examine the recent social document For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church, published with the approval of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2020. The fruit of critical reflection by Orthodox Christian lay scholars and Church leaders, For the Life of the World offers guidance to navigate contemporary challenges faced by the Orthodox Christian on a wide range of social issues—including racism, bioethics, ecology, and human rights. The document also gives a synthetic presentation of the Orthodox Christian perspective to the wider Christian world.
In this spirit, the Lumen Christi Institute and Fordham University’s Center for Orthodox Christian Studies will present a panel event that will put this document in an ecumenical conversation with leading scholars in order draw from it wisdom that benefits all Christians.
Students and faculty are invited to join for a master class with Perry Hamalis and Gayle Woloschak on For the Life of the World on February 18.

This convening is open to all invitees who are compliant with UChicago vaccination requirements and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.
If you are not currently affiliated with the University (enrolled student, faculty, or staff) it is expected that you review the University’s COVID mitigation efforts. The University expects every event attendee to adopt precautions designed to mitigate the risk of viral transmission.
Event attendees will be required to wear a N-95, KN-95, or KF-94 mask in Swift Hall. KN-95 masks will be provided for anyone who needs one.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Master Class on "For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church"
2022-02-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current students and faculty. Others interested in participating should contact us. Copies of the book will be available for registrants.
Students and faculty are invited to join us for a seminar on For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church with two of the document’s drafters, Profs. Perry Hamalis and Gayle Woloschak.
The fruit of critical reflection by Orthodox Christian lay Scholars and Church leaders, For the Life of the World offers guidance to navigate contemporary challenges faced by the Orthodox Christian on a wide range of social issues—including racism, bioethics, ecology, and human rights. The document also gives a synthetic presentation of the Orthodox Christian perspective to the wider Christian world.
We will also host a public panel on For the Life of the World on February 17.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Master Class on "Catholic Social Teaching and the Church-State Problem"
2022-02-19 11:00 - 13:00
Open to current graduate students and faculty. Copies of the assigned readigns will be provided. This virtual master class will take place on Zoom.
Readings

The Teachings of Modern Roman Catholicism: On Law, Politics and Human Nature, Eds. John Witte and Frank Alexander (Columbia University Press, 2007), pp. 1-75
The Syllabus of Errors, Pope Pius IX, 1864

This master class serves as a preview of our upcoming summer seminar on Catholic Social Teaching for PhD and JD students co-taught by Prof. Hittinger. Learn more about the summer seminar here.

Walker Percy on the Pursuit of Happiness in Apocalyptic Times
2022-02-23 20:00 - 21:00
This virtual event is free and open to the public. This virtual event will be livestreamed on Zoom. For more information about the in person event, please contact us.
The in-person event will take place at Ruth Lake Country Club in Hinsdale, Illinois.
In Walker Percy’s novel, Love in the Ruins, the narrator, a wealthy and successful denizen of American suburbia, admits that ” everyone is happy, but our hearts broke with happiness.” In this lecture, Dr. Jennifer Frey will discuss what Percy’s novel can teach us about the pursuit of happiness in contemporary American life, and why the novel’s biting satire is relevant to our contemporary political and religious moment.

Lunch Discussion on "Walker Percy: Philosopher, Novelist, Catholic"
2022-02-24 14:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current students and faculty. Others interested in joining should contact us. Lunch will be served.
Join us for a lunch discussion with Prof. Jennifer Frey on the the work of novelist Walker Percy.
Suggested readings from Signposts in a Strange Land

“Naming and Being” (pp 130-138)
“Physician as Novelist” (pp 191-196)
“Why are you a Catholic?” (pp 304-315)

A PDF of the readings will be provided to registrants.
Prof. Frey will also give a lecture on Walker Percy at a hybrid event on Wednesday, February 23.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Catholic Culture Series on "Catholic Literary Heritage"
2022-03-02 19:30 - 21:30 | Ruth Lake Country Club, 6200 South Madison Street, Hinsdale, IL
The Lumen Christi Institute’s West Suburban Catholic Culture Series returns in 2021-22 with a monthly series on the theme of Catholic literary heritage. We will survey the history of literature written by Catholics from the early middle ages to the late twentieth century.
What is Catholic literature? What is our Catholic literary heritage? St. John Henry Newman has informed us that Catholic literature is more than “religious literature” or “the literature of religious men.” Rather, Catholic literature is literature of “all subjects whatever, treated as a Catholic would treat them, and as he only can treat them.” Not only doctrine, controversy, and history; but all of human life, as seen from the perspective given by Revelation and the life of the Church.
Participants will receive a booklet with extracts from the authors covered in the lectures. No advance reading is required, but our speakers will refer to the extracts in their lectures. The selections will offer an accessible foray into authors like Dante, Shakespeare, Anselm of Canterbury, and the author of The Pearl and Gawain and the Green Knight.
SPRING SEMESTER SCHEDULE
6:30 p.m. cocktails | 7:00 p.m. dinner, lecture, & Q&A | 8:30 p.m. end
MAR 2: English Catholic Revival of the 19th-20th Centuries
Prof. David Deavel (University of St. Thomas, MN)
APR 6: 20th Century American Catholic Literature
Prof. David Griffith (University of Notre Dame)
MAY 11: The Catholic Imagination in Modern American Poetry *Livestreamed on Zoom*
Prof. James Matthew Wilson (University of St. Thomas, Houston)
FALL SEMESTER SCHEDULE
SEP 15: Medieval Catholic Literature
Prof. Rachel Fulton Brown (University of Chicago)
OCT 13: Shakespeare
Prof. Michael P. Murphy (Loyola University Chicago)
NOV 10: Dante
Prof. Jennifer Newsome Martin (University of Notre Dame)

Justice or Vengeance? How To Watch John Wick
2022-03-03 14:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current students and faculty. Others interested in joining should contact us. Lunch will be served.
Is John Wick only a guilty pleasure? Or is there, at the heart of these movies, a desire for justice—however roughly delivered? This lecture proposes that at the heart of the movies is indeed the desire for retributive justice: the payment of punishment for those who do wrong or reward for those who do right. It will defend the understanding of retributive justice as a real good and indicate how an appreciation of this virtue can aid human beings in pursuing the good society—and even love.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Recovering Biblical Love from Emotionalism and Eroticism
2022-03-09 19:30

Magis Series on Faith and Reason
2022-03-10 19:15 - 21:30 | Saint Ignatius College Prep, 1076 W Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL
Free and open to the public. Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and Saint Ignatius College Prep.
What does it mean to believe? Does one believe because of evidence? In spite of evidence? Is belief the beginning of wisdom or the opposite of science? For over two thousand years, the Catholic Church has defended the rich interrelation between faith and reason. As Pope John Paul II said in his encyclical, Fides et Ratio, “Faith and reason are like the two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” Faith without reason leads to superstition. Reason without faith leads to nihilism and relativism. Reason needs faith; faith needs reason; we need both.
This course will be framed by Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et Ratio , and optional selections of the encyclical will be suggested to help frame the lectures. We will work our way forward in history beginning with ancient Greek philosophy, which Clement of Alexandria dubbed “the second Old Testament.” Then we will read selections from the early church fathers and the scholastic masters of the medieval church. Finally, we will consider the question of faith and reason in modern times, with a special session devoted to faith and science. We will be able to see how questions of faith and reason have been grappled with for millennia, and how we are the inheritors of a fascinating and rich tradition.
This lecture and discussion series uses an innovative format. A lecture will be followed one week later by an optional discussion-based lunch seminar. Texts introduced during the lecture will be discussed in a low-stakes format with Fr. Bernardi over lunch.

SERIES SCHEDULE
The Two Wings of the Spirit: Traditions of Faith and Reason

Thursday, March 10 Faith and Reason in the Patristic Era: ‘What Does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?’ with Fr. Peter Bernardi, SJ
Thursday, March 31 Faith and Reason in the Medieval Era: ‘Faith Seeking Understanding,’ with Fr. Peter Bernardi, SJ

The Crisis of Belief in a Secular Age: Reconciling Faith, Science, and Reason

Thursday, May 12 Catholic and Protestant Responses to the ‘Ebbing of the Sea of Faith,’ with Fr. Peter Bernardi, SJ
Wednesday, May 18 “Emotion, Metaphor, and Memory: Leveraging the Tools of Science in Service of Spiritual Discernment” with guest lecturer Fr. John Kartje

SESSION SCHEDULE
5:30 p.m. Mass optional | 6:15 p.m. Drinks & Hors d’Oeuvres | 7:00 p.m. Dinner & Lecture | 8:30 p.m. End

Music in Secret: Sounds from the Early Modern Convent
2022-03-20 15:00 | Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S Woodlawn Ave. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
Free and open to the public. Cosponsored by the University of Chicago Division of the Humanities, the Illinois Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The outstanding female contingent of Schola Antiqua presents a concert of medieval and early modern music by and for women in the convent. Their program “Music in Secret” includes works by Hildegard von Bingen and nuns from early modern Italy. The performance is complemented by keyboard works also heard in convents, played by organist and guest director Naomi Gregory. Cora Swenson Lee joins the ensemble on viola da gamba.

The Theology of Nature and the Nature of Theology
2022-03-30 14:00 - 2022-03-31 18:15 | Swift Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture, 1025 E 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
A conference held by the University of Chicago Divinity School, cosponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute.
Download of Conference Abstracts.
For more information see the Divinity School’s conference webpage.

Schedule:
Wednesday, March 30
2:00pm-3:15pm
Wesley Wildman (Boston University): “Prospects for a Naturalist, Critically Humanist, and Mystical Transreligious Understanding of Ultimate Reality”
3:30pm-4:45pm
Karmen MacKendrick (LeMoyne College): “Out of Bounds: Collection, Division, Creation”
5:00pm-6:15pm
Willemien Otten (University of Chicago Divinity School): “Double or Nothing: Creation and Gender in Eriugena, Hildegard, and Hadewijch” (the inaugural Dorothy Grant Maclear Lecture)
Reception to follow
Thursday, March 31
2:00pm-3:15pm
William Schweiker (University of Chicago Divinity School): “How Natural is Goodness?”
3:30pm-4:45pm
M. Burcht Pranger (University of Amsterdam): “Corpus Mysticum: Henri de Lubac on Nature and Supernature”
5:00pm-6:15pm
Jean-Luc Marion (University of Chicago Divinity School): “Karl Barth on the Being of the World Before God”

Negotiating Tragedy and the Tragic: Discursive, Performative, and Interpretive Strategies in Late Ancient Christian Literature
2022-03-30 17:00 | Classics 110, 1010 E 59th St. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
Free and open to the public.
Early Christian authors rarely composed tragedies, but they did discern elements of “the tragic” both in the background of sacred history and in the foreground of mundane experience. As a rhetorical, literary, and even theological artform, the mimesis of tragedy took shape concurrently in biblical interpretation and preaching, in autobiographical and hagiographical writing, in the framing of Christian moral response to human anguish and indignities, and in theological reflection on interrelated issues of providence, freedom, fate, and hope.
This lecture will sample each of these dimensions, concentrating especially on works of the Cappadocian Fathers, John Chrysostom, and Augustine, in texts ranging from Gregory of Nyssa’s ascetical works, to Gregory Nazianzen’s autobiographical poetry and select orations, to Chrysostom’s expository sermons and Letters to Olympias, to Augustine’s Confessions. Blowers will also treat the enduring question of the meaning of “the tragic” in an early Christian lens. Christian authors, while keen to uphold the unique perspectives of Scripture, could hardly ignore the definition of the tragic in classical Greek and Roman tragedies and in the long wake of Plato’s criticism of the poets and tragedians as hucksters and traffickers in emotion who subverted the philosophical quest. But could Christianity accommodate the idea of existential “dead ends”? Could it abide the prospect of irredeemable and uncompensated evils? By way of conclusion the lecture will address, albeit concisely, the state of the question of the utility (or not) of tragical mimesis in constructive Christian theology.
Prof. Blowers will also lead a discussion for students on “Finding Tragedy in the Bible with Its Early Christian Interpreters” on Thursday, March 31.

This convening is open to all invitees regardless of vaccination status and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.
If you are not currently affiliated with the University (enrolled student, faculty, or staff) it is expected that you review the University’s COVID mitigation efforts. The University expects every event attendee to adopt precautions designed to mitigate the risk of viral transmission.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Finding Tragedy in the Bible with Its Early Christian Interpreters
2022-03-31 13:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current students and faculty. Box lunches will be served.
Prof. Blowers will also give a lecture on “Negotiating Tragedy and the Tragic: Discursive, Performative, and Interpretive Strategies in Late Ancient Christian Literature” on March 30.

For all events held at Gavin House, the Lumen Christi Institute follows Chicago Department of Public Health Guidance for in-person gatherings. Please see here for the city’s most up-to-date guidelines. These are guidelines subject to change.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Non-Credit Course - Faith, Science, and Reason
2022-04-05 18:00
This weekly non-credit course is open to current Chicago area students and faculty. Others interested in attending should contact us. Registrants are free to attend as many sessions as they choose. Sessions do not presuppose previous attendance or prior knowledge of the subject.

If the new Cosmic story, that started with the Big Bang about 13.8 billion years, were likened to a 30-volume encyclopedia, each volume consisting of 450pp., each page the equivalent of a million years, modern humans appear on the last page of the last volume. Are we humans a random consequence of evolving mindless matter or the crowning achievement of God’s creative plan?
Can a Christian believer reconcile the findings of the modern natural sciences with their religious beliefs? What about the Church’s condemnation of Galileo and the apparent atheism of Darwinian evolution? Are religious faith and scientific reason intransigent enemies or convergent collaborators on the fundamental questions concerning the meaning and purpose of human life? This non-credit class will discuss these questions with theologian Fr. Peter Bernardi, S.J., and a series of guest speakers from the natural and social sciences, as well as philosophy.

6:00 PM Dinner | 6:30 PM Lecture
Schedule:
April 5 | The Biblical Doctrine of Creation and Scientific Evolution: Conflict or Convergence?
April 12 | What does Athens (Philosophy) have to do with Jerusalem (Religious Faith)?

April 19 | The Aristotelian Revolution & St. Thomas Aquinas’s ‘Summa’ on Faith and Reason

April 26 | Can an intelligent person still be an atheist? An Updated Assessment of Modern Atheism

May 3 | Navigating Science and Religion: From Conflict to Dialogue with Humility – Prof. Joseph Vukov (Loyola University Chicago)

May 10 | Conservation and Consumption in a Laudato Si Context – Prof. Christie Klimas (DePaul University)

May 17 | Genetic Manipulation – Prof. Gayle Woloschak (Northwestern University)

May 24 | Biological Evolution and the Christian Tradition – Dr. Peter Tierney (Lumen Christi Institute)

Lunch Discussion on "Theology and the Erotic: Has the Internet Killed Love?"
2022-04-08 12:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Due to circumstances outside our control, this event has been canceled. We hope to schedule events with Fr. Fields in future quarters.
Open to current students. Others interested in participating should contact us. Lunch will be provided for registrants.
What does theology have to say about erotic love? Better yet, what is love? How can one distinguish between good loves and bad?
In this lunchtime discussion, Fr. Stephen Fields (Hackett Professor of Theology, Georgetown University) will offer some brief reflections on the nature of love from the perspective of philosophy and theology. Then we will open the floor for a wide-ranging discussion about the relevance of the study of love to contemporary events and issues.

Symposium on "The Light that Binds: A Study in Thomas Aquinas's Metaphysics of Natural Law"
2022-04-13 17:00 | Swift Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture, 1025 E 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
A symposium on The Light that Binds: A Study in Thomas Aquinas’s Metaphysics of Natural Law by Fr. Stephen L. Brock (Wipf and Stock, 2020).
Free and open to the public. Registration is required. Cosponsored by Wipf and Stock Publishers, the Department of History at the University of Chicago, and the Seminary Co-op Bookstore. Contact us with any questions.
ABOUT THE BOOK
If there is any one author in the history of moral thought who has come to be associated with the idea of natural law, it is Saint Thomas Aquinas. Many things have been written about Aquinas’s natural law teaching, and from many different perspectives. The aim of this book is to help see it from his own perspective. That is why the focus is metaphysical. Aquinas’s whole moral doctrine is laden with metaphysics, and his natural law teaching especially so, because it is all about first principles. The book centers on how Aquinas thinks the first principles of practical reason, which for him are what make up natural law, function as laws. It is a controversial question, and the book engages a variety of readers of Aquinas, including Francisco Suarez, Jacques Maritain, prominent analytical philosophers, Straussians, and the initiators of the New Natural Law theory. Among the issues addressed are the relation between natural law and natural inclination, how far natural law depends on knowledge of human nature, what its obligatory force consists in, and, above all, how it is related to what for Aquinas is the first principle of all being, the divine will.
You can purchase the book from our partners at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore.

This convening is open to all invitees regardless of vaccination status and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.

If you are not currently affiliated with the University (enrolled student, faculty, or staff) it is expected that you review the University’s COVID mitigation efforts. The University expects every event attendee to adopt precautions designed to mitigate the risk of viral transmission.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Logical to the Bitter End: Absurdity, Suicide, and Hope in Albert Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus
2022-04-21 17:00
Does the absurdity of life dictate death? Can one find hope—can one truly live—in an absurd universe?
These are the questions Albert Camus labors mightily to answer in his seminal work, The Myth of Sisyphus. Acknowledging the basic human impulse to seek meaning to existence, Camus nevertheless holds that existence provides us with no answer and, moreover, never will. Given this absurdity, Camus thus identifies suicide as the “one truly serious philosophical problem.” Why, Camus poses, do we bother to go on living once we recognize the absurdity of life? How, in the face of absurdity, can one embrace the struggle with meaninglessness and find happiness? In this reading course we will think seriously about these questions and closely examine the ways Camus provides for affirming life in an absurd universe.
Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus (Vintage 1991)

April 21: The Absurd Truth, [Myth, pp. 1-50]
May 5: Absurd Freedom, [Myth, pp. 51-92]
May 19: The Absurd Man, [Myth, pp. 93-123]

The reading group will be led by David Lyons, Assistant Instructional Professor in the Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago. Each week, we will meet and discuss over dinner at Gavin House (1220 E. 58th St.). Dinner is served at 6pm. Discussion begins at 6:15. The goal is to think deeply about the text, ask meaningful questions, and debate in good faith. Perhaps we’ll even touch on the meaning of life. Questions can be directed to Austin Walker.
Illustration Copyright: Vedran Stimac (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Bernard of Clairvaux: Writing a Biography of the Difficult Saint
2022-04-28 17:00 | Swift Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture, 1025 E 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637, Hyde Park, IL
A lecture with Professor Brian Patrick McGuire, author of Bernard of Clairvaux: An Inner Life (Cornell University Press, 2020). Free and open to the public. Registration is required. Cosponsored by the Bollandist Society, Cornell University Press, the Medieval Studies Workshop at the University of Chicago, and the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion. Contact us with any questions.
From the presenter:
This lecture will be a combination of biography and autobiography: my various attempts at writing a biography of Bernard of Clairvaux and the history of my own life. I think it is important for historians to be aware of the contents of individual human lives and their contributions to their own time. In the case of Bernard, I began with the assumption that he was a monster, a churchman who did his utmost to destroy Peter Abelard and his new theology. But in the course of gaining life experience I came to understand what Bernard was facing: a conviction that it was his duty to involve himself in the life of the Church while at the same time seeking the contemplative life he had chosen at Clairvaux. It became easier for me to accept Bernard’s situation when I became involved after 1985 in helping asylum applicants in Denmark, in a society whose officials did their best to send these people back where they came from. During these years until the early 1990s my view of Bernard changed as my perception of my own time changed. I came to see how difficult it is to live up to a Christian way of life and to help other people.
My lecture will not be pure autobiography but will concentrate on the contents of Bernard’s life as I have come to perceive him in my own research and writing. I have deemed him “the difficult saint” and as such he well fits our own difficult times, when decency and charity are more needed than ever.
ABOUT THE BOOK​​​​​​
In this intimate portrait of one of the Middle Ages’ most consequential men, Brian Patrick McGuire delves into the life of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux to offer a refreshing interpretation that finds within this grand historical figure a deeply spiritual human being who longed for the reflective quietude of the monastery even as he helped shape the destiny of a church and a continent. Heresy and crusade, politics and papacies, theology and disputation shaped this astonishing man’s life, and McGuire presents it all in a deeply informed and clear-eyed biography.
Following Bernard from his birth in 1090 to his death in 1153 at the abbey he had founded four decades earlier, Bernard of Clairvaux reveals a life teeming with momentous events and spiritual contemplation, from Bernard’s central roles in the first great medieval reformation of the Church and the Second Crusade, which he came to regret, to the crafting of his books, sermons, and letters. We see what brought Bernard to monastic life and how he founded Clairvaux Abbey, established a network of Cistercian monasteries across Europe, and helped his brethren monks and abbots in heresy trials, affairs of state, and the papal schism of the 1130s.
By reevaluating Bernard’s life and legacy through his own words and those of the people closest to him, McGuire reveals how this often-challenging saint saw himself and conveyed his convictions to others. Above all, this fascinating biography depicts Saint Bernard of Clairvaux as a man guided by Christian revelation and open to the achievements of the human spirit.

Friendship and Community: The Monastic Experience, 350-1250
2022-04-29 14:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
A master class with Brian Patrick McGuire (Roskilde University). Open to current graduate students, faculty, and advanced University of Chicago undergraduate students. Others interested in participating should contact us. Registrants will receive copies of the prepared reading.
Friendship has been apparent in our culture as a concern ever since the time of the Greeks. Today it is often ignored or taken for granted. Some readings of the Gospels would indicate that friendship is secondary. We are saved not because of our friendships but because we find how to love our enemies. For Augustine, the architect of friendship, converting to the Christian religion meant downsizing his friendships, even though he still maintained them. For the Desert Fathers, an abba is a father and not a friend, and for Benedict in his monastic way of life, one monk is never to defend another as a friend. The abbot is not to show preferences, but an exception is made for especially deserving monks.
In our age so permeated with sexual sensibility, the main concern in medieval life seems to have been fear of friendships in order to avoid sexual bonds, but the sources speak otherwise. Bonds of friendship in the cloister were considered dangerous not because of sex but because monks could form cliques and defy the position of the abbot. And yet, in spite of the fear of bonds that would upset the life of the cloister, central monastic figures of the early Middle Ages, such as Bede and Boniface, cultivated friendships and almost simultaneously, but independently of each other, coined the term, amicitia spiritalis.
What had been in Cicero’s time an alliance of two aristocratic men to further their ambitions now became an accepted aspect of monastic life. This opening to friendship appeared especially in the twelfth century among the Cistercians. Bernard of Clairvaux used a language of friendship and his monk Aelred of Rievaulx converted Cicero’s “On Friendship” into “On Spiritual Friendship.” And yet Aelred’s celebration of the language and experience of friendship did not last, and it is important to find what happened to spiritual friendship.
Readings

Cicero, On Friendship
The Rule of Saint Benedict, esp. chapters 2, 69 and 71
Aelred of Rievaulx, Spiritual Friendship (Cistercian Publications)
Brian Patrick McGuire, Friendship and Community: The Monastic Experience (Cornell University Press, 2010), especially ch. VII, “Aelred of Rievaulx and the Limits of Friendship”.

Descartes and Pascal on the Proofs of the Existence of God
2022-05-06 14:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
A final Lumen Christi Master Class, with Jean-Luc Marion. Open to current graduate students, faculty, and advanced University of Chicago undergraduate students. Others interested in participating should contact us. Registrants will receive copies of the prepared reading.
Texts:
Descartes, Méditations on first philosophy, a latin-english edition by J. Cottingham, Cambridge, 2013, or the bare latin text. (With focus on book 3 & 5)
Pascal, Pensées, ed. R. Ariew, Hackett, 2005. (Entirety, but especially Chapter 3)
Marion, Jean-Luc On descartes’ metaphysical Prism, Chicago U.P., 1999, Chapter 3 (ch.IV & V optional).

The Catholic Imagination in Modern American Poetry
2022-05-11 19:15 | Ruth Lake Country Club, 6200 South Madison Street, Hinsdale, IL
Part of our Western Suburban Catholic Culture Series. This event will be live streamed on Zoom.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the American Historian Henry Adams wrote admiringly of the Catholic mind as it found expression in the medieval world. It was beautiful, it was good, but, alas, could not be true. Within a generation, younger American writers were impelled by that same beauty but dared to ask whether they might be equally impelled by the Catholic vision of the world as true. Thus began a great literary adventure, as American poets entered into the Catholic tradition and sought to make poems that conveyed the depth and power of an encounter with the Catholic proclamations of faith as the truth of the world.

Lunch Discussion on "The Vocation of the Poet: Humanism, Christianity, and Verse"
2022-05-12 12:00 | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current students and faculty. Others interested in joining should contact us. Lunch will be served.
Join us for a lunch discussion with poet and professor James Matthew Wilson (University of St. Thomas, Houston)
Poetry is, at best, a marginal art form in contemporary America, and yet its craft, technique, and tradition are all provocations to reconsider what it means to live a whole, formed life and what it means to encounter, contemplate, and understand reality. In this informal conversation, Professor Wilson will share his own experience of discovering the craft and vocation of verse and we’ll consider what poetry has to teach us about the nature of humanistic learning and that which deepens and transcends it, the theological dimension of the intellectual and spiritual life.
