Lumen Christi Institute

10/09/2026

Tonight! UChicago undergraduates are invited to join us for a screening and discussion of Kurosawa's "Rashōmon." Dinner and popcorn will be provided.

The Kurosawa Film Club will screen Rashomon, the classic account of multiple unreliable narrators. Dinner will be provided.

10/09/2026

A dog... a saint?

On Tuesday, October 27, Fr. Stephen Molvarec, SJ will explore the veneration by Medieval Christians of ‘Saint’ Guinefort, a greyhound said to have lived a heroic life in 13th-century France.

While the Church does not formally name dogs as saints – then or now – this case raises some interesting questions about sanctity and also the relationship of Christians with animals, particularly dogs, as well as lived experiences of the natural world by our Christian forebearers.

Learn more & register at lumenchristi.org/events/.

10/08/2026

Tomorrow morning is our first reading group of the quarter! UChicago students, faculty, and staff are invited to join us in reading the Psalms in their historic Latin translations.

Being Catholic is not necessary in order to participate. All levels of Latin are welcome, and no preparation is expected.

Learn more & register at lumenchristi.org/events/.

10/08/2026

On September 24, the Hon. Thomas More Donnelly was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the First District Appellate Court.

Judge Donnelly has been a long-time friend of the Lumen Christi Institute. He has been deeply involved in Lumen Christi programming, particularly through the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network.

Congratulations, Judge Donnelly!

10/08/2026

This quarter, we're hosting a poetry salon on Fridays, open to all students.

Over lunch, participants will read and discuss a great poem together. Neither advance preparation nor expertise in poetry is required. The only prerequisites are a desire for good company, good food, and good poesy.

Join us in our goal to read poetry closely and naively, together.

Learn more and register at lumenchristi.org/events/.

10/07/2026

Tomorrow at 1pm, we'll host our fall Master Class featuring Joseph E. Davis and Paul Scherz.

Students and faculty are invited to join us as we explore the problem of suffering in light of Pope John Paul II's twenty-two page "Salvifici Doloris."

Lunch will be provided.

Learn more & register at lumenchristi.org/events/.

10/07/2026

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Recently, we launched our inaugural Rosary Campaign, in which we invite members of the Lumen Christi community to offer a Rosary for the students who will participate in this fall's formation programs.

One of Lumen Christi's guiding principles is that prayer is deeply enriching, and indeed necessary, to the practice of the intellectual life. Devotion to the Blessed Mother in particular has been a foundational element of the Institute since its founding, and recitation of the Rosary remains central to our daily rhythm.

To pray for one’s friends is to offer a great and mysterious gift, one that connects us more deeply to each other and to the life of Christ. We hope that you will consider offering a prayer or two in friendship for our students this fall.

To participate in the campaign, simply sign up using this form: https://buff.ly/6Jg64pY

10/06/2026

Are grief-bots and simulated grandpas the solution to the anxieties of the human condition?

Join us tomorrow night at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall for our fall public symposium, "Can We Simulate the Dead? A Symposium on Technology, Grief, and the Afterlife," where top scholars will discuss the new economy of “grief-tech” that has arisen to confront the old problem of death.

Learn more and register at lumenchristi.org/events/.

10/06/2026

Tonight at 6pm, consider the “false gods” that menace our freedom and happiness during the first session of our fall non-credit course.

This event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. UChicago faculty and staff are also welcome.

Dinner will be provided.

Learn more and register at lumenchristi.org/events/.

This dinnertime non-credit course will consider the “false gods” that menace our freedom and happiness.

10/05/2026

In 1516, Thomas More published "Utopia." More takes his reader on a tour of an idealistic island society: six-hour work days, religious toleration, no private property, and no lawyers. But is it really possible for such a society to exist? And was Utopia actually a good place?

Join us for dinner and discussion during our fall Fundamental Questions Seminar, designated for current University of Chicago undergraduate students.

Learn more and register at lumenchristi.org/events/.

John Templeton Foundation