The Newman Forum

01/11/2022

Join us at beautiful Mundelein Seminary for a science and religion fair for high school students on Saturday, February 5th. From 9-3:30pm, students will have multiple opportunities to engage with the nation’s foremost Catholic scholars from various fields across the sciences.

After a keynote lecture from Professor Stephen Barr, President of The Society of Catholic Scientists students will get to choose between 4 lightning round talks on topics like human life, earthquakes, dinosaurs, evolution, Galileo, and extraterrestrials! Then the day will conclude with a reverse science fair in which scientists will present posters of their research, and students will circulate the room asking questions.

To register, visit our website: https://newmanforum.org/2021/08/06/science-and-religion/
The event is FREE for high school students (and adults who bring a student will have their fee waived.)

In partnership with The Society of Catholic Scientists, McGrath Institute for Church Life - University of Notre Dame, Archdiocese of Chicago Vocations, and Mundelein Seminary//

February 5, 2022

12/01/2021

Could aliens be real? Can evolution and religion go together? What about the Big Bang? What is a human being? And when does life really start?

Join us in-person on February 5th, 2022 at Mundelein Seminary as we explore all the biggest questions at the intersection of science and religion with over a dozen Catholic scientists from various fields.

Lectures, meals, and Eucharistic Adoration all included. Plus, this event concludes with a “reverse science fair” of sorts… You’ve seen them on TV, or perhaps even done one yourself: Everyone piles into the gym with their folding tables and poster boards. A volcano explodes, the planets rotate from a clothes hanger, and the adult judges walk around and give someone a blue ribbon. But this time around, it’s the adults giving the poster presentations and you, the high school student, get to walk around and ask questions!

We hope you’ll join us for this fun, informative, and FREE event. Learn more and register here: https://newmanforum.org/2021/08/06/february-2022-conference/ //

(Cosponsored by the Society of Catholic Scientists and the McGrath Institute for Church Life - University of Notre Dame)

A Project of the Lumen Christi Institute

11/05/2021

"A teenager asks not only What am I? but also Who am I?"

The Newman Forum exists to accompany teenagers as they ask big questions of themselves and their faith, that they might be excited to pursue the answers now and as they look ahead to college.

Give this article from Church Life Journal a read to learn more about the importance of accompanying teenagers spiritually and intellectually:

Ulrich Lehner on battling relativism and defending realism.

11/01/2021

Join us on Saturday, November 13th at the University of Chicago campus for a conference all about leaving home. From Scripture to history to literature, the topics covered in this event will draw high school students into community and conversation, and will help with their discernment of college. Register here: https://newmanforum.org/2021/08/06/november-2021-conference/ //

A Project of the Lumen Christi Institute

10/06/2021

Join the Newman Forum for a viewing of As You Like It, presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater (and set to the music of The Beatles!) Professor Michael Murphy (Loyola University Chicago and The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage) will lead students in a 2-part course before and after the performance, to discuss reading and viewing Shakespeare with an eye towards Catholic themes. Student tickets only $15. Chaperones who bring students attend for free! Register here: https://newmanforum.org/events/excursions/

//

09/23/2021

Do you remember the first mistake you made or lie you told? What do you do when your parents disappoint you? Does curiosity really kill the cat, or is it good to be curious? How does evil exist in a world God made out of love?

These questions—and more!— are all explored in St. Augustine’s Confessions, and they’re all deeply important questions that young people are asking.

Join us on Zoom every other Tuesday from 7-8pm CDT for our online book club for high school students. Learn more here: https://newmanforum.org/events/book-club/ //

A Project of the Lumen Christi Institute

09/22/2021

The Newman Forum is excited to announce our new EXCURSION program! High school students will have the chance to take a 2-part online class and then attend an in-person excursion together related to the course topic.

Our first excursion will be on SHAKESPEARE! Built around a viewing of “As You Like It” presented by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, students will meet the Thursdays before and after the performance to learn and discuss how to read and watch Shakespeare from Professor Michael Murphy (The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, Loyola University Chicago).

Register here: https://newmanforum.org/events/excursions/

//

A Project of the Lumen Christi Institute

08/26/2021

You’ve been told since you started school that you will one day go away to college: Leave home, get an education, and start “adulting.” But how can you leave home on the right foot? Believe it or not, the Bible is a fantastic playbook for going away to college.

Join us in-person on Saturday, November 13th for a conference at the University of Chicago all about leaving home well. Don’t make a decision about where you go or who you’ll be in college before this conference!

Open to current high school seniors, with a high school juniors waitlist. From now until October 13th, only $10 to participate with code EARLYBIRD21. Learn more and sign up here: https://newmanforum.org/2021/08/06/november-2021-conference/

A Project of the Lumen Christi Institute

08/25/2021

BRAND NEW WEBSITE! Check out www.newmanforum.org for all the info about our programs + resources, both past and upcoming. We can’t wait to see you, online and in-person, this 2021-22 academic year. //

04/13/2021

Whether it’s galaxies forming in the early universe, thousands of birds forming single flocks that move in perfect unison, or the possible emergence of life from random interactions of organic molecules, Complexity Theory is producing exciting new insights into how it all comes together. And if God works through complex systems, what does that tell us about the divine ordering of the natural world?

Join us Thursday, April 29th at 7pm CT on Zoom for a fascinating dive into complexity. Register through our website: https://www.lumenchristi.org/event/2021/04/god-is-complicated-science-is-complex-fr-john-kartje //

The Lumen Christi Institute brings together thoughtful Catholics and others interested in the Catholic tradition and makes available the wisdom of the Catholic spiritual, intellectual, and cultural heritage.