The Thomistic Institute

Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P., examines Thomas Aquinas’s teaching on the Mass as the sacramental representation of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, drawing on medieval liturgical texts, sacred images, and Eucharistic prayer to show how believers share in the fruits of redemption. This lecture was given on March 6th, 2026, at University of California, Berkeley. For more information on upcoming events, v...

Dr. Karin Öberg and Dr. Paul LaPenna take up a deceptively simple question—how can a scientist be holy?—and show how the pursuit of truth in creation can become a path to humility, charity, and wonder before God. This lecture was given on June 27th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events About the Speaker: Pr...

Fr. Thomas Aquinas Pickett and Sr. Anna Wray ask the question "How did study sanctify St. Thomas Aquinas?" St. Thomas serves as an exemplar of how study becomes holy when it is ordered by charity, tempered by right desire, and lived as a way of being with God. This lecture was given on June 27th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticins...

Prof. Bruce Marshall explores the Christian doctrine of the Trinity through the Nicene Creed, describing how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons who share the one divine nature and showing how this confession grounds baptism, prayer, and the Eucharist. This lecture was given on April 23rd, 2026, at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. For more information on upcoming events, vis...

Prof. Marshall Bierson asks what it really means to be philosophical, and he takes listeners through the subtle ways our love of truth gets derailed—by winning, by approval, by self-justification, and even by mistaking the feeling of insight for insight itself. This lecture was given on June 27th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticin...

Prof. Joshua Benson asks why we should be theological, and he answers with a vivid case for studying the faith: to think more deeply, speak more clearly to others, and let theology shape both mind and life. This lecture was given on June 27th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events About the Speaker: Joshua B...

Fr. Cajetan Cuddy shows why Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae still matters today, presenting it as a clear, enduring roadmap for understanding Catholic truth, teaching beginners, and thinking more carefully about God, the world, and the human person. This lecture was given on April 13th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To lea...

Mahon McCann argues that the real AI apocalypse already happened when social media and platform algorithms took over human judgment, reshaping what we see, think, and do through an attention economy that quietly downgrades our humanity. This lecture was given on April 11th, 2026, at University of Maynooth. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, vis...

Fr. Ezra Sullivan examines artificial intelligence through a theological lens, showing why AI may imitate personhood and judgment, but cannot replace the human capacity for truth, freedom, and communion with God. This lecture was given on April 11th, 2026, at University of Maynooth. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https://thomisticinst...

Dr. Robert McNamara examines what remains distinctively human in the age of AI, arguing that while artificial intelligence can process and predict with remarkable speed, it cannot replace human understanding, freedom, or wisdom. This lecture was given on April 11th, 2026, at University of Maynooth. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https...

Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P. argues that the Holy Spirit is the real power behind evangelization, showing how Mary, the apostles, and every Christian become instruments of God’s mission through grace, witness, and prayer. This lecture was given on December 13th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https://tho...

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy shows how evangelization works by grace from the inside out, arguing that its deepest “form” is the contemplative, witness-filled communication of Christ that moves others to faith. This lecture was given on December 13th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https://thomisticinstitu...

Prof. Paige Hochschild introduces natural law by exploring what nature is, how we know it, and why the classical tradition treats the world as an intelligible order to which human beings are truly fitted. This lecture was given on April 6th, 2026, at University of California, San Diego. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https://thomistic...

Prof. Michael Dauphinais argues that stories are not just useful for faith—they are how human beings understand reality, and the Christian story of creation, redemption, and resurrection is the true narrative that reorders the imagination. This lecture was given on March 27th, 2026, at Florida State University. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more...

Prof. Maria Fedoryka explains love as more than a feeling, showing how it begins with recognizing another person’s goodness, leads to self-gift and communion, and ultimately reveals why love is the source of meaning in human life. This lecture was given on March 16th, 2026, at University of Georgia. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit http...

Fr. Andrew Hofer explains why Christian forgiveness is not the same as excusing harm, and shows how forgiving others is a deliberate act of mercy that frees us, heals our hearts, and reflects God’s own forgiveness. This lecture was given on March 7th, 2026, at University of Pittsburgh. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https://thomistici...

Prof. Lewis Ayres examines St. John Henry Newman’s critique of the university and argues that higher education often succeeds at training skills while failing to form the Christian imagination toward truth, wisdom, and God. This lecture was given on April 13th, 2026, at University of Aberdeen. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https://th...

Prof. Ross McCullough explores why evil and suffering exist, surveys the main Christian answers—especially free will and greater goods—and shows how suffering can be united to Christ rather than treated as meaningless. This lecture was given on November 17th, 2025, at University of Oregon. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https://thomis...

Fr. Andrew Hofer explains gratitude as a theological virtue rooted in God’s gifts, showing how thanksgiving begins in the heart, becomes visible in words and worship, and ultimately orders us toward God. This lecture was given on November 11th, 2025, at University of Colorado Boulder. Apply for the Thomistic Institute Study Abroad program by August 1, 2026. To learn more, visit https://thomisticin...

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy uses Aquinas to argue that the search for meaning is really the search for an ultimate end, and that human happiness is found not in success, pleasure, or status, but in God. This lecture was given on November 4th, 2025, at University of California, San Diego. To make a gift this June, visit  https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Fr. Irenaeus Dunle...

This lecture was given on October 23rd, 2025, at Indiana University. To make a gift this June, visit  https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Paul Gondreau is professor of theology at Providence College, where he has taught for 28 years. He received his doctorate in theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, doing his dissertation on Christ's full humanity (C...

Fr. Thomas Pickett explores what Aquinas means by study and argues that study is not just academic work but a morally formative pursuit that shapes charity, virtue, and the Christian path to happiness. This lecture was given on August 29th, 2025, at University of California Berkeley. To make a gift this June, visit  https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Fr Thomas Aquin...

Prof. Michael Krom presents Aquinas’s account of charity and asks what it really means to love the sinner without affirming the sin, showing how true Christian love can require both mercy and moral clarity. This lecture was given on August 18th, 2025, at Universidad Panamericana. To make a gift this June, visit  https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Michael Krom starte...

Prof. Mathew Thomas introduces the Church Fathers as the first theologians and explains how their witness to Scripture, Christian discipleship, and early worship can still help readers understand the faith and its unity today. This lecture was given on June 9th, 2025, at University of Oregon. To make a gift this June, visit  https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Dr. Ma...

Prof. Thomas Ward examines medieval arguments for God’s existence in Anselm, Aquinas, and Scotus, showing how each thinker approaches the question from a different starting point and why their arguments still matter for faith and reason. This lecture was given on April 21st, 2025, at Saint Vincent College. To make a gift this June, visit  https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the S...