Lumen Christi Institute
Making the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university
Featured Events & News

Seeking Graduate Reading Groups for the Fall Quarter
The Lumen Christi Institute is seeking graduate students to lead reading groups for the upcoming Fall Quarter. The deadline to submit proposals is August 31, with a priority deadline of August 1.
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The History and Future of Catholic Intellectual Institutes: An Interview with Peter Casarella
We sat down with for an interview with Peter Casarella, professor of theology at Duke Divinity School and longtime friend of the Lumen Christi Institute. Casarella has been involved with the Lumen Christi Institute (LCI) since its founding over twenty-five years ago. We asked him more about LCI’s history, as well as where thinks institutes for Catholic thought at non-Catholic universities need to go in the future.
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Can We Be Good on Our Own? A Symposium on Ancient and Modern Approaches to Virtue
Can we be good on our own, or do we need divine assistance? Four scholars explored this question in a symposium that was the highlight of LCI’s spring University Program Series.
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Lumen Christi Institute receives $2.1 million from John Templeton Foundation
This three-year grant will support the continuation and expansion of its previous “In Lumine” Grant, which created a national network of institutes of Catholic thought, all serving non Catholic colleges and universities.
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From the Director | Beacon Newsletter, Spring 2025
A message from our Executive Director, Daniel Wasserman-Soler, as he remembers the life of Pope Francis and reflects on the life of the Lumen Christi Institute's founder Thomas Levergood, who held an enduring vision of bringing the different parts of both the Church and the academy into one conversation.
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Seeking Graduate Reading Groups for the Fall Quarter
The Lumen Christi Institute is seeking graduate students to lead reading groups for the upcoming Fall Quarter. The deadline to submit proposals is August 31, with a priority deadline of August 1.
Learn More
The History and Future of Catholic Intellectual Institutes: An Interview with Peter Casarella
We sat down with for an interview with Peter Casarella, professor of theology at Duke Divinity School and longtime friend of the Lumen Christi Institute. Casarella has been involved with the Lumen Christi Institute (LCI) since its founding over twenty-five years ago. We asked him more about LCI’s history, as well as where thinks institutes for Catholic thought at non-Catholic universities need to go in the future.
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.
– Bishop Robert Barron

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