The Cultural Forum brings top Catholic scholarship to the Chicago lay public
The Church needs a laity formed in the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition—one that can take responsibility for the renewal of culture
For most Catholics, formal education in their Faith ends after Confirmation in 8th grade. The Church’s intellectual tradition is deep and vast; it is critical and life-giving to continue the education of adult Catholics. Seeing the dialogue we fostered on the University of Chicago campus, Cardinal Francis George asked Lumen Christi to create a program that would bring these conversations to the broader Chicago community.
The Cultural Forum brings the best of Catholic scholarship beyond the walls of the university into the hands of the broader lay public. These programs help participants engage more deeply with their faith and become more integrated leaders in their workplaces, families, and parishes.
Held in venues around Chicagoland, these programs have included discussions of faith and reason, law and culture, and Catholic literary heritage.
West Suburban Series
Building a community of engaged lay Catholics
Gathering monthly at Ruth Lake Country Club, the West Suburban Catholic Culture Series is our offering for those who live outside of the city and may not be able to attend our downtown programming easily.
Each session offers a sophisticated yet accessible lecture by an accomplished academic over dinner. The lectures introduce key insights from the treasure house of the Church’s intellectual tradition and their bearing on contemporary themes and issues, presenting faithful Catholic teaching in a way that avoids the acrimony of the culture wars.
Each year, a new theme is introduced. While the lectures stand alone and can be attended individually, we encourage participants to consider registering for the year to receive a diverse range of views on the theme and to become part of the growing community in the Chicago western suburbs.
Magis Lectures
Faith and Reason
The Magis Series on Faith and Reason is a collaboration between the Lumen Christi Institute and the Chicagoland Jesuit high schools (St. Ignatius College Prep and Loyola Academy). It brings accessible yet sophisticated lectures on the Church’s intellectual tradition to the broader lay public. Events are open to everyone from high school students to retirees. Anyone who desires a lively entree into the mind of the Church is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Downtown Lectures
Sharing the Catholic intellectual tradition in downtown Chicago
We bring top scholars and authors from around the country to downtown Chicago to share lectures that explore contemporary themes and issues in conversation with faithful Catholic teaching. These programs also give participants the opportunity to mingle with the visiting lecture or scholar, often over cocktails and hor d’oeuvres.
Newman Forum
Newman Forum for High School Students
Launched in 2019, the Newman Forum hosts summer and academic year experiences for high school students that provide a space for asking the big, existential questions and preparing them for college education as young adults driven by faith.
The mission of the Newman Forum is to prepare high school students for this journey by giving them a Catholic vision of intellectual life. Through events, the Newman Forum grounds teenagers from Chicagoland and beyond in the Church’s venerable tradition of integrated intellectual and spiritual life. It alerts them to seek out this tradition in college, helps them repudiate false narratives about the incompatibility of faith and reason or science, prepares a new generation of leaders, and encourages teenagers to pursue the meaning of leading a good life.
Schola Antiqua
Sharing the Catholic intellectual tradition through art and sacred music.
Schola Antiqua
Schola Antiqua is a professional vocal ensemble dedicated to the performance of music composed before the year 1600, and serves as the Lumen Christi Institute’s Artists-in-Residence. Executing pre-modern repertory with “sensitivity and style” (Early Music America), Schola Antiqua takes pride in providing the highest standards of research, performance, and education involving many underserved repertories in the Western musical canon.