Symposium on “The Future of Natural Law”

Symposium on "The Future of Natural Law"

Natural law theory has long been a central tenet of Christian philosophical and theological reflection on the relationship between God, the moral life, and society, and it has played an important historical role in shaping the political life of the United States and many other nations. The topic of natural law has also been the subject of many disputes and disagreements, both in the contemplative and practical orders. It is therefore important to take stock of this rich and complex history if we are to understand the current state of natural law thinking so as to ascertain what role it…

Master Class on “Catholicism and Upheaval Between the World Wars”

Master Class on "Catholicism and Upheaval Between the World Wars"

Open to current students and faculty. Others interested in participating should contact info@lumenchristi.org. All registrants will receive pdfs of the selected readings, which should be read in advance of the class. The first 20 registrants will receive a free copy of Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis. This Master Class will use a mix of primary and secondary sources to examine global Catholicism in the thirty years preceding the opening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962. Themes include the political crisis of the 1930s and the turn toward democracy,  Catholicism and post WWII decolonization and the “return to…

Lessons from the Past to Heal the Future: A Perspective on healing Ukraine post-war

Lessons from the Past to Heal the Future: A Perspective on healing Ukraine post-war

This event is open to the public. Registration is required. Please contact info@lumenchristi.org with any questions. As a Church historian, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak has dedicated his vocation to transcribing and articulating the experience of the underground Church in Ukraine during the 20th century. These lessons of perseverance and adherence to the gospel—embodying the cross, death and resurrection—form the foundation of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, where Metropolitan Borys was at the beginnings of its re-birth and now serves as its president. At this luncheon, hear Metropolitan Gudziak draw deep from these hard-earned lessons from the past to discuss strategies for healing the wounds…

Graduate Reading Group on “The Works of Frederick Douglass”

Graduate Reading Group on "The Works of Frederick Douglass"

Open to current graduate students students at the University of Chicago. Participants can come to whichever sessions they choose. Others interested in participating should contact info@lumenchristi.org. Wine and cheese reception to follow.  Frederick Douglass is, without a doubt, a great American writer and orator. Largely self taught, he wove together the traditions of American rhetoric and law, sacred scripture, classical insight, and the romantic language of his age. In so doing, he became a voice of conscience for the United States, a leading light in the abolition movement, and one of the most famous and respected men of his age–of…

Catholic Culture Series on “A Catholic Vision of the Person and the World”

Catholic Culture Series on "A Catholic Vision of the Person and the World"

The Lumen Christi Institute’s West Suburban Catholic Culture Series returns in 2023 with a monthly series on the theme of “A Catholic Vision of the Person and the World.” REGISTER HERE THEME | In a 1965 address to the United Nations General Assembly, Pope Paul VI described the Catholic Church as “an expert in humanity.”  The Church could teach the U.N. because the Church understood human hearts and human institutions. Bishop Robert Barron has explained the pope’s words in the following manner: “The Church has two thousand years of watching the human condition unfold – two thousand years of saints and sinners,…

Reconciling Justice: A Community Conversation on Criminal Justice Reform

Reconciling Justice: A Community Conversation on Criminal Justice Reform

This event is by invitation only. For more information, contact ccjrn@lumenchristi.org. An event for lawyers, legal scholars, judges, ministry leaders, social workers, clergy, and people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to unite for dinner, plenary panel conversation, and round-table dialogue around criminal justice reform. The evening’s purpose is to inspire hope, healing, and ideas on how to improve the legal system informed by religious wisdom and the experience of those directly affected by our criminal justice system. A mass preceding the program will be celebrated by Cardinal Blase Cupich. This event will begin with a plenary conversation…

Judge Thomas More Donnelly Appointed Full Circuit Court Judge

Judge Thomas More Donnelly Appointed Full Circuit Court Judge

The Hon. Thomas More Donnelly has long been involved in Lumen Christi programming, including presenting for our 2020 Great Texts in Legal History Seminar, and helping found and direct the growing Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network. On December 3rd, 2021, Judge Donnelly was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to full circuit judge of Cook County, and will be sworn in Wednesday, December 8th. Congratulations, Judge Donnelly.