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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251001T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251001T200000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250915T163511Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250923T212734Z
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SUMMARY:Welcome Back Ice Cream Social With Pizza
DESCRIPTION:REGISTRATION BELOW \n6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. \nOpen to all students at the University of Chicago. This event is co-sponsored by Calvert House. \nWelcome back! As school starts up again\, the Lumen Christi Institute and Calvert House would like to invite all students to a welcome back social. Meet other Catholics and friends of LCI to kick off the year! Pizza and an ice cream bar will be available. All students are welcome. Grad students are invited to bring spouses and children.  \nFor those bringing a spouse and/or children\, please DO NOT include them in “Persons registering.” Please mark them in the field called “How many children/spouse will attend with you? (If applicable).”
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/welcome-back-ice-cream-social-with-pizza/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Social
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251007T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251007T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250904T183913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T150247Z
UID:10001621-1759860000-1759865400@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Works and Legacy of St. Augustine
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW \n6:00 Dinner | 6:30 Lecture (last 20 Q & A) | 7:30 End \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. \nIn his first public address\, Pope Leo XIV declared himself “a son of St. Augustine\, who once said\, ‘With you I am a Christian\, and for you I am a bishop.’” This moment served as an ode to the Augustinian order\, of which he is a member\, and marked St. Augustine as a central influence to his papacy.  \nIn order to understand Pope Leo XIV\, we must return to St. Augustine.  \nSt. Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354–430) was a North African bishop and theologian whose writings\, like The Confessions and The City of God\, shaped Christian thought. After a life of searching and struggling with what is true\, he embraced the Christian faith. His philosophy ultimately centers on the idea of the restless soul finding rest in God. \nJoin us as we survey one of the most prominent theologians in the history of Christianity and explore his enduring legacy on the Church today. \n  \nSchedule: \nOct 7 – Week 1: City of God pt 1 \nWillemien Otten (Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology and the History of Christianity; also in the College; Associate Faculty in the Department of History\, Social Sciences Division\, The University of Chicago) \nThe City of God is a  major historical-theological work that gives both a macrohistory of the world but also a microhistory of Adam and Eve folded within it. The first two sessions of the class will deal respectively with the dynamics of the macro- and the microhistorical view. \nTo focus on City of God\, books 1\, 5 and 11-13. See also the article by James Wetzel\, “Augustine on the Origin of Evil: Myth and Metaphysics.” \nOct 14 – Week 2: City of God pt 2 \nWillemien Otten \nThe City of God is a  major historical-theological work that gives both a macrohistory of the world but also a microhistory of Adam and Eve folded within it. The first two sessions of the class will deal respectively with the dynamics of the macro- and the microhistorical view. \nTo focus on City of God\, books 14-15 and 19. See also the article by Willemien Otten\, “Between Exegesis and Naturalization: Gender and Creation in Augustine.” \nOct 21 – Week 3: Confessions \nRyan Coyne (Associate Professor of the Philosophy of Religions and Theology; also in the College\, The University of Chicago) \nOct 28 – Week 4: On The Trinity \nBernard McGinn (Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School and the Committees on Medieval Studies and on General Studies\, The University of Chicago) \nAugustine’s “De Trinitate” is one of his longer and most difficult writings. The book makes three significant contributions to Christian theology of the Trinity: (1) sorting out the biblical basis for the Trinity; (2)  establishing a “grammar” of correct speaking about the doctrine\, and (3) exploring the inner appropriation of the Trinity into the life of the believer. \nNov 4 – Week 5: On Christian Teaching \nScott Moringiello (Chair of the Department of Catholic Studies\, Associate Professor\, DePaul University) \nAugustine’s On Christian Teaching (De Doctrina Christiana) is in some ways an overlooked classic. But this book gets to the heart of Augustine’s theological vision. In explaining the proper way to interpret the Scriptures and to preach Augustine offers a vision of how to do theology. If you read the Scriptures\, and love does not increase in you\, you’re misreading them. \nNov 11 – Week 6: Augustine and the Sociology of the Self \nCassandra Sever (Postdoctoral Fellow\, The Lumen Christi Institute) \nWhat if the key to understanding today’s cultural crises is hidden in an ancient vision of the self? This lecture explores Augustine’s idea of the self as ordered to the sacred and meaning-seeking—and shows how this vision can illuminate the sociology of who we are\, what we long for\, and the fractures of the contemporary world. \nNov 18 – Week 7: History of the Augustinian Order \nFr. Peter Funk\, O.S.B. (Prior of the Monastery of the Holy Cross)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-works-and-legacy-of-st-augustine/2025-10-07/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Non-Credit Courses
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Triunfo_de_San_Agustin.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251013T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251013T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20251001T155442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251008T002122Z
UID:10001747-1760378400-1760383800@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Vice of Curiosity
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n6:00 – 7:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for University of Chicago graduate students. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Students will receive a copy of the texts. \nThis project is made possible through the support of In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation and the generous support of our donors. \nIn our Information Age\, we are constantly bombarded by a deluge of new knowledge\, whether it be academic works\, social media alerts\, or 24/7 news blasts. In the academy in particular\, we are taught from an early age that the ideal student is the one with insatiable curiosity –  a never-ending appetite for knowledge in whatever guise it may come. And yet if we are honest\, this ceaseless quest for total knowledge often leaves us more distracted and anxious than ever before. St. Augustine would have a surprising diagnosis for our age – we suffer from the vice of curiositas\, a kind of malformed appetite for knowledge that prizes novelty and control over the intrinsically true\, good\, and beautiful.  \nIn the Vice of Curiosity and Intellectual Appetite\, esteemed theologian Paul J. Griffiths outlines an Augustinian critique of the modern academy’s ways of knowing\, including the history of how modernity turned curiosity from vice into virtue\, a theological criticism of patent law\, and analysis of why plagiarism is not in fact theft. In this five week reading group\, we will dive into the thought of both St. Augustine and Griffiths as we seek to understand what a properly catechized intellectual appetite looks like and how we can rightly desire knowledge as students. \nSchedule:\n\nOct 13 – Week 1: Introduction (Optional Reading\, Intellectual Appetite: 9-18 of Introduction)\nOct 20 – Week 2: The Vice of Curiosity\, p. 1-21 (Optional: I.A. p. 19-22 & 75-91)\nOct 27 – Week 3: V.C.\, p. 22-41 (Optional: I.A. p. 139-162)\nNov 3 – Week 4: V.C.\, p. 41-59 (Optional: I.A. p. 163-186)\nNov 10 – Week 5: V.C.\, p. 60-79 (Optional: I.A. p. 125-138)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-vice-of-curiosity/2025-10-13/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Joseph_Wright_of_Derby_The_Alchemist-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251014T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251014T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250904T183913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T150247Z
UID:10001624-1760464800-1760470200@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Works and Legacy of St. Augustine
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW \n6:00 Dinner | 6:30 Lecture (last 20 Q & A) | 7:30 End \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. \nIn his first public address\, Pope Leo XIV declared himself “a son of St. Augustine\, who once said\, ‘With you I am a Christian\, and for you I am a bishop.’” This moment served as an ode to the Augustinian order\, of which he is a member\, and marked St. Augustine as a central influence to his papacy.  \nIn order to understand Pope Leo XIV\, we must return to St. Augustine.  \nSt. Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354–430) was a North African bishop and theologian whose writings\, like The Confessions and The City of God\, shaped Christian thought. After a life of searching and struggling with what is true\, he embraced the Christian faith. His philosophy ultimately centers on the idea of the restless soul finding rest in God. \nJoin us as we survey one of the most prominent theologians in the history of Christianity and explore his enduring legacy on the Church today. \n  \nSchedule: \nOct 7 – Week 1: City of God pt 1 \nWillemien Otten (Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology and the History of Christianity; also in the College; Associate Faculty in the Department of History\, Social Sciences Division\, The University of Chicago) \nThe City of God is a  major historical-theological work that gives both a macrohistory of the world but also a microhistory of Adam and Eve folded within it. The first two sessions of the class will deal respectively with the dynamics of the macro- and the microhistorical view. \nTo focus on City of God\, books 1\, 5 and 11-13. See also the article by James Wetzel\, “Augustine on the Origin of Evil: Myth and Metaphysics.” \nOct 14 – Week 2: City of God pt 2 \nWillemien Otten \nThe City of God is a  major historical-theological work that gives both a macrohistory of the world but also a microhistory of Adam and Eve folded within it. The first two sessions of the class will deal respectively with the dynamics of the macro- and the microhistorical view. \nTo focus on City of God\, books 14-15 and 19. See also the article by Willemien Otten\, “Between Exegesis and Naturalization: Gender and Creation in Augustine.” \nOct 21 – Week 3: Confessions \nRyan Coyne (Associate Professor of the Philosophy of Religions and Theology; also in the College\, The University of Chicago) \nOct 28 – Week 4: On The Trinity \nBernard McGinn (Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School and the Committees on Medieval Studies and on General Studies\, The University of Chicago) \nAugustine’s “De Trinitate” is one of his longer and most difficult writings. The book makes three significant contributions to Christian theology of the Trinity: (1) sorting out the biblical basis for the Trinity; (2)  establishing a “grammar” of correct speaking about the doctrine\, and (3) exploring the inner appropriation of the Trinity into the life of the believer. \nNov 4 – Week 5: On Christian Teaching \nScott Moringiello (Chair of the Department of Catholic Studies\, Associate Professor\, DePaul University) \nAugustine’s On Christian Teaching (De Doctrina Christiana) is in some ways an overlooked classic. But this book gets to the heart of Augustine’s theological vision. In explaining the proper way to interpret the Scriptures and to preach Augustine offers a vision of how to do theology. If you read the Scriptures\, and love does not increase in you\, you’re misreading them. \nNov 11 – Week 6: Augustine and the Sociology of the Self \nCassandra Sever (Postdoctoral Fellow\, The Lumen Christi Institute) \nWhat if the key to understanding today’s cultural crises is hidden in an ancient vision of the self? This lecture explores Augustine’s idea of the self as ordered to the sacred and meaning-seeking—and shows how this vision can illuminate the sociology of who we are\, what we long for\, and the fractures of the contemporary world. \nNov 18 – Week 7: History of the Augustinian Order \nFr. Peter Funk\, O.S.B. (Prior of the Monastery of the Holy Cross)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-works-and-legacy-of-st-augustine/2025-10-14/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Non-Credit Courses
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Triunfo_de_San_Agustin.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251015T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251015T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250918T161748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251203T155853Z
UID:10001683-1760551200-1760556600@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:Religion\, Politics\, and Revolution in The Ancient City
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n6:00 p.m. Dinner | 6:15 p.m. Discussion | 7:30 p.m. End \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago undergraduate students. All registrants will be provided with a free copy of the text.  \nThis seminar and the Nicklin Fellows are made possible by the First Analysis Institute. This seminar is co-sponsored by the Seldon Institute and is made possible through the support of In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation and the generous support of our donors. \nDescription:\nNothing could be stranger than life in the cities of ancient Greece and Rome: \n\nProperty is private\, but its sale is forbidden\nCelibacy is illegal\nMarriage ceremonies combine ritualized force and denunciation of ancestors\nPolitics is all-consuming\n\nThe more one looks at the ancient world\, the odder it appears–until one realizes that ancient religion was the key to the social state. \nThe Ancient City is the great masterpiece of the 19th century French historian\, Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges. By turning an incisive eye towards the primary sources of Ancient Greece and Rome\, supplemented by comparisons to ancient Hindu texts\, Coulanges reconstructed the basis of ancient Greek and Roman society. At the root of this society was ancient religion and the domestic cult.  Only by understanding ancient religion could one begin to understand the nature of ancient law\, property relations\, and political organization.  \nCoulanges traced the origin and development of the ancient city\, its transformation among various social and political revolutions\, and its demise. Coulanges’ new approach to old things paved the way for 20th century developments in anthropology and the sociology of religion. \nJoin us as we read selections of The Ancient City and discuss Fustel’s theses about the beginnings of religion\, the birth of political life\, and the nature of human society. \nSchedule:\nEach session will have about 15 pages of assigned reading. An additional 30 pages of recommended reading are suggested as well. \n\nOct 15 – Week 1: The Family and the Domestic Cult\nOct 29 – Week 2: The City\nNov 12 – Week 3: Revolutions\n\nPlease click here for the syllabus with more detailed reading assignments. PDFs of readings for the first session can be found here. \n\n\n \n\n \n  \nSeries Description:\nFundamental Questions Seminar \nThis event is part of Lumen Christi’s Fundamental Questions program\, a quarterly seminar designed for undergraduate students at the University of Chicago. By fostering intellectually rigorous conversation around culturally resonant texts\, we aim to allow students to experience the force of the deep existential concerns which animate our lives: “Where do my values come from? What is the good life? How can I become happy?” Our aim is not to answer such fundamental questions\, but rather to equip students with the intellectual skills needed to recognize and articulate them for themselves. This group welcomes students from all religious and philosophical backgrounds because existential questions of being are of concern to all. \nIn addition\, undergraduate students who participate in this seminar are eligible to become “Nicklin Fellows.” These fellows will have exclusive access to research and development grant funds to pursue their intellectual interests. Grants can be used to do things like the following: \n\nOrganize a reading group\nBring a speaker to campus\nOrganize a movie night\nDevelop and plan future fundamental questions seminars\nWrite a paper for a journal\nAnd more!
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/religion-politics-and-revolution-in-the-ancient-city/2025-10-15/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Fundamental Questions Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rome-_Ruins_of_the_Forum_Looking_towards_the_Capitol.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251015T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251015T203000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250821T135436Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251201T230539Z
UID:10001617-1760553000-1760560200@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:Our Hearts Are Restless: Augustine’s Confessions and Modern Anxiety - Ever Ancient\, Ever New: The Sources of Pope Leo XIV | West Suburban Catholic Culture Series
DESCRIPTION:The West Suburban Catholic Culture Series\n\nEver Ancient\, Ever New:\nThe Sources of Pope Leo XIV\nREGISTER HERE\n  \n  \nOctober 15th:\nOur Hearts Are Restless: Augustine’s Confessions and Modern Anxiety\nCo-sponsored by St. Gregory’s Hall\nSchedule: 6:30 p.m. Drinks | 7:00 p.m. Dinner\, Lecture\, & Q&A | 8:30 p.m. End \nLECTURE DESCRIPTION \nThe twentieth century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said that Augustine’s Confessions was possibly the most serious book ever written. There’s good reason to think he was right. In the book – equal parts memoir\, prayer\, philosophical treatise\, and theological masterpiece – Augustine explores the nature of goodness\, the puzzle of sin\, and the necessity of friendship. He savors the love of God that is offered in Christ and his Church. He even realizes (as we all do eventually) that his mother was right all along.  \nIn this lecture\, Prof. Moringiello will introduce the Confessions\, one of the greatest books in the Western canon\, and one especially dear to Pope Leo’s heart. He will talk about his experience teaching it to undergraduates at Villanova University and DePaul University. And he will focus on how one of the most famous lines in the book — “our hearts are restless until the find rest in You\, Lord” (1.1.5) – speaks to his students and to all of us who live in a world dominated by restlessness and who continually search for the rest that God’s love provides. \nBusiness casual attire encouraged. For questions\, or if you would like to request a comped ticket as a priest\, religious\, or high school teacher\, please email Margaux (Killackey) Taffet at mtaffet@lumenchristi.org.
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/our-hearts-are-restless/
LOCATION:Ruth Lake Country Club\, 6200 South Madison Street\, Hinsdale\, IL
CATEGORIES:West Suburban Series
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251016T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251016T183000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250922T143903Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T150246Z
UID:10001738-1760634000-1760639400@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:MacIntyre’s Dependent Rational Animals
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n5:00-6:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. \n“What is ‘in your character’ (NOT ‘in your wallet’)?”  Who is your guide to a happy\, fulfilled life–Nietzsche or Aristotle?  Given the ethical confusion\, indeed meltdown\, afflicting our society\, who offers the most reliable “moral compass” to help us find our way? \nThis reading course will read and discuss Dependent Rational Animals by Alisdair MacIntyre.  Drawing on Aristotle\, MacIntyre describes our biologically rooted condition and the need to cultivate the virtues that take account of our shared human condition.  Macintyre criticizes Aristotle’s ideal of the “great souled” man;  he argues for the cultivation of virtues that acknowledge our inescapable dependence and inter-dependency.  \nA midlife convert from atheistic Marxism to Catholicism\, MacIntyre is considered by many to be the most important moral philosopher of the past 50 years.  He died in the spring of 2025\, making a re-assessment of his life’s work all the more timely. \nCopies of Dependent Rational Animals will be provided to all participants. Weekly meetings are held over dinner. Weekly reading assignments are kept at or below 40 pages. \n  \nSCHEDULE\n\nOct. 16  Introduction (readings available in class Google Folder)\nOct. 23  DRA\, preface + chapters 1-4\, pp. 1-41\nOct. 30  DRA\, chapters 5-7\, pp. 43-80.\nNov. 6  DRA\, chapters 8-9\, pp. 81-118.\nNov. 13  DRA\, chapters 10-11\, pp. 119-146\nNov. 20  DRA\, chapter 12-13\, pp. 147-166
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/macintyres-dependent-rational-animals/2025-10-16/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups,Courses
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/71z-L09Tf8L._UF10001000_QL80_.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251016T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251016T203000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20251001T150817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T161959Z
UID:10001748-1760641200-1760646600@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Silmarillion
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n7:00 – 8:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for University of Chicago graduate students. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Students will receive a copy of the texts. \nPeter Thiel wants to live forever\, and he’s cited the works of JRR Tolkien as a justification: “why can’t we be elves?” But a careful reader of Tolkien’s works\, especially the cosmological and mythic stories in The Silmarillion\, knows that the answer to that question is very complicated. In this group\, we will discuss what Tolkien has to say about death\, mortality\, and suffering\, along with his rich worldbuilding and epic tales. \nSchedule:\n\nOct 16 – Week One (52 pages): Ainulindalë (pages 13-23)\, Quenta Silmarillion chapters 1-8 (pages 35-77)\nOct 23 – Week Two (52 pages): QS chapters 9-16 (78-130)\nOct 30 – Week Three (56 pages): QS chapters 17-19 (131-187)\nNov 6 – Week Four (49 pages): QS chapters 20-22 (188-237)\nNov 13 – Week Five (45 pages): QS chapters 23-24 (238-257)\, Akallabêth (257-283)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-silmarillion/2025-10-16/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/7332.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251017T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251017T110000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20251001T150532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260121T003257Z
UID:10001745-1760695200-1760698800@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:Greek New Testament
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Refreshments Provided \n*Note: winter sessions have been shifted forward by one week \nThis event is designated for University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. Students will receive a copy of the texts. \n“In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son\, whom he appointed the heir of all things\, through whom also he created the world.” This dramatic opening salvo of the Letter to the Hebrews\, summarizing salvation history\, is one of the most famous and consequential one-liners in the New Testament. But who is this Son? How is he “appointed heir of all things”? What is the relationship between God’s message through him and His message through the prophets? In this reading group\, we will examine\, through careful study of the Koine Greek text\, how the Letter to the Hebrews answers these questions and more\, with an eye to the authorship\, audience\, and genre of this mysterious text. All levels of Greek proficiency are encouraged to join. Advance preparation is recommended but not required. \nSchedule:\n\nOct. 17: Introduction; Hebrews 1.1-4: God’s Son\nOct. 24: Hebrews 1.5-14: The Son’s Superiority to the Angels\nOct. 31: Hebrews 2.1-9\,:The Son’s Abasement\nNov. 7: Hebrews 2.10-18: The Son\, the Pioneer of Our Salvation\nNov. 14: Hebrews 3: The Son and Moses\nNov. 21: Hebrews 4.1-13: God’s Promised Rest\n\nJan. 30: Hebrews 4.14–5.14\n\n\nFeb. 6: Hebrews 6.1–20\n\n\nFeb. 13: Hebrews 7.1–22\n\n\nFeb. 20: Hebrews 7.23–8.13\n\n\nFeb. 27: Hebrews 9.1–14\n\n\nMarch. 6: Hebrews 9.15–28
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/greek-new-testament/2025-10-17/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Papyrus_13_-_British_Library_Papyrus_1532_-_Epistle_to_the_Hebrews_-_2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251020T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251020T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20251001T155442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251008T002122Z
UID:10001754-1760983200-1760988600@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Vice of Curiosity
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n6:00 – 7:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for University of Chicago graduate students. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Students will receive a copy of the texts. \nThis project is made possible through the support of In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation and the generous support of our donors. \nIn our Information Age\, we are constantly bombarded by a deluge of new knowledge\, whether it be academic works\, social media alerts\, or 24/7 news blasts. In the academy in particular\, we are taught from an early age that the ideal student is the one with insatiable curiosity –  a never-ending appetite for knowledge in whatever guise it may come. And yet if we are honest\, this ceaseless quest for total knowledge often leaves us more distracted and anxious than ever before. St. Augustine would have a surprising diagnosis for our age – we suffer from the vice of curiositas\, a kind of malformed appetite for knowledge that prizes novelty and control over the intrinsically true\, good\, and beautiful.  \nIn the Vice of Curiosity and Intellectual Appetite\, esteemed theologian Paul J. Griffiths outlines an Augustinian critique of the modern academy’s ways of knowing\, including the history of how modernity turned curiosity from vice into virtue\, a theological criticism of patent law\, and analysis of why plagiarism is not in fact theft. In this five week reading group\, we will dive into the thought of both St. Augustine and Griffiths as we seek to understand what a properly catechized intellectual appetite looks like and how we can rightly desire knowledge as students. \nSchedule:\n\nOct 13 – Week 1: Introduction (Optional Reading\, Intellectual Appetite: 9-18 of Introduction)\nOct 20 – Week 2: The Vice of Curiosity\, p. 1-21 (Optional: I.A. p. 19-22 & 75-91)\nOct 27 – Week 3: V.C.\, p. 22-41 (Optional: I.A. p. 139-162)\nNov 3 – Week 4: V.C.\, p. 41-59 (Optional: I.A. p. 163-186)\nNov 10 – Week 5: V.C.\, p. 60-79 (Optional: I.A. p. 125-138)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-vice-of-curiosity/2025-10-20/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Joseph_Wright_of_Derby_The_Alchemist-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251021T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251021T203000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250730T193723Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250908T182852Z
UID:10001614-1761066000-1761078600@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:Doing Justice and Loving Mercy: A Michigan Conversation on Criminal Justice
DESCRIPTION:In partnership with the Diocese of Lansing and the Michigan Catholic Conference\, the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network is hosting an evening event entitled “Doing Justice and Loving Mercy: A Michigan Conversation on Criminal Justice.” Rooted in Catholic Social Teaching\, this program brings together individuals actively working within the criminal justice system and those directly impacted by it–returning citizens and survivors of crime.\n\n\nRegistration Link\n\n\nFor more information\, contact CCJRN@Lumenchristi.org\n\n\nThis event is intended for those working in or impacted by the criminal justice system.
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/doing-justice-and-loving-mercy-a-michigan-conversation-on-criminal-justice/
LOCATION:Saint Mary Cathedral Parish Hall\, 220 N Walnut St\, Lansing\, MI\, 48933\, United States
CATEGORIES:Conference
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/lci-default.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251021T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251021T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250904T183913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T150247Z
UID:10001625-1761069600-1761075000@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Works and Legacy of St. Augustine
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW \n6:00 Dinner | 6:30 Lecture (last 20 Q & A) | 7:30 End \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. \nIn his first public address\, Pope Leo XIV declared himself “a son of St. Augustine\, who once said\, ‘With you I am a Christian\, and for you I am a bishop.’” This moment served as an ode to the Augustinian order\, of which he is a member\, and marked St. Augustine as a central influence to his papacy.  \nIn order to understand Pope Leo XIV\, we must return to St. Augustine.  \nSt. Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354–430) was a North African bishop and theologian whose writings\, like The Confessions and The City of God\, shaped Christian thought. After a life of searching and struggling with what is true\, he embraced the Christian faith. His philosophy ultimately centers on the idea of the restless soul finding rest in God. \nJoin us as we survey one of the most prominent theologians in the history of Christianity and explore his enduring legacy on the Church today. \n  \nSchedule: \nOct 7 – Week 1: City of God pt 1 \nWillemien Otten (Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology and the History of Christianity; also in the College; Associate Faculty in the Department of History\, Social Sciences Division\, The University of Chicago) \nThe City of God is a  major historical-theological work that gives both a macrohistory of the world but also a microhistory of Adam and Eve folded within it. The first two sessions of the class will deal respectively with the dynamics of the macro- and the microhistorical view. \nTo focus on City of God\, books 1\, 5 and 11-13. See also the article by James Wetzel\, “Augustine on the Origin of Evil: Myth and Metaphysics.” \nOct 14 – Week 2: City of God pt 2 \nWillemien Otten \nThe City of God is a  major historical-theological work that gives both a macrohistory of the world but also a microhistory of Adam and Eve folded within it. The first two sessions of the class will deal respectively with the dynamics of the macro- and the microhistorical view. \nTo focus on City of God\, books 14-15 and 19. See also the article by Willemien Otten\, “Between Exegesis and Naturalization: Gender and Creation in Augustine.” \nOct 21 – Week 3: Confessions \nRyan Coyne (Associate Professor of the Philosophy of Religions and Theology; also in the College\, The University of Chicago) \nOct 28 – Week 4: On The Trinity \nBernard McGinn (Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School and the Committees on Medieval Studies and on General Studies\, The University of Chicago) \nAugustine’s “De Trinitate” is one of his longer and most difficult writings. The book makes three significant contributions to Christian theology of the Trinity: (1) sorting out the biblical basis for the Trinity; (2)  establishing a “grammar” of correct speaking about the doctrine\, and (3) exploring the inner appropriation of the Trinity into the life of the believer. \nNov 4 – Week 5: On Christian Teaching \nScott Moringiello (Chair of the Department of Catholic Studies\, Associate Professor\, DePaul University) \nAugustine’s On Christian Teaching (De Doctrina Christiana) is in some ways an overlooked classic. But this book gets to the heart of Augustine’s theological vision. In explaining the proper way to interpret the Scriptures and to preach Augustine offers a vision of how to do theology. If you read the Scriptures\, and love does not increase in you\, you’re misreading them. \nNov 11 – Week 6: Augustine and the Sociology of the Self \nCassandra Sever (Postdoctoral Fellow\, The Lumen Christi Institute) \nWhat if the key to understanding today’s cultural crises is hidden in an ancient vision of the self? This lecture explores Augustine’s idea of the self as ordered to the sacred and meaning-seeking—and shows how this vision can illuminate the sociology of who we are\, what we long for\, and the fractures of the contemporary world. \nNov 18 – Week 7: History of the Augustinian Order \nFr. Peter Funk\, O.S.B. (Prior of the Monastery of the Holy Cross)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-works-and-legacy-of-st-augustine/2025-10-21/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Non-Credit Courses
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Triunfo_de_San_Agustin.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251023T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251023T183000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250922T143903Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T150246Z
UID:10001739-1761238800-1761244200@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:MacIntyre’s Dependent Rational Animals
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n5:00-6:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. \n“What is ‘in your character’ (NOT ‘in your wallet’)?”  Who is your guide to a happy\, fulfilled life–Nietzsche or Aristotle?  Given the ethical confusion\, indeed meltdown\, afflicting our society\, who offers the most reliable “moral compass” to help us find our way? \nThis reading course will read and discuss Dependent Rational Animals by Alisdair MacIntyre.  Drawing on Aristotle\, MacIntyre describes our biologically rooted condition and the need to cultivate the virtues that take account of our shared human condition.  Macintyre criticizes Aristotle’s ideal of the “great souled” man;  he argues for the cultivation of virtues that acknowledge our inescapable dependence and inter-dependency.  \nA midlife convert from atheistic Marxism to Catholicism\, MacIntyre is considered by many to be the most important moral philosopher of the past 50 years.  He died in the spring of 2025\, making a re-assessment of his life’s work all the more timely. \nCopies of Dependent Rational Animals will be provided to all participants. Weekly meetings are held over dinner. Weekly reading assignments are kept at or below 40 pages. \n  \nSCHEDULE\n\nOct. 16  Introduction (readings available in class Google Folder)\nOct. 23  DRA\, preface + chapters 1-4\, pp. 1-41\nOct. 30  DRA\, chapters 5-7\, pp. 43-80.\nNov. 6  DRA\, chapters 8-9\, pp. 81-118.\nNov. 13  DRA\, chapters 10-11\, pp. 119-146\nNov. 20  DRA\, chapter 12-13\, pp. 147-166
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/macintyres-dependent-rational-animals/2025-10-23/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups,Courses
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/71z-L09Tf8L._UF10001000_QL80_.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251023T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251023T203000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20251001T150817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T161959Z
UID:10001758-1761246000-1761251400@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Silmarillion
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n7:00 – 8:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for University of Chicago graduate students. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Students will receive a copy of the texts. \nPeter Thiel wants to live forever\, and he’s cited the works of JRR Tolkien as a justification: “why can’t we be elves?” But a careful reader of Tolkien’s works\, especially the cosmological and mythic stories in The Silmarillion\, knows that the answer to that question is very complicated. In this group\, we will discuss what Tolkien has to say about death\, mortality\, and suffering\, along with his rich worldbuilding and epic tales. \nSchedule:\n\nOct 16 – Week One (52 pages): Ainulindalë (pages 13-23)\, Quenta Silmarillion chapters 1-8 (pages 35-77)\nOct 23 – Week Two (52 pages): QS chapters 9-16 (78-130)\nOct 30 – Week Three (56 pages): QS chapters 17-19 (131-187)\nNov 6 – Week Four (49 pages): QS chapters 20-22 (188-237)\nNov 13 – Week Five (45 pages): QS chapters 23-24 (238-257)\, Akallabêth (257-283)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-silmarillion/2025-10-23/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/7332.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251027T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251027T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20251001T155442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251008T002122Z
UID:10001755-1761588000-1761593400@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Vice of Curiosity
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n6:00 – 7:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for University of Chicago graduate students. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Students will receive a copy of the texts. \nThis project is made possible through the support of In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation and the generous support of our donors. \nIn our Information Age\, we are constantly bombarded by a deluge of new knowledge\, whether it be academic works\, social media alerts\, or 24/7 news blasts. In the academy in particular\, we are taught from an early age that the ideal student is the one with insatiable curiosity –  a never-ending appetite for knowledge in whatever guise it may come. And yet if we are honest\, this ceaseless quest for total knowledge often leaves us more distracted and anxious than ever before. St. Augustine would have a surprising diagnosis for our age – we suffer from the vice of curiositas\, a kind of malformed appetite for knowledge that prizes novelty and control over the intrinsically true\, good\, and beautiful.  \nIn the Vice of Curiosity and Intellectual Appetite\, esteemed theologian Paul J. Griffiths outlines an Augustinian critique of the modern academy’s ways of knowing\, including the history of how modernity turned curiosity from vice into virtue\, a theological criticism of patent law\, and analysis of why plagiarism is not in fact theft. In this five week reading group\, we will dive into the thought of both St. Augustine and Griffiths as we seek to understand what a properly catechized intellectual appetite looks like and how we can rightly desire knowledge as students. \nSchedule:\n\nOct 13 – Week 1: Introduction (Optional Reading\, Intellectual Appetite: 9-18 of Introduction)\nOct 20 – Week 2: The Vice of Curiosity\, p. 1-21 (Optional: I.A. p. 19-22 & 75-91)\nOct 27 – Week 3: V.C.\, p. 22-41 (Optional: I.A. p. 139-162)\nNov 3 – Week 4: V.C.\, p. 41-59 (Optional: I.A. p. 163-186)\nNov 10 – Week 5: V.C.\, p. 60-79 (Optional: I.A. p. 125-138)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-vice-of-curiosity/2025-10-27/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Joseph_Wright_of_Derby_The_Alchemist-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251028T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251028T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250904T183913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T150247Z
UID:10001626-1761674400-1761679800@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Works and Legacy of St. Augustine
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW \n6:00 Dinner | 6:30 Lecture (last 20 Q & A) | 7:30 End \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. \nIn his first public address\, Pope Leo XIV declared himself “a son of St. Augustine\, who once said\, ‘With you I am a Christian\, and for you I am a bishop.’” This moment served as an ode to the Augustinian order\, of which he is a member\, and marked St. Augustine as a central influence to his papacy.  \nIn order to understand Pope Leo XIV\, we must return to St. Augustine.  \nSt. Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354–430) was a North African bishop and theologian whose writings\, like The Confessions and The City of God\, shaped Christian thought. After a life of searching and struggling with what is true\, he embraced the Christian faith. His philosophy ultimately centers on the idea of the restless soul finding rest in God. \nJoin us as we survey one of the most prominent theologians in the history of Christianity and explore his enduring legacy on the Church today. \n  \nSchedule: \nOct 7 – Week 1: City of God pt 1 \nWillemien Otten (Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology and the History of Christianity; also in the College; Associate Faculty in the Department of History\, Social Sciences Division\, The University of Chicago) \nThe City of God is a  major historical-theological work that gives both a macrohistory of the world but also a microhistory of Adam and Eve folded within it. The first two sessions of the class will deal respectively with the dynamics of the macro- and the microhistorical view. \nTo focus on City of God\, books 1\, 5 and 11-13. See also the article by James Wetzel\, “Augustine on the Origin of Evil: Myth and Metaphysics.” \nOct 14 – Week 2: City of God pt 2 \nWillemien Otten \nThe City of God is a  major historical-theological work that gives both a macrohistory of the world but also a microhistory of Adam and Eve folded within it. The first two sessions of the class will deal respectively with the dynamics of the macro- and the microhistorical view. \nTo focus on City of God\, books 14-15 and 19. See also the article by Willemien Otten\, “Between Exegesis and Naturalization: Gender and Creation in Augustine.” \nOct 21 – Week 3: Confessions \nRyan Coyne (Associate Professor of the Philosophy of Religions and Theology; also in the College\, The University of Chicago) \nOct 28 – Week 4: On The Trinity \nBernard McGinn (Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School and the Committees on Medieval Studies and on General Studies\, The University of Chicago) \nAugustine’s “De Trinitate” is one of his longer and most difficult writings. The book makes three significant contributions to Christian theology of the Trinity: (1) sorting out the biblical basis for the Trinity; (2)  establishing a “grammar” of correct speaking about the doctrine\, and (3) exploring the inner appropriation of the Trinity into the life of the believer. \nNov 4 – Week 5: On Christian Teaching \nScott Moringiello (Chair of the Department of Catholic Studies\, Associate Professor\, DePaul University) \nAugustine’s On Christian Teaching (De Doctrina Christiana) is in some ways an overlooked classic. But this book gets to the heart of Augustine’s theological vision. In explaining the proper way to interpret the Scriptures and to preach Augustine offers a vision of how to do theology. If you read the Scriptures\, and love does not increase in you\, you’re misreading them. \nNov 11 – Week 6: Augustine and the Sociology of the Self \nCassandra Sever (Postdoctoral Fellow\, The Lumen Christi Institute) \nWhat if the key to understanding today’s cultural crises is hidden in an ancient vision of the self? This lecture explores Augustine’s idea of the self as ordered to the sacred and meaning-seeking—and shows how this vision can illuminate the sociology of who we are\, what we long for\, and the fractures of the contemporary world. \nNov 18 – Week 7: History of the Augustinian Order \nFr. Peter Funk\, O.S.B. (Prior of the Monastery of the Holy Cross)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-works-and-legacy-of-st-augustine/2025-10-28/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Non-Credit Courses
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Triunfo_de_San_Agustin.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251029T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251029T190000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250821T154321Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251203T173812Z
UID:10001616-1761759000-1761764400@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:A History of the Impossible: Carlos Eire on They Flew
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW \n5:30 Lecture | 6:20 Response | 6:45 Audience Q & A | 7:00 End \nThis event is open to the public\, registration is required\, please contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org for any questions. \n \nThis event is co-sponsored by the University of Chicago Divinity School and the Workshop on the Early Modern World. \nLevitation. Bilocation. Witchcraft. Demonic Possession. \nEurope in the early modern era was simultaneously the site of Kepler\, Newton\, Copernicus–and of eyewitness accounts of levitating saints and nocturnal witches’ sabbats. \nIn his history of the impossible\, award-winning historian Carlos Eire mines the firsthand accounts and archival evidence of the miraculous and demonic.  How did an increasingly skeptical and scientific culture account for events deemed impossible by its leading intellectuals? What does this say about the supposed boundaries between the natural and supernatural that marked the transition to modernity? \nIn this lecture\, Carlos Eire will explore the major themes of They Flew and ask: what makes something impossible? And is there more to reality than meets the eye? \nUniversity of Chicago Divinity School professor Kirsten Macfarlane will offer a response and engage Eire in a conversation about They Flew. Audience Q&A will follow. \n  \nThis project is made possible through the support of In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation and the generous support of our donors. \n 
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/carlos-eire-on-they-flew/
LOCATION:Swift Hall 3rd Floor Lecture Hall\, 1025 E 58th Street\, Chicago\, IL
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Symposia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/A_Miracle_of_Saint_Joseph_of_Cupertino_1603–1663_MET_DP-12357-001_cropped.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251029T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251029T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250918T161748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251203T155853Z
UID:10001684-1761760800-1761766200@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:Religion\, Politics\, and Revolution in The Ancient City
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n6:00 p.m. Dinner | 6:15 p.m. Discussion | 7:30 p.m. End \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago undergraduate students. All registrants will be provided with a free copy of the text.  \nThis seminar and the Nicklin Fellows are made possible by the First Analysis Institute. This seminar is co-sponsored by the Seldon Institute and is made possible through the support of In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation and the generous support of our donors. \nDescription:\nNothing could be stranger than life in the cities of ancient Greece and Rome: \n\nProperty is private\, but its sale is forbidden\nCelibacy is illegal\nMarriage ceremonies combine ritualized force and denunciation of ancestors\nPolitics is all-consuming\n\nThe more one looks at the ancient world\, the odder it appears–until one realizes that ancient religion was the key to the social state. \nThe Ancient City is the great masterpiece of the 19th century French historian\, Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges. By turning an incisive eye towards the primary sources of Ancient Greece and Rome\, supplemented by comparisons to ancient Hindu texts\, Coulanges reconstructed the basis of ancient Greek and Roman society. At the root of this society was ancient religion and the domestic cult.  Only by understanding ancient religion could one begin to understand the nature of ancient law\, property relations\, and political organization.  \nCoulanges traced the origin and development of the ancient city\, its transformation among various social and political revolutions\, and its demise. Coulanges’ new approach to old things paved the way for 20th century developments in anthropology and the sociology of religion. \nJoin us as we read selections of The Ancient City and discuss Fustel’s theses about the beginnings of religion\, the birth of political life\, and the nature of human society. \nSchedule:\nEach session will have about 15 pages of assigned reading. An additional 30 pages of recommended reading are suggested as well. \n\nOct 15 – Week 1: The Family and the Domestic Cult\nOct 29 – Week 2: The City\nNov 12 – Week 3: Revolutions\n\nPlease click here for the syllabus with more detailed reading assignments. PDFs of readings for the first session can be found here. \n\n\n \n\n \n  \nSeries Description:\nFundamental Questions Seminar \nThis event is part of Lumen Christi’s Fundamental Questions program\, a quarterly seminar designed for undergraduate students at the University of Chicago. By fostering intellectually rigorous conversation around culturally resonant texts\, we aim to allow students to experience the force of the deep existential concerns which animate our lives: “Where do my values come from? What is the good life? How can I become happy?” Our aim is not to answer such fundamental questions\, but rather to equip students with the intellectual skills needed to recognize and articulate them for themselves. This group welcomes students from all religious and philosophical backgrounds because existential questions of being are of concern to all. \nIn addition\, undergraduate students who participate in this seminar are eligible to become “Nicklin Fellows.” These fellows will have exclusive access to research and development grant funds to pursue their intellectual interests. Grants can be used to do things like the following: \n\nOrganize a reading group\nBring a speaker to campus\nOrganize a movie night\nDevelop and plan future fundamental questions seminars\nWrite a paper for a journal\nAnd more!
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/religion-politics-and-revolution-in-the-ancient-city/2025-10-29/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Fundamental Questions Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lumenchristi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rome-_Ruins_of_the_Forum_Looking_towards_the_Capitol.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251030T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251030T183000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250922T143903Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T150246Z
UID:10001740-1761843600-1761849000@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:MacIntyre’s Dependent Rational Animals
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n5:00-6:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. \n“What is ‘in your character’ (NOT ‘in your wallet’)?”  Who is your guide to a happy\, fulfilled life–Nietzsche or Aristotle?  Given the ethical confusion\, indeed meltdown\, afflicting our society\, who offers the most reliable “moral compass” to help us find our way? \nThis reading course will read and discuss Dependent Rational Animals by Alisdair MacIntyre.  Drawing on Aristotle\, MacIntyre describes our biologically rooted condition and the need to cultivate the virtues that take account of our shared human condition.  Macintyre criticizes Aristotle’s ideal of the “great souled” man;  he argues for the cultivation of virtues that acknowledge our inescapable dependence and inter-dependency.  \nA midlife convert from atheistic Marxism to Catholicism\, MacIntyre is considered by many to be the most important moral philosopher of the past 50 years.  He died in the spring of 2025\, making a re-assessment of his life’s work all the more timely. \nCopies of Dependent Rational Animals will be provided to all participants. Weekly meetings are held over dinner. Weekly reading assignments are kept at or below 40 pages. \n  \nSCHEDULE\n\nOct. 16  Introduction (readings available in class Google Folder)\nOct. 23  DRA\, preface + chapters 1-4\, pp. 1-41\nOct. 30  DRA\, chapters 5-7\, pp. 43-80.\nNov. 6  DRA\, chapters 8-9\, pp. 81-118.\nNov. 13  DRA\, chapters 10-11\, pp. 119-146\nNov. 20  DRA\, chapter 12-13\, pp. 147-166
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/macintyres-dependent-rational-animals/2025-10-30/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups,Courses
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251030T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251030T193000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250917T204909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251203T213939Z
UID:10001682-1761843600-1761852600@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:Magis Lecture | Why Do We Need Saints and Miracles?
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER HERE\n5:00 Mass  | 5:30 Drinks & Hors d’Oeuvres  | 6:30 Lecture  | 7:30 Close \nCosponsored by the Bollandist Society\, St. Ignatius College Prep. Supported by the Fr. Paul V. Mankowski\, S.J.\, Memorial Fund for Jesuit Scholarship at Lumen Christi.  This project is made possible through the support of In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide (grant #63614) from the John Templeton Foundation and the generous support of our donors. \nFree and open to the public. Registration required. For questions\, please contact Margaux (Killackey) Taffet mtaffet@lumenchristi.org. \nLecture Description\nTwo of the most significant features of Catholic Christianity are its focus on holy men and women and the miracles ascribed to them.  What is it that makes saints and miracles so significant?  What difference does this characteristic of Catholicism make\, not just for its history\, but for us\, here and now?  Asking such questions is absolutely necessary for Catholics\, and in this talk we will explore why this is so.  Please join the Lumen Christi Institute\, the Bollandist Society\, and St. Ignatius College Preparatory School for this lecture delivered by Yale scholar\, Carlos Eire. \nAbout the Magis Series\nThe Magis Series on Faith and Reason is a partnership between the Lumen Christi Institute\, St. Ignatius College Prep\, and Loyola Academy to bring accessible yet sophisticated lectures on the Church’s intellectual tradition to the broad lay public. The event is open to everyone from high school students to retirees. Anyone who desires a lively entrée into the mind of the Church is welcome and encouraged to attend; no affiliation with either high school is needed.
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/magis-lecture-why-do-we-need-saints-and-miracles/
LOCATION:Saint Ignatius College Prep\, 1076 W Roosevelt Rd\, Chicago\, IL
CATEGORIES:Magis Lectures,Cultural Forum
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251030T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251030T203000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20251001T150817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T161959Z
UID:10001759-1761850800-1761856200@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:The Silmarillion
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\n7:00 – 8:30 p.m. | Dinner Provided \nThis event is designated for University of Chicago graduate students. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Students will receive a copy of the texts. \nPeter Thiel wants to live forever\, and he’s cited the works of JRR Tolkien as a justification: “why can’t we be elves?” But a careful reader of Tolkien’s works\, especially the cosmological and mythic stories in The Silmarillion\, knows that the answer to that question is very complicated. In this group\, we will discuss what Tolkien has to say about death\, mortality\, and suffering\, along with his rich worldbuilding and epic tales. \nSchedule:\n\nOct 16 – Week One (52 pages): Ainulindalë (pages 13-23)\, Quenta Silmarillion chapters 1-8 (pages 35-77)\nOct 23 – Week Two (52 pages): QS chapters 9-16 (78-130)\nOct 30 – Week Three (56 pages): QS chapters 17-19 (131-187)\nNov 6 – Week Four (49 pages): QS chapters 20-22 (188-237)\nNov 13 – Week Five (45 pages): QS chapters 23-24 (238-257)\, Akallabêth (257-283)
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/the-silmarillion/2025-10-30/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251031T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251031T120000
DTSTAMP:20260606T121948
CREATED:20250930T213348Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251029T162136Z
UID:10001746-1761901200-1761912000@lumenchristi.org
SUMMARY:Faculty Colloquium on They Flew by Carlos Eire
DESCRIPTION:This event is by invitation only. For more information contact Geoffrey Zokal gzokal@lumenchristi.org  \nThe Lumen Christi Institute will host a faculty colloquium with Carlos Eire on his book They Flew: A History of the Impossible. Remarks will be given by Richard Kieckheffer (Northwestern University) and Barbara Newman (Northwestern University) with responses followed by Carlos Eire. The colloquium will be moderated by Father Andrew Summerson. 
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/faculty-colloquium-on-they-flew-by-carlos-eire/
LOCATION:The Catholic Theological Union\, 5416 S Cornell Ave\, Chicago\, IL\, 60615\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Symposia
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