The Thomistic Institute
byThe Thomistic Institute
ChristianityReligionSpiritualitySocietyCulturePhilosophy
The Thomistic Institute exists to promote Catholic truth in our contemporary world by strengthening the intellectual formation of Christians at universities, in the Church, and in the wider public square. The thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Universal Doctor of the Church, is our touchstone. The Thomistic Institute Podcast features the lectures and talks from our conferences, campus chapters events, intellectual retreats, livestream events, and much more. Founded in 2009, the Thomistic Institute is part of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.
Episodes(40 episodes)
The Catholic Imagination of Oscar Wilde – Prof. Guiseppe Pezzini
Prof. Giuseppe Pezzini argues that Oscar Wilde's aestheticism and life journey reveal a Catholic imagination, where art confronts suffering and beauty leads to embracing the full reality of pain, culminating in his final reconciliation with faith.This lecture was given on March 23rd, 2026, at University of Galway.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Prof. Guiseppe Pezzini is an Associate Professor of Latin Language and Literature at Corpus Christi College, Oxford...
Published: May 12, 2026Duration: 56m 46s
Catholic Social Teaching: Highlights from the Popes – Prof. James Felak
Prof. James Felak traces Catholic social teaching from Leo XIII to Francis, showing how the popes defend human dignity, a just wage, solidarity with the poor, subsidiarity, and the balance between rights and duties against both unchecked capitalism and collectivist ideologies.This lecture was given on March 5th, 2026, at University of Washington.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:James Felak is a Professor of History and current holder of the...
Published: May 11, 2026Duration: 49m 6s
Mary's Necessary Role in the Spiritual Life – Fr. John Mark Solitario, O.P.
This lecture was given on March 20th, 2026, at Vanderbilt University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Fr. John Mark Solitario is from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in West Springfield, MA and the eldest of four children. After attending Catholic schools through high school, he earned his bachelor of arts from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. Desiring to contribute to Catholic education, he was admitted to the PACT (Providence Alliance of Catholic Teachers) Program...
Published: May 8, 2026Duration: 1h 1m 11s
How to Marry Your Best Friend: Thomas Aquinas on Friendship, Marriage, and Children – Dr. Nathaniel Peters
This lecture was given on March 19th, 2026, at Universidad Panamericana.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Nathaniel Peters is the Director of the Morningside Institute. He received his B.A. from Swarthmore College, his M.T.S. from the University of Notre Dame, and his Ph.D. from Boston College. He has published article on many topics on religion and public life, and his first book, The Trinitarian Dimensions of Cistercian Eucharistic Theology, is forthcoming...
Published: May 7, 2026Duration: 45m 36s
'I Cannot Tell a Lie': Thomas Aquinas on the Moral Permissibility of Lying – Prof. Christopher Tomaszewski
This lecture was given on March 19th, 2026, at University of Toronto.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Christopher Tomaszewski is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Belmont Abbey College, where he teaches philosophy and great books. He holds a PhD in philosophy from Baylor University and a BS in mathematics from Villanova University. His primary research interests include metaphysics, mediæval philosophy, logic, and philosophy of religion (especially Thomistic solutions to contemporary problems in analytic p...
Published: May 6, 2026Duration: 51m 31s
Newman on the Dangers of Liberal Education – Prof. Thomas Hibbs
This lecture was given on January 17th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Thomas Hibbs is currently J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy at Baylor where he is also Dean Emeritus, having served for 16 years as the inaugural Dean of the Honors College. At Baylor he was also the inaugural director of Baylor in Washington, D.C. where he currently runs a summer program on Religion and Social Life. He...
Published: May 5, 2026Duration: 45m 26s
To Live is to Change: Newman on Cognitive, Moral, and Spiritual Development – Prof. Thomas Hibbs
This lecture was given on January 17th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Thomas Hibbs is currently J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy at Baylor where he is also Dean Emeritus, having served for 16 years as the inaugural Dean of the Honors College. At Baylor he was also the inaugural director of Baylor in Washington, D.C. where he currently runs a summer program on Religion and Social Life. He...
Published: May 4, 2026Duration: 40m 29s
After Death Comes Life...to the Soul in the Grace of Jesus Christ – Fr. Gabriel O'Donnell, O.P.
This lecture was given on March 14th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Fr. Gabriel O’Donnell, O.P., entered the Order of Preachers in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1970. He is a professor and spiritual director at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. He previously taught at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC; St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, PA; and the Ange...
Published: May 1, 2026Duration: 49m 15s
After Death Comes Life – Dr. Carl Vennerstrom
Dr. Carl Vennerstrom argues that the capital vices are best understood as a path of disordered desires that Christ exposes and heals, with pride standing at the root and humility as the chief remedy.This lecture was given on March 14th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Dr. Vennerstrom specializes in eastern patristic theology. Of particular interest are monasticism, scriptural interpretation, and the writings of...
Published: Apr 30, 2026Duration: 40m 52s
Death Comes to the Soul: The Vulnerable Christian in Distress – Fr. Gabriel O'Donnell
Fr. Gabriel O’Donnell argues that the Christian life is not mainly about rule-following or behavior modification, but about becoming a whole, Godward person through self-knowledge, acceptance, and relationship with Christ.This lecture was given on March 14th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Fr. O’Donnell grew up in Syracuse, New York. After two years as a student at Providence College, he entered the Orde...
Published: Apr 29, 2026Duration: 1h 0m 37s
The Devil's Unveiling in the Temptation of Christ: A 'Perfect' Temptation – Dr. Carl Vennerstrom
Dr. Carl Vennerstrom argues that Christ’s temptation in the desert is a perfect temptation: it reveals every major kind of temptation, shows the devil’s weakness, and becomes a means of salvation rather than merely an obstacle.This lecture was given on March 13th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Dr. Vennerstrom specializes in eastern patristic theology. Of particular interest are monasticism, scriptural interpretation, and...
Published: Apr 28, 2026Duration: 43m 40s
An Image of an Image (of God): Athens, Jerusalem, and Artificial Intelligence – Dr. Kevin Kambo
Dr. Kevin Kambo argues that AI should be understood less as genuine intelligence and more as a highly sophisticated form of simulated intelligence, like a mirror that reflects patterns without understanding them.This lecture was given on March 10th, 2026, at Southern Methodist University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Kevin M. Kambo is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Dallas in Irving, TX. Before completing his doctoral stud...
Published: Apr 27, 2026Duration: 45m 29s
John Henry Newman on Following Your Conscience – Dr. Christopher Mooney
Christopher Mooney argues that John Henry Newman’s teaching on conscience means conscience is not mere personal preference or social conditioning, but the practical application of divine moral law to particular actions.This lecture was given on March 9th, 2026, at Ohio State University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Dr. Christopher Mooney is an assistant professor of theology at the Augustine Institute Graduate School in St. Louis, Missouri, where he te...
Published: Apr 24, 2026Duration: 56m 47s
The Gift of Disability and the Hope for Healing – Prof. Paul Gondreau
Prof. Paul Gondreau argues that disability, though a real physical wound of human nature, can also be a profound gift because it deepens participation in Christ’s suffering and points toward healing in the resurrection.This lecture was given on March 9th, 2026, at University of Oxford.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Paul Gondreau is professor of theology at Providence College, where he has taught for 28 years. He received his do...
Published: Apr 23, 2026Duration: 50m 17s
Thomas Aquinas and the Philosophy of Punishment – Dr. Peter Koritansky
Dr. Peter Koritansky argues that Thomas Aquinas grounds punishment in natural law and retributive justice, where punishment is justified not merely to deter or rehabilitate, but to express the moral order and the common good.This lecture was given on March 5th, 2026, at Cornell University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Dr. Peter Karl Koritansky is a professor and Director of the Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at Cleveland...
Published: Apr 22, 2026Duration: 52m 48s
The Roots of the Church in the Old and New Testament – Prof. Nina Sophie Heereman
Prof. Nina Sophie Heereman argues that the Church is not a human invention but a divinely founded reality rooted deeply in Scripture, where Israel’s story, the Eucharist, and Pentecost all reveal Christ’s intention to gather a new people of God.This lecture was given on March 5th, 2026, at Louisiana State University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Dr. Heereman was born and raised in Germany. Originally trained to beco...
Published: Apr 21, 2026Duration: 50m 56s
Becoming a Good Conversationalist: How Not to Bore, Boast, or Otherwise Blather . . . and More! – Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.
Fr. Gregory Pine argues that good conversation is a real moral and spiritual practice: it matters, takes time, and should be used to draw near to others through listening well, welcoming contributions, and sharing life rather than trying to win or dominate.This lecture was given on March 4th, 2026, at Iowa State University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., is an instructor of dogmatic and...
Published: Apr 20, 2026Duration: 33m 34s
St. John Henry Newman’s Idea of the Saint – Dr. Rebekah Lamb
Dr. Rebekah Lamb argues that St. John Henry Newman’s idea of the saint is deeply relational: saints are friends knit together in the communion of saints, and holiness is lived through prayer, hidden service, and ordinary fidelity.This lecture was given on February 19th, 2026, at Queen's University, Belfast.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Dr. Rebekah Lamb is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in theology and the arts at the Un...
Published: Apr 17, 2026Duration: 44m 15s
I Want to Live a Good Life, Where Do I Start? – Dr. Wes Siscoe
Dr. Wes Siscoe argues that true happiness and the good life are not found in pleasure, wealth, fame, or even bodily health, but in a fully ordered human flourishing that culminates in union with God.This lecture was given on February 19th, 2026, at Indiana University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speakers:Wes Siscoe is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at The Ohio State University. He is also a Thomistic Institute...
Published: Apr 16, 2026Duration: 37m 8s
Is Abortion Morally Acceptable to Save the Life of the Mother? – Prof. Steven Jensen
Prof. Steven Jensen presents several arguments in favor of the conclusion that the life of a fetus has intrinsic human dignity on account of what a human being is and not merely as an effect of psychological or cognitive capacity, ultimately concluding that the intentional killing of a fetus as a means to save a mother's life is morally impermissible.This lecture was given on February 19th, 2026, at North Dakota State University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events....
Published: Apr 15, 2026Duration: 53m 58s