Non-Credit Courses
OPEN TO ALL - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS:
POPE LEO XIV ON SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE AGE OF AI
Weekly, Tuesdays, 7 - 8:15 PM
Begins September 29 (7 Sessions)
Harvard Catholic Center/St. Paul's
Group led by Harvard Catholic Forum Graduate Fellows Jack Maier and Mateo Velenzuela-Gutierrez
Just issued in May 2026, Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical sets forth a profound vision of the human person amid the current challenges of Artificial Intelligence and other technological and cultural trends. Join this group to read and discuss each chapter through the lens of true human flourishing and Catholic Social Teaching. Light dinner served.
This reading group is supported by the Lynch Foundation and by a grant from the Lumen Christi Institute with funding from the John Templeton Foundation (Grant #63614).
OPEN TO ALL - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
HOLINESS IN HISTORY
READING THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS
1st & 3rd Fridays, 12:00 – 1:15 PM
Begins October 2 (6 sessions)
Harvard Catholic Center/St. Paul’s
Taught by Brian Fitzgerald, Lecturer on Medieval Studies and the Study of Religion, Harvard
Come and reflect on patterns of faith and practice in a formative age of Christian history from the third to the sixteenth century. Read a range of genres that describe the lives of saints, consider the different ways Christians have sought holiness, and reflect on how these saints challenge us today. Should we imitate them? What particular kinds of virtue do they embody?
Readings distributed to registrants. Light lunch served.
Supported by the Lynch Foundation
OPEN TO BOSTON AREA STUDENTS - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
WISE DECISION-MAKING IN A COMPLEX WORLD
Saturdays, 3:45-4:45 PM
September 19, October 3 and 24, November 7
Harvard Catholic Center/St. Paul’s, Cambridge, MA
Taught by Sarah Byers, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Boston College
How do we recognize what is truly good in particular situations? This seminar examines the theory and practice of the practical wisdom that makes such judgments possible. Brief readings will be distributed for discussion at each session. Participants are invited attend the 5:00 PM Mass at St. Paul’s and continue the conversation over dinner in a Harvard Square restaurant if they wish.
Supported by the Lynch Foundation
OPEN TO BOSTON AREA UNDERGRAD/GRAD/YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
FINDING THE GOOD IN AN AMORAL WORLD:
STORIES OF ANTON CHEKHOV
2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 6:30 - 7:45 PM
Begins September 16
Harvard Catholic Center/St. Paul’s, Cambridge, MA
Group led by Harvard Catholic Forum Fellow Declan I. M. Deady
Enter the world of Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), master of the short story and ground-breaking playwright, as he reflects on a society whose traditions and values are in crisis. Many of his protagonists are immoral or amoral, but through them we can imagine morality in the negative and see good and evil more clearly. Light dinner provided.
This reading group is supported by the Lynch Foundation and by a grant from the Lumen Christi Institute with funding from the John Templeton Foundation (Grant #63614)
OPEN TO ALL - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Christian Alumni Society and the Collegium Institute
NEW TESTAMENT GREEK
ST. MARK'S GOSPEL
1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 7:00 - 8:00 PM (Eastern Time)
Begins September 22*
Zoom
Taught by Classical languages instructor Michael O’Brien and Deacon Tim O’Donnell (Harvard Catholic Forum)
Read and translate St. Mark’s Gospel in Greek, starting at the beginning and reaching the end of Ch. 5 by Christmas – we will continue in the Spring semester. Readings and notes are distributed before each class; extensive study aids are available online. Primary focus is on translation, but theology, history, and rhetoric in Mark will be touched on as well.
Open to all; participants should have completed, and have some recollection of, one year or more of Classical or Koine Greek.
OPEN TO ALL - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Christian Alumni Society
CHRISTIAN LATIN: THE VULGATE BIBLE
THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH: MATTHEW’S GOSPEL AND THE OLD TESTAMENT
1st and 3rd Mondays, 7:00 - 8:00 PM Eastern Time
Begins September 21
Zoom
Taught by patristics scholar Christopher McLaughlin and Classical languages instructor Michael O’Brien
Read and translate from the Vulgate Bible, beginning with OT passages that point to the Nativity account in St. Matthew’s Gospel, and then reading that narrative before Christmas. Readings, notes, and study aids will be provided before each class. The primary focus is on translation, but the relation between the Old and New Testament texts will be examined.
Open to all; participants should have completed, and have some recollection of, one year or more of Latin.
OPEN TO ALL - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
LITURGICAL MUSIC WORKSHOP
Fall, Sundays 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Note time change from spring semester)
Begins September 13
St. Paul's Campus
Instructor: Adam Ziccardi, Harvard Catholic Forum
This workshop invites participants of various skill levels to learn and sing chants, hymns, and psalms, and learn the history of liturgical music. Weeks will alternate between a Harmony Session and a History & Chant Session. Come to all sessions, or as many as you can!
OPEN TO BOSTON AREA UNDERGRADS - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Center Undergraduate Chaplaincy
CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT:
KEY PAPAL ENCYCLICALS
Mondays, 8 - 9:15 PM
Begins September 14 (Participants welcome to join later!)
Harvard Catholic Center/St. Paul’s, Cambridge, MA
Group led by Harvard Undergraduates John Kipp and Marshall Zhu
This weekly reading group will study the social, economic, and political teachings of the Catholic Church, with a focus on the encyclicals of Popes Leo XIII and Pius XI.
This reading group is supported by a grant from the Lumen Christi Institute with funding from the John Templeton Foundation (Grant #63614).
OPEN TO UNDERGRAD/GRAD/YOUNG PROFESSIONAL - REGISTRATION ENCOURAGED
Co-presented by the Harvard Catholic Forum
RATZINGER MEMORIAL SOCIETY:
SATURDAY DISCUSSIONS/TUESDAY READING GROUP
Saturdays, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Weekly Topics & Fellowship (Resumes September 19)
Tuesdays, 6:00-7:00 PM: Weekly Reading Group (Resumes September 29) Fall 2026: Readings in Patristic Christology
St. Paul's/Harvard Catholic Center, Harvard Square
Led by Harvard Catholic Forum Graduate Fellows Reed Morgan and Magnus Imber
The Ratzinger Memorial Society supports an intellectually rigorous exploration of the Catholic tradition through regular weekly meetings The Saturday morning discussion covers a range of topics, with an opportunity for fellowship. and refreshments provided. The Tuesday reading group reflects on selected foundational texts from the tradition.