Loyola University Chicago
Catholic Studies
Director's Welcome
A warm welcome to our Catholic Studies home page. Students interested in the rich tradition of Catholic thought and its interaction with both historical and contemporary culture are perfect candidates for the Catholic Studies program at LUC. As an integrated liberal arts minor, Catholic Studies not only introduces students to interdisciplinary scholarship (a very practical skill in the global/digital age), but also nurtures the traditional notion that to engage in authentic scholarship is to seek God in all things. Thank you for visiting. AMDG.
-Dr. Michael Murphy
Catholic Studies Alumni Profile Series
This page features alumni who have been faithful to the Catholic Studies community and who have used their experiences within it to grow in their vocations, professional endeavors, and personal lives.
News
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Honoring the Class of 2020
Congratulations to the senior Catholic Studies Minors and the whole Class of 2020!
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Fall 2020 Course Listings Available
With Fall 2020 registration opening soon, look ahead to the course offerings that can count toward the Catholic Studies minor.
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LUCatholic Post: Daring to Give Catholicism a Second Chance
Catholic Studies Minor Sarah LaVanway blogs about "leaning into uncertainty and trusting in the beautiful mystery of the Catholic faith."
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Major Minor of the Month: Justyna Skowronski
Read about our Major Minor of the Month: Justyna Skowronski, a senior majoring in English!
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Catholic Studies Minor Retreat: Finding Your Place - February 15 - 16
Join Catholic Studies minors for an overnight retreat at LUREC to explore our place in the church, culture, and Loyola community today. All students welcome! You don't have to be a Catholic Studies minor to attend. For more information, contact: mmurphy23@luc.edu -
Research Fellowship Applications Now Available
Applications Due March 1, 2020.
Research fellowship of $2000 available to declared Catholic Studies minors. Completed applications must be submitted online through Loyola Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (LUROP). Awards will be announced on April 15. For more information about this research fellowship or the Catholic Studies Minor, email Dr. Michael P. Murphy at mmurphy23@luc.edu.
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Faith In Focus Film Series: J.E.S.U.S.A.
February 18, 2020, 7:00 PM
Damen Cinema, LSC
CCIH hosted a viewing of J.E.S.U.S.A. (2020), a compelling documentary that explores the relationship between Christianity, American nationalism, and violence. Post-film dialogue with Suzanne Ross of the Raven Foundation. This event was free & open to the public.
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Catholic Q&A with Brother Mark Mackey, S.J.
February 20, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Damen Den, LSC
Catholic Q&A offers students an opportunity to dialogue with Jesuits in an intimate and personal setting. Br. Mackey led discussion on “Responsible Hope in the Midst of Environmental Crisis”. Students only. All students welcome.
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Reflections from a Graduating Minor | Sarah Miklius '19
At the 2019 Catholic Studies Banquet, graduating senior Sarah Miklius gave a reflection on her time as a Catholic Studies Minor at Loyola.
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Sixth Annual John Courtney Murray Forum: Head & Heart
April 11, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Damen Den, Damen Student Center, LSC
This 6th annual student-led forum explored the journeys of Catholic Studies students through the Minor, and their efforts to reconcile head and heart with regards to their faith. Featuring student talks, artwork, and discussion. -
Catholic Q&A: Does Ethics Sell? A Discussion about Morality and the Marketplace
Thursday, February 21st, 7:00-9:00 p.m
Information Commons, 4th Floor
Thank you to the Catholic Studies minors and Fr. Frank LaRocca for a fascinating discussion about ethics in Corporate America.
Students only. All students welcome.
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LUCatholic Post: A Semplica Girl
Chantal Lim (Class of 2020) is the master behind the LUCatholic's first art piece, inspired by George Saunders' The Semplica-Girl Diaries.
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LUCatholic Close Reading Series: "A Twitch Upon the Thread" - The Pull of Conversion
In this first edition of our Close Reading series, Catholic Studies minor Emily Kate Marticello (Class of 2019) gives a deeper take on Evelyn Waugh's celebrated Brideshead Revisited. Following upon the fisherman's line motif originated in the Bible, she looks at the idea of "twitch upon the thread," coined by Chesterton, and repurposed in Waugh's novel as a symbol for "a quiet but meaningful conversion." Brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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LUCatholic Weekly: “Behind the Collar” – Some Reflections on Clericalism from an Altar Server
Sylvester Francis Alonz (Class of 2020) shares his perception of the clergy given his extensive experience growing up as an altar server. This timely piece seeks to relieve some of the tension surrounding the recent Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, as well as to encourage us all to keep faith in the men "behind the collar."
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LUCatholic Weekly: LUC Catholic Studies Abroad; Oxford Edition
Eleven Loyola students had the incredible opportunity to participate in a 2-week study abroad course in Oxford, England, named From Hobbits to Hogwarts: Religion, Literature, and the British Imagination. Led by fearless Dr. Michael Murphy, their feet and imaginations followed those of fabled writers such as Newman, Wilde, Tolkien, Waugh, Jennings, and Chesterton. In this post, a few of these new Inklings share their experiences. Brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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[An Agenda Disrupted: The 2018 Synod on Young People]
With recent sexual scandals and cover-ups in mind, the Young Church holds its breath, seeking a place to turn. On the opening day of the Synod on Youth, this student-led event seeks to give us the opportunity to voice what kind of Church we wish to be a part of. A "safe haven" event hosted by the Catholic Studies Minor and the students of Loyola.
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JCMF 2018 - Seeking the Whole: Living and Exploring Our Catholic Identity
A Night of Acknowledging, Encountering, and Engaging our individual stories and experiences of faith, as well as how they inform different aspects of the universal Catholic identity we share. Click for more information on this evening filled with discussion, art, and music.
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LUCatholic Weekly: Amended Conceptions; Sports and the Power of Community
Joe De Larauze (Class of 2019) used to be an avowed sports skeptic. But then he witnessed three events which completely altered his view on their importance in a world that is too often divided. Through his experiences of these events, Joe examines the significant role that such entertainment plays in the creation and recognition of communities. Brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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LUCatholic Weekly: Culture: A Lens to Help Seek the Whole
Sylvester Francis Alonz (Class of 2020) was deeply impacted by his formative experiences as a Catholic Studies Minor. In his CATH 296 class, he discovered the importance that culture holds in each of our identities as Catholics. Please enjoy his astute reflections on how culture can help us to "find God in all things," as well as serve as a vehicle for justice and grace. Brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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LUCatholic Weekly: Solitude of the Student Commuter; Finding God and Community at Loyola
Justyna Skowronski (Class of 2020) decided to become a commuter student her Sophomore year. Driving four hours a day to get to and from classes challenged her extroverted and outgoing personality, forcing her to spend more time alone each day. Click here to read about her struggle, and about how her daily treks renewed her faith and her approach to community. Brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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LUCatholic Weekly: God is the Friend of Silence
Emily Kate Marticello (Class of 2019) says of herself: "I have been talkative and social for as long as I can remember and it has always suited me well." In this personal post, she describes how she has struggled with the silent and quiet moments of her life, only to go on the Winter Ignatian Silent Retreat, and find that in Silence, God reached out a warm and welcoming hand to her. Read about the power of quiet in this touching testimony. Brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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LUCatholic Weekly: Faith Through Music
Laura Bottei (Class of 2021) has been a Church musician since the tender age of 6. Read about how her participation in liturgical music has helped her to grow as a person and as a Catholic! In her words, "I can hardly remember my life without music being an integral aspect of my faith." brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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LUCatholic Weekly:Your Summer 2018 Reading List
Joe De Larauze (Class of 2019) is an avid reader, and invites you to read his short list of Catholic-themed books that would be perfect companions to your summer! Brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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LUCatholic Weekly: A Fresh Perspective on the Catholic Studies Minor
Frances Rafferty (Class of 2021) declared the Catholic Studies Minor going into her freshman year, becoming the first student ever to do so! Click here to read her inspiring testimony about the ways in which the Minor enriched her freshman experience at Loyola: spiritually, academically, and vocationally. Brought to you by LUCatholic, the Catholic Studies Blog.
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Hank Center Weekend of Excellence presentation: Jenna Meyers
Watch Jenna Meyers, the Hank Center's 2017-2018 graduating research fellow present her project "Does It Pay to Work for the Catholic Church?", which analyzes the increasing number of lay ministers in the Church, and the economic implications of such change.
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Hank Center Weekend of Excellence presentation: Sylvester F. Alonz
Watch Sylvester Francis Alonz, one of the Hank Center's 2017-2018 undergraduate research fellows present his project "A New Genesis," which discusses the contemplative and arresting roles of hip-hop in modern Theology.
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LUROP Fellowship Deadline March 1st
Interested in funded independent research? Submit your paper proposals by March 1st, 2018 to be considered. -
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JCMF 2017 - Beauty Itself: A Night of Engaging, Encountering, and Enlivening the Beautiful
A Night of Engaging, Encountering, and Enlivening the Beautiful. Thank you to all our presenters, performers, artists, musicians, volunteers, and audience members for joining us to explore Beauty as it has manifested itself in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Click through for more information.
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Catholic Studies Alumni Profile Series
Welcome to the Catholic Studies Alumni Profile Series! This page features alumni who have been faithful to the Catholic Studies community and who have used their experiences within it to grow in their vocations, professional endeavors, and personal lives. This week, we are featuring Rickele Coy, a recent graduate from Loyola's Master's in Social Work program.
