The Liturgical Institute at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, exists to promote the liturgical life of the church through education, publishing, conferences and special projects. The academic program of the Institute serves a diverse, international student population: laity, religious, and clergy.

The Institute was founded in the Fall of 2000 by Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, forming a new addition to the University which has the distinction
of being the first chartered institution of higher learning in Chicago (1844) and one of
only seven pontifical faculties in North America. The University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary has the largest priestly formation program in the United States and is the center of the permanent diaconate and lay  ministry programs of the
Archdiocese of Chicago.

The mission of the Institute is to provide a thorough formation for men and women preparing for service in the church's liturgical life at parish, diocesan, and secondary education levels. The Institute also provides foundational formation for those planning to teach liturgy at seminary or university levels. The Institute offers an integrated and balanced program for the advancement of the renewal promoted by the Second Vatican Council. It is rooted in the ideals of the modern liturgical movement and the authentic achievements of the post-Vatican II era. Students participate in the Institute's liturgical life of daily Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours in the historic Chapel of the Immaculate Conception (right).  

The Liturgical Institute seeks to form graduates who will bring solid theological and practical skills to bear on the challenges opened by a new phase of liturgical renewal emerging in the opening years of the third millennium.

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