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by The Thomistic Institute
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.
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- Yesterday41 min
The Cross and the Revelation of God's Son - Fr. Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P.
Highlighting structural parallels in the Gospel of Mark, Fr. Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P., demonstrates how Jesus redefines messianic identity and the title "Son of God" through self-giving love and solidarity with the suffering rather than worldly domination.This lecture was given on October 2nd, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Fr. Isaac Morales, O.P. is associate professor of theology at Providence College. Before joining the Dominican Order, he received an MTS in biblical studies from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD in New Testament from Duke University. He is the author of The Bible and Baptism: The Fountain of Salvation (Baker Academic Press) and a forthcoming book on eschatology titled The Life of the World to Come: Seeing God, Resurrection, and the Christian Hope. He also regularly teaches a course on the life and writings of C. S. Lewis.Keywords: Gospel Of Mark, Theology Of The Cross, Son Of God, Bible, Biblical Scholarship, Passion Narrative, Messianic Secret, Christian Solidarity, Solidarity, Love, Dei Verbum
- 2 days ago37 min
Naked Without Shame: Identity, Desire, Freedom, and the Meaning of the Body - Dr. Robert McNamara
Dr. Robert McNamara explains how the physical body is a revelatory book of our identity, arguing that we find true freedom and fulfillment by understanding our existence as a gift meant for communion.This lecture was given on September 29th, 2026, at Queen's University Belfast.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Dr. Robert McNamara is lecturer in philosophy and department head at St. Patrick’s Pontifical University, Ireland, adjunct professor of philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville, USA, while also tutoring periodically at the ITI Catholic University, Austria, and the Maryvale Institute, England. Robert is an associate series editor of Edith Stein Studies, an associate scholar of the Hildebrand Project, a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Man and Woman, and a founding member of the Aquinas Institute of Ireland (currently suspended). Having studied physics, computing, philosophy, and theology, Robert brings a multidisciplinary approach to his work while exploring anthropological and metaphysical themes in ancient, medieval, and phenomenological thinkers, with a defined focus on philosophical personalism in the Christian tradition. He currently resides in Carlow, Ireland, with his wife, Caroline, and their five children.Keywords: Theology Of The Body, Catholic Anthropology, Philosophical Anthropology, Human Identity, Soul Body Composite, Marriage, Sacraments, John Paul II, Vocation, Self-Gift, Creation, Freedom
- 3 days ago40 min
Contemplation and Action - Fr. Cassian Derbes, O.P.
Fr. Cassian Derbes, OP, examines the Thomistic distinction between the active and contemplative lives, arguing that they are not merely states of life but distinct activities that find their highest expression in the beatific vision.This lecture was given on June 20th, 2026, at New York University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Fr. Cassian Derbes, O.P. is a priest of the Dominican Province of Saint Joseph. He is currently the Director of the Catholic Center at NYU. He previously was a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame in the Mendoza College of Business. Prior to that position, Father Cassian served as vice dean and professor of theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. His previous teaching positions include as adjunct professor of theology at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio. Father Cassian earned his Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) from the Angelicum. He has a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, a Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from New York University (N.Y.U.), and he is a graduate of Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. From 2014-2020, Father Cassian served as director of an initiative at the Vatican under Pope Francis to design, implement, and teach an executive leadership development program for the Cardinals, Bishops, and senior lay officials of the Roman Curia. Father Cassian is a Missionary of Mercy, having been appointed by Pope Francis in 2015.Keywords: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Contemplative Life, Contemplation, Active Life, Dominican Spirituality, Theology, Beatific Vision, Summa Theologiae
- 6 days ago28 min
A Pre-Christian Overview of Honor - Prof. Michael Foley
Prof. Michael Foley examines the pre-Christian roots of honor in Western civilization, contrasting the competitive, individualistic nature of classical honor with the moral critiques found in both Greco-Roman philosophy and the Hebrew Bible.This lecture was given on September 4th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Michael Foley is a Catholic theologian, a Professor of Patristics at Baylor University, and the author of 500 articles and eighteen books, including the bestseller Drinking with the Saints, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Christianity, and Dining with the Saints. He speaks on a wide variety of topics touching upon Catholicism, culture, and the value of the liberal arts.Keywords: Honor, Western Civilization, Virtue Ethics, Chivalry, Humility, Culture, Odyssey, Classical Literature
- 1 weeks ago42 min
Abiding in the Son: The Eucharist in the Gospel of John - Prof. Daniel Garland
Prof. Daniel Garland explores how the Gospel of John presents the Eucharist as the theological center of the narrative, arguing that the Incarnation and the seven signs are ordered toward our participation in the divine life through the body and blood of Christ.This lecture was given on September 24th, 2026, at Ashland University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Daniel M. Garland, Jr. is Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in the Diocese of Cleveland and a deacon candidate for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat. He holds a doctorate in Systematic Theology (with a minor in Biblical Theology) from Ave Maria University. His research interests are in Sacred Scripture, Patristic and Thomistic Exegesis, Sacraments, and Christology.Keywords: Gospel Of John, Eucharistic Theology, Sacraments, Eucharist, Temple Theology, Theosis, Incarnation, Johannine Literature
- 1 weeks ago38 min
The Catena Aurea as a Turning Point in Thomas Aquinas' Thought - Prof. Jane Sloan Peters
Prof. Jane Sloan Peters explores how Saint Thomas Aquinas’s Catena Aurea serves as a transformative synthesis of patristic thought, demonstrating how his masterful arrangement of the Church Fathers shaped his own theological development and remains a vital resource for contemporary study.This lecture was given on September 17th, 2026, at Franciscan University of Steubenville.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Jane Sloan Peters is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, NY. Her dissertation explored Thomas Aquinas's reception of Greek patristic and Byzantine biblical interpretation for his four-volume commentary on the Gospels, the Catena Aurea. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and three sons.Keywords: Catena Aurea, Thomas Aquinas, Patristic Theology, Sacred Doctrine, Bible, Biblical Exegesis, Church Fathers, Christology
- 1 weeks ago34 min
Beauty and the Catholic Imagination - Mr. Dana Gioia
Poet and cultural critic Dana Gioia explores the vital role of beauty in the Catholic imagination, arguing that beauty is an objective, transformative experience that connects us to truth and the secrets of existence.This lecture was given on October 22nd, 2026, at University of California, Los Angeles.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Dana Gioia is an internationally recognized poet, critic, and former Poet Laureate of California. He is the author of six collections of verse, including Interrogations at Noon (2001), which won the American Book Award, and 99 Poems: New & Selected (2016), which was awarded the Poets’ Prize. His most recent collection is Meet Me at the Lighthouse (2023). His poems have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Gioia’s critical collections include Can Poetry Matter? (1992), which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Award and The Catholic Writer Today and Other Essays (2019) whose title essay started an international debate about the role of faith in contemporary literature. Gioia has also written four opera libretti and edited over twenty anthologies. For six years Gioia served as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. In that office he launched the largest cultural programs in the agency’s history, including The Big Read, Poetry Out Loud, Shakespeare for a New Generation, and Operation Homecoming, the first NEA program created for military personnel. Gioia built a bi-partisan majority in both Houses of Congress and raised the arts budget each year he was in office. Known as “the man who saved the NEA,’ Gioia was awarded the Presidential Civilian Medal for his services. Gioia has been awarded 11 honorary doctorates. He has also received the Laetare Medal from Notre Dame, Aiken-Taylor Award in Modern Poetry, and John Carroll Medal. For nine years he was the Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at the University of Southern California. He resigned his chair in 2019 to write full-time. Gioia and his wife Mary split their time between Sonoma County and Los Angeles. He is a parishioner at St. Eugene’s Cathedral in Santa Rosa and Holy Family in South Pasadena.This project/publication was made possible through the support of Grant 63391 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation. Keywords: Transcendentals, Dana Gioia, Beauty, Thomistic Philosophy, Jacques Maritain, Transcendence, Aesthetics, Truth, Architecture
- 1 weeks ago1h 1m
What is Truth? - Dr. Scott Roniger
Dr. Scott Roniger explores the nature of truth by synthesizing Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics with phenomenology to demonstrate how the human intellect achieves a profound union with reality, allowing us to grasp the essence of being.This lecture was given on February 25th, 2026, at University of California, Los Angeles.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Dr. Scott J. Roniger is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he directs the Lonergan Center for Catholic Faith and Culture. He held the Fr. Robert H. Taylor, SJ Chair in Philosophy from 2022-2024. Dr. Roniger earned a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (STB), summa cum laude, and a Masters of Sacred Theology, magna cum laude, from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He then earned a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Chicago and a Licentiate in Philosophy (Ph.L.), summa cum laude, from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He earned his doctorate in philosophy, with distinction, from The Catholic University of America under the direction of Robert Sokolowski. He has published scholarly articles on metaphysics, phenomenology, Catholic social teaching, Thomistic natural law theory, ethics and political philosophy, and philosophy of literature. He is the editor of Russell Hittinger's book, On the Dignity of Society: Catholic Social Teaching and Natural Law (CUA Press, 2024). His research recapitulates themes in Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Husserlian phenomenology.Keywords: Thomistic Philosophy, Phenomenolog, Truth, Aristotle, Metaphysics, Edmund Husserl, Philosophy Of Language, Ontology, Relativism
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About The Thomistic Institute
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.
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