Lumen Christi Institute
Making the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university
Featured Events & News
Alumni Corner with David Albertson
Each quarter, LCI reaches out to one of our alumni and catches up with them about where their career has taken them since their involvement in LCI programming as a student. This fall, LCI staff spoke with David Albertson, an Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Southern California and director of The Nova Forum.
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Applications Open for the 2026 Summer Seminars
In their eighteenth year, the Lumen Christi Institute Summer Seminars in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition introduce participants to central themes, figures, and texts from the Catholic tradition.
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Summer Seminar Spotlight: The Vocation of a Catholic Scholar
This summer the Lumen Christi Institute continued its annual summer seminar program with seven intensive seminars. The seminars covered topics from antiquity to the present, across many disciplines such as patristics, economics, and contemporary philosophy. Among these was a brand-new seminar: “The Vocation of the Catholic Scholar” for newly-minted PhDs.
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From the Director | Beacon Newsletter, Fall 2025
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) has been our cornerstone in this academic year. After his election, Pope Leo XIV described himself as “a son of St. Augustine.” In honor of our holy father, we hosted several events devoted to St. Augustine, the great Church father and African bishop.
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The Enduring Legacy of St. Augustine: The Fall Non-Credit Course & Postdoctoral Fellow Cassandra Sever
The Lumen Christi Institute dedicated the fall non-credit course to an intensive study of the thought of St. Augustine, which featured a session taught by Cassandra Sever, one of our first two postdoctoral fellows.
Learn MoreLumen Christi has been one of the great spiritual achievements of the last 25 years. And to see Lumen Christi flourishing so well and expanding around the country is a sign of tremendous hope for the Church.
The longest intellectual tradition of any institution in the contemporary world.
Celebrated University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins once remarked that the Catholic Church has “the longest intellectual tradition of any institution in the contemporary world.” The mission of the Lumen Christi Institute is to make the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university and the broader culture. The Lumen Christi Institute’s programs enrich academic communities at the University of Chicago and beyond with the insights of Catholic thought, in order to engage our secular culture in dialogue and ultimately to renew our civilization by forming leaders for a global society in need of Christian wisdom.
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Making the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university