Annual lecture to be held on October 8, 2024 in CTU 210 B&C The Pyramid Beneath a Church: Causing Muted Signs to Speak in Inculturation Standing at the historic center of Cholula, Mexico, is a Spanish medieval Catholic church built over a decidedly larger ancient Aztec pyramid, memorializing the latter’s conquest under the power of the […]
An interreligious conversation with two important Palestinian voices, Dr. Rima Salah and Dr. Eman Abdelhadi, on the past, present, and future of women’s empowerment, peacebuilding, and the pursuit of justice and dignity in the Holy Land. Co-Sponsored by: With the Support Of: Rima Salah, PhD is Palestinian Catholic and served as a Member of the […]
Speaker: The Revd Dr Casely Baiden Essamuah, Secretary, Global Christian Forum About The Paul Wattson Lecture Series This yearly lecture, sponsored by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and Catholic Theological Union along with the Association of Theological Schools (ACTS), honors the founder of the Friars, Fr. Paul Wattson, and focuses on ecumenical and interreligious […]
"Perspectives on Leadership from a Woman Leader" Following Mass, join us for a lecture by Sr. Donna Markham, OP, PhD, CTU Fellow in Catholic Leadership Toward Global Healing. As the first woman President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, Sr. Donna led nine years of transformative growth, expanding services to over 15 million vulnerable people. […]
What Bible, Whose Bible: Studying the Scripture of Others “The” Bible does not exist. Different religious communities have different Bibles, with different books, in different orders, and different languages—and this matters. How can we be fully sensitive to these when we study the scriptures of others? By reflecting on The Jewish Annotated New Testament and […]
November 9, 2024 CTU will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Romero Scholars Program on Saturday evening, November 9, 2024. Please join us for a festive celebration which will include a fabulous Latin dinner and music. 5:30 pm Reception 6:30 pm Dinner & Program […]
Speakers: Anna Levin Rosen, Anna Levin Rosen serves as the Rabbi and Executive Director at UChicago Hillel. Having served UChicago Hillel for 14 years, Anna’s work is part of the fabric of the University. With a passion for Jewish life and social justice, Anna has served as a guest educator for a spectrum of organizations […]
Dear Friends, You have now heard that our President, Barbara Reid, OP, will be passing the torch as president and will turn her focus again to biblical scholarship as a CTU faculty member at the end of this academic year. A search committee to find her replacement as president has been formed, with representatives drawn […]
Register to join this year’s celebration of the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continues as a reminder that “trouble don’t last always.” In a speech, Dr. King stressed the need for continuous action despite the challenges when he said: “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. […]
Following Mass, join us for the 2025 Dr. Barry Rankin Lecture on God´s Creation by Dawn M. Nothwehr, OSF, Ph.D., The Erica and Harry John Family Professor Emerita of Catholic Theological Ethics at CTU. Mass 3pm - 4pm Lecture 4pm - 5pm Reception 5pm - 6pm Presider: Very Rev. Anthony Pizzo, O.S.A., Prior Provincial for […]
Join us in celebrating the book Evolving Methodologies in the Study of Spirituality (Leuven: Peeters, 2023), edited by Rossano Zas Friz De Col, SJ and Gilberto Cavazos-González, OFM. This book, a collection of talks in either Italian or English at an international gathering of scholars and students of Theology, is a significant contribution to Spiritual […]
Winter Shapiro Lecture Synopsis: Do Jews and Christians Love the Same Way? For centuries, Christian anti-Judaic prejudice insisted that whereas Christianity is about love, Judaism is about ... something else, like law, or justice, or obedience. Rabbi Shai Held's new book argues that Judaism, no less than Christianity, is a religion of love. And yet Judaism […]
As the Center celebrates its 10th year we invite you to a book launch. The Center for the Study of Consecrated Life which celebrates its 10th year was founded to support research and publications regarding contemporary issues in religious life today. CSCL sponsors programs and events that bring together men and women religious from around the world […]
A study Tourgrimage is part tour, part pilgrimage and part of a course. In that spirit, we will visit several of the shrines dedicated to the memory of the original members of the three orders of the Franciscan family.
The lecture will be presented by Dr. C. Vanessa White, OFS, Associate Professor of Spirituality and Ministry, Director of the Certificate in Black Theology and Ministry GONNA MOVE WHEN THE SPIRIT SAY MOVE: The Spiritual Lives and the Witness of Black Catholic Holy Men and Women, is an inspiring Black History Month gathering honoring the […]
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Celene Ibrahim, PhD Religious Studies and Philosophy / Spiritual Life Team, Groton SchoolDr. Celene Ibrahim is a multidisciplinary scholar specializing in Islamic intellectual history, gender studies, and ethics. She is best known for the monograph Women and Gender in the Qur'an (Oxford University Press, 2020), which won the Association of Middle East […]
Join us for Harambee, Catholic Theological Union’s annual fundraising event dedicated to supporting the Augustus Tolton Pastoral Ministry Program. “Harambee,” a Swahili word meaning “Let us pull together,” beautifully reflects the spirit of unity, collaboration, and shared purpose that underpins this special evening.
The Tolton Program is a transformative initiative that empowers Lay Black Catholic men and women to serve their communities through ministry. This program provides academic, personal, spiritual, and professional preparation to meet the unique needs of Black Catholics, whether in predominantly Black Catholic spaces or other communities.
Join us for the Hesburgh Renewal Program, a curriculum-centered, community-based, holistic program that fosters both personal and professional renewal and provides continuing formation. This Continuing Education program is crafted for those who have served the Church in ministry, but is open to anyone looking for a theological update. The program components include scripture, theology, liturgy, […]
Register for the 2025 World Mission Institute (WMI), an annual conference held in the spring since 1970. Each year outstanding international speakers and resource persons deal with a significant aspect of Christian mission. This year’s theme is “The Challenge of Our Age”: Migration and Mission.
Please join us for iftar, the breaking of the fast meal at sunset, in the spirit of unity and dialogue. Co-sponsored by the Catholic-Muslim Studies Program at CTU, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and the Niagara Foundation.
The Environmental Justice Round-Table at Catholic Theological Union will bring together environmental justice advocates, faith-based organizations, and local leaders to foster dialogue and action planning around the environmental crisis. Our goal is to create a collaborative space for sharing insights, building connections, and empowering participants to take actionable steps within their congregations and communities. We […]
In recent decades, Jewish theologians, responding in part to overtures from Christians, and building on precedents recovered from their tradition, have articulated a range of Jewish theological approaches to Christianity. This lecture will review some of these approaches and attempt to develop a new one. Please join us for a reception at 6PM.
The peacemakers, those who put an end to violence, who lay down the sword, who work for harmonious relationships, who break the patterns of hatred, who love even their enemies, will be called ‘children of God,’ the ultimate blessing. These ‘children of God,’ be they Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Middle East, or we gathered here, are mandated by our great religious traditions to be peacemakers.
Truth-telling is essential for interpersonal and social healing from trauma and moral injury. It also is a perilous endeavor because if the disclosure of truth cannot be heard, believed, or understood by a listener then the wound will become worse and healing nearly impossible. The symposium looks at the perils and possibilities around various kinds […]
Catholic Theological Union (CTU) is honored to celebrate the graduating Class of 2025 at the 57th Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. CST Founded in 1968 and located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, CTU is one of the leading Roman Catholic graduate schools of theology and ministry in the […]
Join CTU for an inaugural pilgrimage to Spain. Led by expert Catholic, Muslim and Jewish scholars, this trip will explore significant religious locations throughout Spain through the lens of our interfaith leaders. *** SPACE IS LIMITED, RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY *** PRIORITY DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 The estimated cost for the eleven day trip is […]
This book is rooted in Sr. Chioma's doctoral dissertation, which emerges from a comprehensive socio-religious analysis of the evolving dynamics within Catholic congregations, particularly the decline and shift in membership. The focus of this research is on the sustainability of local religious congregations that do not maintain a presence in the Global South. This trend […]
New this year, we welcome our CTU alumni, family, and friends to our inaugural Homecoming Weekend! Celebrate with the entire CTU community taking place Friday, September 26, 2025 through Sunday, September 27, 2025. More details will be shared throughout the summer, so be sure to check this website in the coming months. We can’t wait […]
Orthopathema: A New Lens for Mission as Ministry of Reconciliation in the Decade to Come ZOOM LINK HERE Reception immediately following lecture. Pope Francis invoked the image of the Church as “field hospital” in a world that is facing ever-expanding threats to human dignity and the common good. This was a reminder that the missio […]
From grains to galaxies, “through him all things were made.” Join us for an exploration and celebration of the real presence of Christ’s Paschal Mystery that sounds and resounds throughout humanity and the entire cosmos.
The enduring wounds from violence can be destructive to the entirety of the human person, especially when borne in isolation and in forced silence. This book offers a theology of communication for participating in God’s saving work of healing wounds, building community, and facilitating social transformation through an analogy of the wound. Rooted in Jesus' […]
Please join us for a talk about the importance of interreligious studies and dialogue issues.
What if grace is more than a doctrine—it’s a way of teaching and living? This lecture explores the clash between the “pedagogies of empire,” which teach control and exclusion, and the “pedagogy of grace,” which opens space for dignity, dialogue, and transformation. Drawing from Paulo Freire and Christian theology, the lecture shows how grace becomes […]
Ranana L. Dine Ph.D. "Surely Bury: Jewish and Catholic Law, Responding to Suicide, and the Work of Catholic-Jewish Studies" When it comes to tricky questions of ethics and law, Jewish and Catholic traditions at times converge, and at times develop distinct approaches. In the history of Jewish and Catholic responses to suicide both patterns emerge. […]
November 8, 2025 CTU will celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Romero Scholars Program on Saturday evening, November 8, 2025. Please join us for a festive celebration which will include a fabulous Latin dinner and music. By Sponsoring a table at this year's Corazon de Romero event, you're not only supporting our Romero Scholars, but […]
HONORING THE “SEVEN” AFRICAN AMERICANS ON THE ROAD TO SAINTHOOD “Prayer, Justice, and Peace” CATHOLIC THEOLOGICAL UNION SPONSORED BY THE AUGUSTUS TOLTON MINISTRY PROGRAM AND CTU’S LITURGICAL TEAM AND LITURGICAL ASSEMBLIES
Estate gifts are a powerful way to protect your loved ones and create a lasting legacy here at CTU. Whether you’ve already created your estate, are interested in learning how to setup an estate gift, or have other questions – please join us for a call on November 13th, from 12pm - 1pm. An estate […]
Italy 2025: A Jubilee Trip of Hope & Creation *** REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED *** The estimated cost for the ten day trip is $6,500 with a $1,500 single supplement. This price includes: – all lodging (based on double occupancy—all in 5-star deluxe hotels or best available level) – half-board (breakfast and dinner) – all land […]
Join us in celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Center for the Study of Consecrated Life (CSCL). This is a milestone marking a decade of deep reflection, research, and renewal in the understanding and practice of consecrated life. This special celebration will include a conference that gathers scholars, religious, and pastoral leaders to explore the evolving landscape of consecrated life […]
