The Lumen Christi Institute for Catholic Thought was founded by Catholic scholars at the University of Chicago in 1997 to bring the light of Christ and the Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition to the secular academy and the general public. On this station we make available our many lectures and programs, as well as interviews with visiting scholars. To support our work, visit www.lumenchristi.org/donate
Season Finale - Special Episode by The Lumen Christi Institute
Dr. 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.
Dr. Carlos Eire and Dr. 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.
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
Amos and Hosea (Episode 1/1) by The Lumen Christi Institute
Ezekial and Daniel (Episode 1/1) by The Lumen Christi Institute
Author Paul Kingsnorth and Professor 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.
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
This lecture is entitled "'In the One, we are One': Christian Unity and the City of God." It was delivered by Dr. Jared Ortiz of Hope College on September 10th, 2025 at the Ruth Lake Country Club.
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
This lecture is entitled "What Can We Say About God? An Interview with David Novak on God-Talk." It features Rabbi David Novak of the University of Toronto and Melanie Barrett of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and was presented on May 9th, 2025, at the University Club of Chicago
This lecture is entitled "Christianity, Culture, and Sport: From Play to Virtue." It was delivered by Clark Power of the University of Notre Dame on April 24th, 2025, at the Butterfield Country Club.
This lecture is entitled "A Catholic Vision of Art: Beauty – The Highway to God." It was delivered by Sarah Crow of Xavier University on May 14th, 2025, at the Ruth Lake Country Club
This lecture is entitled The Story of Catholic Education: Renewing Our Schools, Renewing Our Culture. It was presented by Michael Naughton of the University of St. Thomas on November 20, 2024, at the Ruth Lake Country Club.
This lecture is entitled Care of Souls in Inquisition Spain. It was presented by Lu Ann Homza of the College of William & Mary on February 9, 2024, at the University of Chicago.
This lecture is entitled America's Real Sister Act: The Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States. It was presented by Shannen Dee Williams of the University of Dayton on April 27, 2023, at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall.
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.
This lecture is entitled On the Dignity of Society: Catholic Social Teaching and Natural Law. It was presented by Russell Hittinger of the Catholic University of America, R.H. Helmholz of the University of Chicago, and Mary Hirschfeld of the University of Notre Dame on November 7, 2024, at the University of Chicago's Swift Hall Common Room.
This lecture is entitled What is Catholic Culture? It was presented by Jennifer Newsome Martin of the University of Notre Dame on September 25, 2024, at the Ruth Lake Country Club.
This lecture is entitled The Bond of All Creation: Renaissance Humanism and the Incarnate Word. It was presented by Matthew Gaetano of Hillsdale College on May 15, 2024, at the Ruth Lake Country Club.
This lecture is entitled Do We Know More than the Apostles? Or, Do Doctrines Develop?. It was presented by Lewis Ayres o on April 4, 2024, at the Magis Lecture Series.
This lecture is entitled Rethinking Economic Inequality: a Theological Perspective. It was presented by Mary Hirschfeld of the University of Notre Dame and followed by response from Amir Sufi of the Booth School of Business on March 30, 2023, at the University of Chicago.
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.
This lecture is entitled Technology, Liturgy, and the Work of Human Hands. It was presented by Jeffrey P. Bishop of St. Louis University on November 14, 2024, at Loyola Academy.
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