The Lumen Christi Institute

Marc DeGirolami, Darrell Miller, Judge Martha Pacold, Richard W. Garnett, and Samuel Bray on April 23, 2026 at the University of Chicago Law School. The American experiment depends on the people holding something in common. But what was once taken for granted is now up for debate, as all sorts of norms and established beliefs are under attack. Is this the result of an improper intrusion of politics and morality into the legal realm? Should the law aspire to be morally naked? Or does the law depend upon a particular set of moral and political virtues? What makes for a good constitutional judge? Are personal and professional virtues necessary to good judgment? Or do they inhibit it? Is thinking in these terms helpful to address alienation, lack of trust, and institutional collapse? Or does it distract from the real issue? In this spirited conversation, law faculty from a number of philosophical positions come together to discuss the relationship between law, politics, tradition, and virtue. --- This project was 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. The opinions expressed in this publication ​are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John ​Templeton Foundation.

Marc DeGirolami, Richard W. Garnett, and Jennifer Newsome Martin on April 22, 2026 at Jenner & Block Law. This American moment is one of alienation and dislocation. In personal relations, an “epidemic of loneliness” has emerged as in-person friendships dwindle. Politically and morally, what once seemed to be long-held convictions seem suddenly up for debate. Is there still a “We the People,” as the Constitution attests? Does anything still hold this people together? It is at this moment that “tradition” has made a return. From the New York Times to the Supreme Court to the Hallmark Christmas movie, tradition is now being presented as a cure for what ails us. But what is tradition, and what can development in religious tradition tell us about development of legal tradition? In this conversation among cutting edge legal and philosophical minds, Marc DeGirolami lays out some major themes of his new book "The Constitution of Practice: On Law and Tradition." Richard W. Garnett and Jennifer Newsome Martin join him in conversation on the nature of tradition, law, and religion.

David Cloutier on April 8, 2026 at Ruth Lake Country Club. In this lecture, David Cloutier traces the development of Catholic social teaching (CST) from Rerum Novarum through Quadragesimo Anno to Centesimus Annus and beyond. Through many papacies and much change in the world, CST develops a unique and distinctive social vision that speaks to both the hopes and the perils of the contemporary world.

Scott Roniger on March 18, 2026 at Ruth Lake Country Club. In this lecture, Prof. Scott Roniger outlines the historical context that instigated the development of modern Catholic social doctrine during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903). He discusses some of Leo’s most important contributions to Magisterial teaching on social issues, contributions that illuminate perennial principles that transcend the circumstances prompting their articulation. He focuses on Leo’s presentation of the dignity of society in all its complementary forms – a social dignity based upon the truth of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ. Finally, he briefly shows how these principles have already been put to good use in the nascent pontificate of Pope Leo XIV.

Martin Shaw on February 4, 2026 at the Lumen Christi Institute. Drawing on his experience as a professor, mythographer, and widely respected storyteller, Martin Shaw locates us in the deeper dimensions of how a modern person approaches an ancient story through the telling of "The Birth of Ossian," an Irish fairy tale. This story is the second part of Shaw's event titled "Mythopoetics and Faerie Stories: Theory and Practice of Mythmaking." To listen to the full event audio, click here: https://soundcloud.com/lumenchristi/mythopoetics-and-faerie-stories-theory-and-practice-of-mythmaking

Martin Shaw on February 4, 2026 at the Lumen Christi Institute. In his newly published "Liturgies of the Wild," acclaimed mythographer and storyteller Martin Shaw argues that we live in a myth-impoverished age and that such poverty has left us vulnerable to stories that may not wish us well. Drawing on the “ancient technologies” of myths and initiatory rites, Shaw provides a road to wholeness, maturity and connection. In this event for UChicago students, Dr. Shaw explores both the theory and practice of mythmaking. In the first section Shaw guides us through myth’s relationship to initiation rites and oral storytelling, explaining these “ancient technologies.” In the second we tilt directly into the telling of an Irish fairy tale, The Birth of Ossian. Drawing on his experience as a professor and widely respected storyteller, Shaw locates us in the deeper dimensions of how a modern person approaches an ancient story.

Dr. Martin Shaw on February 5, 2026 at the Graduate by Hilton Evanston Hotel. There’s an old Irish belief that if you aren’t wrapped in a cloak of story you will be unprepared for what the world will hurl at you. You remain adolescent at just the moment a culture worth its salt requires you to become a real, grown, human being. Myths from antiquity are vivid in describing the conditions of life. Christianity goes a step further in providing the most extraordinary example of how to live that life. Working out of examples from Arthurian and fairy tale motifs, acclaimed mythographer Martin Shaw shows how, if ‘all true is God’s truth’, profound Christian resonances can be found in many mythic traditions. How do stories assist us in the making of a real human being? In troubled times how could we forge a deeper life? In this event, we welcome Dr. Martin Shaw to celebrate the release of his new book "Liturgies of the Wild."

Erika Kidd on November 12, 2025 at Ruth Lake Country Club. Doctor of the Church, Saint Augustine of Hippo, has a lot to say about teaching. He writes memorably about the way his early teachers failed him, teaching him to love praise and worldly success. He writes too about the vocation of the teacher, a vocation he lived in many different ways as rhetorician, father, priest, and bishop. In his early work “On the Teacher” he insists teaching is not a matter of passing along information. Instead, he writes, true teaching is an invitation to attend to the voice of Christ. Join Dr. Erika Kidd to learn more about Augustine’s timeless teaching wisdom and its continued relevance today.

Season Finale - Special Episode by The Lumen Christi Institute

Carlos Eire on October 30, 2025 at Saint Ignatius College Prep. Two 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 explore why this is so. --- This project was 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 the Bollandist Society and St. Ignatius College Preparatory School. The opinions expressed in this publication ​are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Carlos Eire and Kirsten Macfarlane on October 29, 2025 at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall. Levitation. Bilocation. Witchcraft. Demonic Possession. Europe in the early modern era was simultaneously the site of Kepler, Newton, Copernicus–and of eyewitness accounts of levitating saints and nocturnal witches’ sabbats. In 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? In this lecture, Carlos Eire explores the major themes of "They Flew" and asks: what makes something impossible? And is there more to reality than meets the eye? University of Chicago Divinity School professor Kirsten Macfarlane offers a response and engages Eire in a conversation. --- This project was 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 the University of Chicago Divinity School and the Workshop on the Early Modern World. The opinions expressed in this publication ​are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Romans (Episode 3/3) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Romans (Episode 2/3) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Romans (Episode 1/3) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Matthew (Episode 5/5) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Matthew (Episode 4/5) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Prof. Scott Moringiello on October 15, 2025 at Ruth Lake Country Club. The 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. In this lecture, Prof. Moringiello introduces the "Confessions," one of the greatest books in the Western canon, and one especially dear to Pope Leo’s heart. He talks about his experience teaching it to undergraduates at Villanova University and DePaul University. And he focuses 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.

Matthew (Episode 3/5) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Matthew (Episode 2/5) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Matthew (Episode 1/5) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Jeremiah (Episode 1/1) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Isaiah (Episode 2/2) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Isaiah (Episode 1/2) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Amos and Hosea (Episode 1/1) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Ezekial and Daniel (Episode 1/1) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Elijah (Episode 1/1) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Judges (Episode 7/7) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Judges (Episode 6/7) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Paul Kingsnorth and James Matthew Wilson on September 25, 2025 at the University Club of Chicago. “Our culture is not in danger of dying; it is already dead, and we are in denial. This, now, is the reality we have to wrestle with—and transcend.” We all experience how the rapid advance of technology, especially AI, has affected the way we live, think, and experience the world. But has it also changed who we are? In his new book, "Against the Machine: on the Unmaking of Humanity," Paul Kingsnorth explores the consequences of hyper-technologized society. With the deftness of an essayist who is also a poet, Kingsnorth takes us through the historical and theological roots of post-Industrial Revolution advancement. He ultimately suggests that the dangers we face have a spiritual cause, and spiritual consequences. “If you knock out the pillars of a sacred order,” he writes, “the universe itself will change shape.” This technological reshaping will lead man to become the machine—unless we can learn to transcend it.

Judges (Episode 5/7) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Judges (Episode 4/7) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Judges (Episode 3/7) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Judges (Episode 2/7) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Judges (Episode 1/7) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Genesis (Episode 2/2) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Genesis (Episode 1/2) by The Lumen Christi Institute

BXVI- Jesus of Nazareth (Episode 6/6) by The Lumen Christi Institute

Jared Ortiz on September 10, 2025 at Ruth Lake Country Club. In the City of God, Augustine eloquently speaks about “two cities” that are divided by their two loves. In God’s city, there are angels and humans united in their love of God. In the earthly city, there are demons and humans united in their devotion to their own wills. For Augustine, the city of God on earth is the Church, but in this life it is a church which intermingles citizens of the two cities. It is a church on pilgrimage which longs to be fully united and secure with the heavenly city of God. But even now, in the Eucharist and in the miraculous intercession of the saints, the Church can achieve a foretaste of the unity it will experience in heaven.

BXVI- Jesus of Nazareth (Episode 5/6) by The Lumen Christi Institute

BXVI- Jesus of Nazareth (Episode 4/6) by The Lumen Christi Institute

BXVI- Jesus of Nazareth (Episode 3/6) by The Lumen Christi Institute

BXVI- Jesus of Nazareth (Episode 2/6) by The Lumen Christi Institute

BXVI- Jesus of Nazareth (Episode 1/6) by The Lumen Christi Institute

David Novak and Melanie Barrett on May 9, 2025 at the University Club of Chicago. David Novak, one of the most distinguished Jewish theologians in the world, offers a new interpretation of how the Jewish people and the Jewish tradition talk about God. What does the Torah say about God? How does the God of the Torah talk about Himself? And how does the God of the Torah talk about human beings? The book traces the history and theology of God-talk in Judaism, and how it remains relevant, now more than ever, and speaks directly to contemporary issues such as human rights. Melanie Barrett, professor of moral theology at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, interviews David Novak on his new book on God-talk in Judaism.

Professor Clark Power on April 24, 2025 at Butterfield Country Club. "I was his delight day by day, Playing before him every moment, playing in his inhabited world, delighting in Adam’s offspring." Proverbs 8:30-32 (trans. Brown, 2012: 28-29) Drawing on Brown’s exegetical exploration of Wisdom’s paideia in the Book of Wisdom, Clark Power explores the relationship between Christianity and culture (following Remi Brague) with a focus on sports and more specifically youth sports. He argues that sports is play and as such fosters children’s development of the theological and cardinal virtues. In childhood as well as adulthood, sports should lead us to a transcendent joy that is rooted in freedom, love, and hope for the future of the human community.

Sarah Crow on May 14, 2025 at Ruth Lake Country Club. “In everything which gives us the pure authentic feeling of beauty there is really the presence of God…all art of the highest order is religious in essence” – Simone Weil Beautiful art reflects the glory of the living, incarnate God, Jesus Christ, whether or not explicitly religious in subject matter. Art is not only an instrument and expression of culture, but also has a prophetic capacity to “prepare the way for the Lord” and transform the hearts of those who encounter it. This lecture will look at great works of art, both sacred and secular, and demonstrate how they can lead us to God.

Dr. Michael Naughton on November 20, 2024 at Ruth Lake Country Club. If we do not know where we come from, it is hard to know what role we play. In this lecture, Dr. Michael Naughton provided a compelling narrative of Catholic education that drew upon our personal, institutional, and cosmic stories. This narrative gave us a vision both to see our current educational challenges more clearly, and to act with confidence and creativity to renew the mission and culture of our Catholic schools.

Professor Lu Ann Homza on February 9, 2024 at the University of Chicago. What did the practice of Christianity look like in a place shadowed by an inquisition? Were personal preferences, conversations, spiritual friendships, and religious questions off the table by default? Did clergy under the Spanish Inquisition neglect their duty to care for souls? Sixteenth-century Spaniards — regardless of their vocation, gender or education — defended and practiced a Catholicism that was rich in individual discretion, human communication, and theological inquiry. This talk lays out the evidence for an “inductive Catholicism,” which even Spanish inquisitors sometimes endorsed.

Prof. Shannen Dee Williams on April 27, 2023 at the University of Chicago. For most people, Whoopi Goldberg's performance as Sister Mary Clarence in Sister Act is the dominant interpretation of an African American nun and the desegregation of white Catholic sisterhood in the United States. In this presentation, Dr. Shannen Dee Williams will explore the story of America's real sister act: the story of how generations of Black women and girls called to the sacred vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience fought against racism, sexism, and exclusion to become and minister as consecrated women of God in the Roman Catholic Church. --- This event is co-presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion, and cosponsored by St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Chicago, America Media, the Center for Gender Studies, the Center for Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, the History Department at the University of Chicago, the Thea Bowman Foundation, and the Catholic Theological Union.

This lecture is entitled Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis. It was presented by John McGreevy of the University of Notre Dame on February 8, 2023, at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall.

Russell Hittinger, Scott Roniger, Mary Hirschfeld, and R. H. Helmholz on November 7, 2024 at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall. Prof. Hittinger has long been one of the world’s leading scholars of Catholic social teaching and natural law theory. His most recent book, "On the Dignity of Society," presents the fruit of his mature thinking on fundamental issues in Catholic political thought. Rooted in Thomistic philosophy and natural law theory, but also animated by his study of St. Augustine and thus sensitive to historical contexts and arenas for moral and theological disputation, Hittinger articulates the deepest principles of the Church’s social teaching and sheds considerable light on their historical applications. At this symposium, Professors Scott Roniger, Mary Hirschfeld and R. H. Helmholz discuss Hittinger’s latest work, and the panel concludes with a response from Professor Hittinger. --- This event was cosponsored by Catholic University of America Press.

Jennifer Newsome Martin on September 25, 2024 at Ruth Lake Country Club. Western culture owes a great deal to Christianity, but Christianity does not require any culture, as a culture, to be built with Christian materials. This does not reflect a weakness or defect in Christianity. It is a consequence of its genius. Christianity can and should inform every human undertaking. In our West Suburban Catholic Culture series, we explored various arenas where human existence is played out and discovered how Christianity can transform them.

Dr. Matthew Gaetano on May 15, 2024 at Ruth Lake Country Club. The Italian Renaissance rarely plays a central role in our understanding of the story of Catholic theology, even though many of us love Renaissance art and literature. In this talk, Dr. Gaetano showed how philosophers, poets, and painters of this era saw faith and reason as “two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” Key figures of the Italian Renaissance such as Petrarch, Marsilio Ficino, Giovanni Pico, and Raphael went back to the sources in Greek antiquity and found in Plato a yearning for the divine Logos or Word, a Word only fully revealed in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

This lecture is entitled Do We Know More than the Apostles? Or, Do Doctrines Develop?. It was presented by Lewis Ayres on April 4, 2024, at the Magis Lecture Series.

Mary Hirschfeld and Amir Sufi on March 30, 2023 at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Secular discourse about the problem of economic inequality rests on two foundational premises that are problematic from a theological point of view. First, individuals enter into society with the aim of bettering their own condition. Second, bettering one’s own condition entails accruing more wealth and power so that one can fulfill more of one’s desires. In this event, Mary Hirschfeld presents on how market behavior shaped by the premises described above can promote economic inequality. Can ethical responses to the problem of economic inequality promote justice without challenging these assumptions? How do we find a theological response to the problem of economic inequality? How does genuine human flourishing depend on communal ties and the higher human goods that material wealth is properly meant to support? --- This event was co-presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and the Catholic Research Economists Discussion Organization (CREDO). It was cosponsored by the In Lumine Network and Catholics at Booth. This event and recording was made possible 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 video are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

This lecture is entitled Pro and Con: Does Faith Ignore Reason? It was presented by Fr. Stephen Fields, SJ of Georgetown University on October 19, 2022, at Saint Ignatius Prep.

This lecture is entitled A Marion Moment in Catholic Thought: A Conversation with Jean-Luc Marion and Ken Woodward. It was presented by Jean-Luc Marion of the University of Chicago and Kenneth Woodward of the Lumen Christi Institute on May 31, 2022, at the Gavin House.

This lecture is entitled Ecumenical Panel on For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church. It was presented by Aristotle Papanikolaou of Fordham University, William Schweiker of the University of Chicago, Stephen Meawad of Caldwell University, and Msgr. Peter Schallenberg of the Katholische Sozialwissenschaftliche Zentralstelle. It was moderated by Perry Hamalis of North Central College and Helen Theodoropoulos of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology on February 17, 2022, at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall.

Dr. Jeffrey P. Bishop on November 14, 2024 at Loyola Academy McGrath Family Performing Arts Center. Technology always pushes the limits of our thinking and challenges us morally. In this presentation, we will see that our difficulty with evaluating the morality of technology is because technology sits very close to human identity. Human culture just is technology. Technology/culture is produced by us, but it in turn comes to produce human identity. If this is true, what do we make of the work of human hands as Christians? --- The 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.

Matt Crawford, Mark Shiffman, and Melanie Barrett on October 11, 2024 at the Social Sciences Tea Room at the University of Chicago. In his "Introduction to Christianity," Joseph Ratzinger saw that at the root of the “technological mindset” was an anxiety about how humans come to know the world. Ratzinger contrasted the technological orientation to the world with an orientation of belief. Belief was not incomplete or provisional knowing, but a trustful standing upon and loyalty to that which is given by Creation. In this symposium, Matt Crawford and Mark Shiffman come together to discuss the problem of virtue in light of Ratzinger’s distinction. Crawford begins by exploring how the virtue of gratitude often eludes us under a technological mindset. A better approach is to boldly entrust oneself to that which one cannot make or fully grasp. Mark Shiffman responds by using this same distinction between technocracy and givenness to explain the difference between optimism and hope. Melanie Barrett will also offer comments. --- This event was cosponsored and supported by the University of Chicago John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought. It was also cosponsored by The Point Magazine. This event was made possible 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 publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Professor Thomas Pfau, Professor Michael J. Pencina, Dr. Matthew Elmore, and Professor Norman Wirzba on June 26, 2024 at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham, NC. How are our imaginations deepened when the humanities and the sciences enter into a conversation? Join us for a lecture and panel discussion among scholars, including theologians, ethicists, and data scientists. --- This event was presented by Fons Vitae at Duke University, Duke Health, and the Lumen Christi Institute. 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 video are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Angela Knobel, Candace Vogler, Daniel Lapsley, and Emily Austin on April 26, 2024 at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall. What would pagan philosophers and modern psychologists (or ‘scientists-of-mind’) make of what Thomas Aquinas says about the work of grace in the moral life? Thomas Aquinas holds that moral virtues can be cultivated in humans by habits, but he also holds that God can infuse the moral virtues into a human being. Can humans become good on their own? Or do they require external assistance? This symposium will consider the question of infused moral virtue: how does Aquinas describe the bestowal of moral virtues on an individual by God? How is his description related to the classical account of virtues acquired by virtuous action? How does modern science make sense of these insights? --- This symposium was cosponsored by the University of Notre Dame Press and made possible 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 publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Presented March 22, 2024 at the University of Chicago. Keynote Lecture with Paul Scherz. "Populations, Persons, and Precision Medicine: The Ethics of Emerging Information Technologies in Genetics and Medicine" The Quandaries of Biotechnology: Theory and Practice Symposium -- How are new developments between biotechnology and big data including gene editing, brain-computer interfacing, and artificial intelligence changing our vision of what it means to be human? How does this bear on the ethical practices of medicine and research at the lab bench and at the bedside? How might an integrative vision of ethics contribute to this conversation? In this day-long spring symposium, scholars from the University of Chicago and Chicagoland area discussed how biotechnology shapes anthropology and whether the application of new biomedical technologies reflects an adequate understanding of human personhood. -- This event was sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute, the Program on Medicine and Religion at the University of Chicago, and the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University. 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 video are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Presented March 22, 2024 at the University of Chicago. "Our Biotechnologies, Ourselves: Reflections on Innovation, Identity, and Culture" – Lesley Rice (Pontifical John Paul II Institute) "Beyond Ethics: A Humanities Perspective on (Bio)technology" – Silvianne Aspray (Cambridge University) Q&A, Moderated by Jeffrey Bishop (Saint Louis University) -- How are new developments between biotechnology and big data including gene editing, brain-computer interfacing, and artificial intelligence changing our vision of what it means to be human? How does this bear on the ethical practices of medicine and research at the lab bench and at the bedside? How might an integrative vision of ethics contribute to this conversation? In this day-long spring symposium, scholars from the University of Chicago and Chicagoland area discussed how biotechnology shapes anthropology and whether the application of new biomedical technologies reflects an adequate understanding of human personhood. -- This event was sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute, the Program on Medicine and Religion at the University of Chicago, and the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University. 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 video are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Presented March 22, 2024 at the University of Chicago. "Medicine Within the Technological Enframing" – Kyle Karches (Saint Louis University) "The Grand Inquisitor, Mustapha Mond, and the Attack on the Transcendentals" – Stephen Meredith (University of Chicago) Q&A, Moderated by Jeffrey Bishop (Saint Louis University) -- How are new developments between biotechnology and big data including gene editing, brain-computer interfacing, and artificial intelligence changing our vision of what it means to be human? How does this bear on the ethical practices of medicine and research at the lab bench and at the bedside? How might an integrative vision of ethics contribute to this conversation? In this day-long spring symposium, scholars from the University of Chicago and Chicagoland area discussed how biotechnology shapes anthropology and whether the application of new biomedical technologies reflects an adequate understanding of human personhood. -- This event was sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute, the Program on Medicine and Religion at the University of Chicago, and the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University. 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 video are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

This lecture is entitled Catholic Women in the Arts and Sciences. It was presented by Bronwen McShea of the Augustine Institute on March 20, 2024, at the Ruth Lake Country Club.

Professor Peter Casarella on October 19, 2023 at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall. Romano Guardini penned his Letters from Lake Como between 1923-1925 in order to think about the new technocratic relationship between nature and culture that was emerging in post-war and post-Enlightenment Europe. Guardini’s reflections on the technocratic paradigm are critical for understanding the relationship of the human person, the dynamics of culture, and our hyperdigitized world today. Guardini’s newly translated Liturgy and Liturgical Formation was also published in its first edition in German and Italian in 1923 and reflects a similar approach to the centrality of the body and the senses in the spiritual formation of the human person. In a surprising way, Guardini’s critique of technology parallels his analysis of liturgy and prayer within the life of the Church. --- This lecture is cosponsored by the University of Chicago Divinity School and the In Lumine Network. It is made possible 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 video are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Stephen M. Barr on February 7, 2022 at the University of Chicago. 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 event was made possible 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 publication ​are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John ​Templeton Foundation. ​

Emily Austin on October 16, 2024 at Ruth Lake Country Club. The challenges of our times can make Christians feel embattled and besieged. But the Catholic intellectual tradition, at its best, equips us to look with openness for the Truth, incarnate in the world around us. In this lecture, Prof. Emily Austin shared her perspective as a classicist, reading within a literary tradition. To read within a tradition requires patience and attentiveness, allowing each text to teach you how to read anew. She argued that a Catholic literary culture requires—and fosters—humility. The pursuit of Truth is most productively sought, in a literary context, within a community of friends.

Professor Denys Turner on April 11, 2204 at the University of Chicago. Praised for its evocative treatment of heaven and hell, Dante’s "Commedia" is a significant work of theology. Denys Turner explains how Dante accomplishes by means of poetry what the formal theological treatises of the Middle Ages demonstrate through prosaic inference and proof. Poetry, Turner argues, is the most natural language to articulate the “journey of the soul into God,” and a point of entry into the mystery of the divine. Dante’s poetry discloses the theological significance of hope in the pilgrim’s journey towards the “abiding city.” --- Cosponsored by the University of Chicago Committee on Social Thought, the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, and the Medieval Studies Workshop.

Kenneth Woodward and Professor Denys Turner on April 10, 2024 at the University Club of Chicago. Dante Alighieri was a great poet. But Denys Turner insists that he was also a great theologian—and that what makes his theology great is his poetry. Turner argues, Dante was able to write his masterpiece only after he had personally journeyed through Hell and Purgatory like Dante, the pilgrim character in The Divine Comedy. Is this the case? Ken Woodward, former Newsweek religion editor and Lumen Christi’s Writer-in-Residence, asked all these questions during an interview with Denys Turner. Their interview reveals original and creative insight into Dante's Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso.

This lecture is entitled Aristotle's Great-Souled Man in Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Saint Augustine. It was presented by J. Warren Smith of Duke Divinity School on January 26, 2023, at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall.

This lecture is entitled The Catholic Imagination in Modern American Poetry. It was presented by James Matthew Wilson of the University of St Thomas, Houston on May 11, 2022, at the Ruth Lake Country Club.

This lecture is entitled Discursive, Performative, and Interpretive Strategies in Late Ancient Christian Literature. It was presented by Paul Blowers of Milligan University on March 30, 2022, at the University of Chicago's Classics 110.

This lecture is entitled A Conversation on Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of the Intellectual Life. It was presented by Zena Hitz of St John's College and Erin Walsh of the Universty of Chicago on February 2, 2022, at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall.

This lecture is entitled Singing the Sacred: Music and the Holy in Ancient Christianity. It was presented by Susan Ashbrook Harvey of Brown University on May 15, 2022, at the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Chapel.

This lecture is entitled Michelangelo's Women: Feminine Genius in the Frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. It was presented by Elizabeth Lev of Duquesne University on November 17, 2021, at the University of Chicago's Social Sciences Building.

This lecture is entitled Conscience And Human Rights In Thomas Aquinas And Some Predecessors. It was presented by Fr. Kevin Flannery, SJ of the Pontifical Gregorian University on October 7, 2021 at the University of Chicago.

Jonathan Brant, Sarah Schnitker, and John W. Boyer on October 17, 2024 at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall. As scholars such as Julie Reuben have documented, there has been a decline in the mission of moral formation of students over the history of US higher education and this role of the university is no longer to be taken for granted. What role, if any, does the university play in the moral formation of its students? Is moral formation beyond the bounds of its mission or is it inescapable? What virtues are formed in the modern university? This public panel, part of the Annual Meeting of the In Lumine Network, will serve to provide a broad conversation about the role of the university in regard to virtue and moral formation. --- This event was made possible 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 publication ​are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John ​Templeton Foundation.

Prior Peter Funk on October 4, 2023 at Ruth Lake Country Club. By integrating rigorous study and assiduous prayer within a life oriented towards the Truth, monasticism became a fertile ground for philosophical reflection, which starkly contrasts with modernity's tendency towards analysis and fragmentation. In this lecture, Prior Peter Funk, OSB explores the perennial contributions of monasticism to philosophy and shows how St. Benedict's "motto ora et labora" can aid our own philosophical reflections. --- This event was cosponsored by the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture.

Matthew Crawford, Kirk Doran, and Elisa Rubbo on October 10, 2024 at the University Club of Chicago. Published in 2009, Matthew Crawford’s Shop Class as Soulcraft became an unexpected best-seller. Written by a University of Chicago PhD and motorcycle mechanic, the book explored the value of craftsmanship and manual work in a world increasingly dominated by technology and abstract thinking. Drawing on his own experiences as a philosopher and motorcycle mechanic, Crawford argued that hands-on labor offers a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and autonomy often lacking in the world around us. The book delves into the intellectual and philosophical richness of craftsmanship, challenging the conventional wisdom that separates thinking from doing, and seeks to reintegrate man with the created world. In this downtown conversation, Crawford rehearsed the major themes of his bestseller. He then entered into conversation with experts in Catholic social thought to discuss the ways in which his insights about purposeful work and craft resonate with the Church’s insights about the dignity of labor and the value of the created world.

Professor Mark Shiffman and Professor James Matthew Wilson on May 2, 2024 at the University Club of Chicago. In his new book, "What is Ideology?", political theorist Mark Shiffman has studied the history of the concept and identified it as a distinctly modern phenomenon. Shiffman argues that ideological thinking attempts to subject all reality to a narrow and reductive schema in order to produce a redemptive social-political order and engineer a new type of human being. Moreover, he explains how our own imprecise use of the term makes us even more susceptible to ideological control. Shiffman discussed these topics with poet and cultural critic James Matthew Wilson. They traced the history of the term ideology, discuss its deforming effects on political life and the soul, and suggest how “non-ideological thinking” can be restored by drawing on resources from the classical and Christian traditions of philosophy, theology, art, and literature.

This lecture is entitled Is Free Will an Illusion? St. Thomas Aquinas and Human Action. It was presented by Fr. Stephen Brock of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross on April 10, 2024, at the Ruth Lake Country Club.

Professor Thomas Meyer on February 2, 2024 at the University of Chicago. German philosopher and former UChicago professor, Hannah Arendt stands as one of the most influential 20th century theorists of totalitarianism and political ideology. The sources for her unique insights remain obscure, as she rarely revealed her influences outside of Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers. Thomas Meyer has discovered in unpublished archives and letters Arendt’s deep interest in two mid-century French Catholic thinkers: Etienne Gilson and Jacques Maritain. She explored their works during the “Third Reich,” taking a special interest in Gilson’s philosophy of history and Maritain’s analysis of the state. Arendt valued their consistent way of thinking. A study of this “unknown constellation” traces unexpected connections among mid-century political theorists.

Professor Tyler VanderWeele on January 22, 2024 at the University of Chicago. What is human flourishing? What insights might we draw from the humanities? What insights might we draw from the empirical sciences? Many empirical studies throughout the social and biomedical sciences and many policy discussions focus only on very narrow outcomes such as income, or a single specific disease state, or measures of feeling happy. Human well-being or flourishing, however, consists in a much broader range of states and outcomes. Flourishing might be understood as living in a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good including, but not limited to, affective happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. The empirical literature from the most rigorous studies is reviewed in attempt to identify major determinants of, and resources for, human flourishing. Special attention will be given to the role of religious communities in the promotion of flourishing. Empirical research indicates that participation in religious community is subsequently associated with a range of health and well-being outcomes including longevity, mental health, happiness, meaning in life, marital stability, and many others. Moreover, religious life is itself often a central means to a greater spiritual well-being. Discussion will be given to the implications of a broader conception of human flourishing for personal well-being, for research, and for policy. --- This event was presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and was co-sponsored by the In Lumine Network, the Department of Public Health Sciences, the Program on Medicine and Religion at the University of Chicago, the Collegium Institute, Fons Vitae at Duke University, the St. Anselm Institute, the Nova Forum, and the Kateri Institute. It was made possible 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 publication ​are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John ​Templeton Foundation.

This lecture is entitled The Future of Natural Law. It was presented by Fr. Kevin Flannery, S.J. of the Pontifical Gregorian University, John Bowlin of the Princeton Theological Seminary, and Scott Roniger of Loyola Marymount University on October 27, 2022, at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall Common Room.

This lecture is entitled Symposium on The Light that Binds: A Study in Thomas Aquinas's Metaphysics of Natural Law. It was presented by Fr. Stephen Brock of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Russell Hittinger of the Lumen Christi Institute, Matthew Levering of the University of St. Mary of the Lake, and Candace Vogler of the University of Chicago on April 13, 2022, at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall 3rd Floor.

Teresa Sullivan, Clemens Sedmak, James Heckman, Michael Hüther, and Joseph Kaboski on March 27th, 2025 at the University of Chicago. With polarization on the rise around the globe, scholars have pointed to a broader fragmentation of social cohesion. Economics, sociology, theology and philosophy offer different entry points for exploring these problems. How might we better understand this global moment? This marks the 5th anniversary of Pope Francis’s social encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, which sought not only to diagnose these problems, but to also offer moral responses for all people of good will. How might principles derived from Catholic social teaching, such as solidarity, human dignity, and “the preferential option for the poor” operate within local and national economies to contribute towards a greater common good?

A lecture by Professor Daniel J. Fairbanks (Utah Valley University), Mendel biographer and author of "Gregor Mendel: His Life and Legacy" (Prometheus Books 2022). --- As we celebrate the bicentennial of Gregor Mendel’s birth, a few highlights of his life and legacy illustrate the breadth of his contributions and his genius. Born into poverty, he excelled in education in his youth. He entered the St. Thomas Monastery as an Augustinian friar where he joined an extraordinary community of scholars. At the University of Vienna, he studied with some of the world’s finest scientists, especially in mathematics, physics, botany, and evolution, and published his first research papers there. His famous experiments led him to an enduring theory that is more expansive than often portrayed. As Darwin’s contemporary, his annotations in Darwin’s books and Darwinian comments in letters reveal much about his understanding of the role of hybridization in evolution. He was elected as prelate and abbot of the St. Thomas Monastery in 1868, honorably serving in this role until his death in 1884. The neglect and rediscovery of his theory constitute one of the most intriguing stories in the history of science. At the bicentennial of his birth, his theory endures essentially unchanged as the foundation of genetics. --- Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute and sponsored by the Morris Fishbein Center for the History of Science and Medicine and the Seminary Co-op Bookstore. This program is made possible 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 video are those of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

This lecture is entitled Walker Percy and the Pursuit of Happiness in Apocalyptic Times. It was presented by Dr. Jennifer Frey of (then) the University of South Carolina on February 23, 2022, at the Ruth Lake Country Club.

This lecture is entitled A Life in Service of the Truth: The Legacy of Fr. Paul Mankowski, SJ. It was presented by Gary A. Anderson of the University of Notre Dame and Fr. Kevin Flannery, SJ of the Pontifical Gregorian University on October 8, 2021 at the University Club of Chicago.

This lecture is entitled Saint Among the Skyscrapers: The American Afterlife of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. It was presented by Kathleen Sprows Cummings of the University of Notre Dame on June 10, 2021, at the University Club of Chicago.

Professor Paul Blaschko on March 20, 2025 at Butterfield Country Club. In his well-known and influential essay, Leisure: The Basis of Culture, Josef Pieper claims that we in modern western society have come to inhabit a “world of total work,” and that an essential precondition for escape is recapturing a more ancient notion of “leisure” (in Greek: scholê, in Latin: otium). While much has been said in support of this claim, especially in Catholic intellectual circles, the focus has typically centered on the nature of leisure, which much of this dialogue takes as the starting point. In this lecture, Prof. Blaschko, who studies the philosophy of work at Notre Dame, will proceed in a different direction, asking “What kind of culture, and what kind of work culture, would we create if we wanted to incorporate genuine leisure into our lives?”

Rachel Smith, Willemien Otten, Bernard McGinn, Barbara Newman, and Ryan Coyne on February 27, 2025 at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall. How does the gendering of images work to render Thomas of Cantimpré’s portraits of holy women vivid, compelling, desirable? How is gender undone in his hagiographies, its expectations countered? How does gendering the saint work together with other elements of Thomas’s theology of sanctity? How is the hagiographer gendered in relation to the saint? In what ways might we see the limits of gender as a category of analysis in Thomas’s hagiographical works? How does gendering work in the context of vitae that use apophatic strategies to compose their saintly subjects?

Rick Stevens, Matthew Elmore, Jeffrey P. Bishop, and Stephen C. Meredith on January 30, 2025 at the University of Chicago. Artificial intelligence is increasingly interfacing with all aspects of human life, raising particular ethical challenges in medicine and biotechnology. The ethical challenges of AI must be grounded in the limits of the discipline it is applied to. Medicine has seen amazing advances in the last few decades, but these advances also raise questions about limits, especially in living patients. We must ask: What are the limits of medicine and biotech – and how does this translate into limits on the use of AI in these fields? This public panel will serve to explore what the limits in medicine and biotech are and what role the wisdom of the Christian tradition can play in forming them. --- This project was made possible through the support of "In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide" (Grant 62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. This event was co-sponsored by the Program on Medicine and Religion at the University of Chicago and the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University. The opinions expressed in this publication ​are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John ​Templeton Foundation.

A webinar discussion with Russell Hittinger (Lumen Christi Institute), Tracey Rowland (University of Notre Dame, Australia), and Fr. Thomas Esposito, O.Cist. (University of Dallas), moderated by Fr. Andrew Summerson (University of Toronto; Lumen Christi Institute). Originally recorded May 7, 2023. Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute, The Collegium Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, First Things, and The Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture. -- From his role as a key peritus at the Second Vatican Council, a professor in Germany, to his tenure as prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Joseph Ratzinger was a part of almost every Catholic theological conversation in the latter half of the 20th century. As pope, he brought his lifetime of learning to bear on his preaching, encyclicals, and continued publishing. In this webinar, our panel looks back upon Pope Benedict’s theological vocation and offers perspectives on his enduring legacy and witness.

A panel discussion with Herschella Conyers(University of Chicago Law School), Darren Davis (University of Notre Dame), andBrandon Viadyanathan (Catholic University of America), moderated by Judge Thomas More Donnelly (Cook County). 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, and was originally broadcast as a live webinar June 23, 2021.

An online panel discussion with Professor Grant Kaplan (Saint Louis University), Carly Osborn (University of Divinity), and Fr. Steve Grunow (Word on Fire), moderated by Cynthia Haven (National Endowment for the Humanities). 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. This panel draws 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. Originally broadcast May 27, 2021

A webinar conversation with Bernard McGinn (University of Chicago), David Tracy (University of Chicago), and Sandra Schneiders, IHM (Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University), moderated by Willemien Otten (University of Chicago). 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, David Tracy, and Sandra Schneiders for a conversation on "The Crisis of Mysticism," moderated by Professor Willemein Otten. Originally broadcast May 6, 2021. This event was co-sponsored by the Collegium Institute, the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion, and Herder & Herder.