The Thomistic Institute

This talk was given on January 12, 2023, at John Hopkins University. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Catherine Ruth Pakaluk is an Associate Professor of Social Research and Economic Thought and the head of the Social Research academic area at the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America. She is the author of several influential articles and was the 2015 recipient of the Acton Institute’s Novak Award, a prize given for “significant contributions to the study of the relationship between religion and economic liberty.” Dr. Pakaluk is the Founder and Director of the new American Fertility Project based at Catholic University, and is the author of a forthcoming book on liberty and Catholic social thought. Pakaluk earned her doctorate in economics in 2010 at Harvard University under the 2016 Nobel-laureate Oliver Hart, and is a widely-admired writer and sought-after speaker on matters of culture, gender, social science, the vocation of women, and the work of Edith Stein. She lives in Maryland with her husband Michael and eight children.

This lecture was given on October 20, 2022, at the University of North Texas. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: W. Matthews Grant is Professor and Chair in the Department of Philosophy at University of St. Thomas (MN), and Associate Editor of the American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly. His articles have focused on Aquinas and the Philosophy of God, particularly issues having to do with the divine nature and God’s relationship to human freedom. His new book Free Will and God’s Universal Causality: The Dual Sources Account, draws resources from Aquinas and the scholastic tradition to explain how libertarian creaturely freedom can be reconciled with robust accounts of God’s providence, grace, and predestination.

This lecture was given on December 13, 2022 at Immaculate Conception Church, Washington, D.C. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Fr. Jordan Schmidt was born in Fargo, ND, and attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN for his undergraduate studies. After entering the Order of Preachers, he came to Washington DC to study theology, graduating from the PFIC in 2009 with an STB/MDiv in theology, and from CUA in 2012 with an STL in biblical theology. Upon his ordination to the priesthood, he was appointed associate pastor of St Mary’s parish in New Haven, CT where he served until 2013. Fr. Jordan next returned to the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC to pursue doctoral studies at CUA. Since earning his PhD in biblical studies in 2018, he has been teaching various courses in Sacred Scripture at the PFIC.

Prof. Baglow's slides can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/5fmmww36 This lecture was given on November 29, 2022, at North Carolina State University. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Christopher T. Baglow is the director of the Science and Religion Initiative in the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, where he also serves as Professor of the Practice in the theology department. He is the author of the textbook Faith, Science, & Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge (2nd ed., Midwest Theological Forum, 2019) and his work has been featured by the Word on Fire Institute and in That Man is You, Crux, Notre Dame Magazine and Church Life Journal. He is a consultant for the USCCB Committee on Catechesis and Evangelization, and his thirty-two year career in Catholic education has spanned high school, undergraduate, graduate, and seminary teaching. Baglow earned a bachelor’s degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville, a master’s degree from the University of Dallas, and a doctorate from Duquesne University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Catholic Scientists.

Prof. Grant's handout can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/6p6nzf7e This lecture was given at the University of South Carolina on November 10, 2022. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: W. Matthews Grant is Professor and Chair in the Department of Philosophy at University of St. Thomas (MN), and Associate Editor of the American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly. His articles have focused on Aquinas and the Philosophy of God, particularly issues having to do with the divine nature and God’s relationship to human freedom. His new book Free Will and God’s Universal Causality: The Dual Sources Account, draws resources from Aquinas and the scholastic tradition to explain how libertarian creaturely freedom can be reconciled with robust accounts of God’s providence, grace, and predestination.

Professor Paige Hochschild discusses the necessity of the Roman Catholic Church, emphasizing its divine origin, the importance of community and unity, and how it serves as a dwelling place for God's majesty through prayer, liturgy, and sacraments.This lecture was given on November 15, 2022, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.About the speaker: Dr. Paige Hochschild is a professor of historical and systematic theology at Mount St. Mary's University (MD), specializing in Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and the early Church. She also teaches philosophy courses at the Seminary at Mount St. Mary's. She has written a book on the place of memory in Augustine's theological anthropology, and publishes on the Church, education, tradition, 20th c. theological debates within the Church (Scripture, history; marriage).

This talk was given on November 12th, 2022, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Prof. George Corbett (University of St. Andrews) is Professor of Theology, and Director of Research at the School of Divinity. He has two principal areas of research and teaching: Theology and the Arts (with a focus on the theologian-poet Dante Alighieri) and Historical and Systematic Theology (with a focus on Aquinas’s theology and its influence, and on Catholic theology).

Join Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. of Aquinas 101, Godsplaining, and Pints with Aquinas for an off-campus conversation with Sr. Elinor Gardner about her latest Thomistic Institute, "So Death doth touch the Resurrection’: Death and Human Nature." Can Philosophy Prepare Us for Death? w/ Sr. Elinor Gardner, O.P. and Fr. Gregory Pine (Off-Campus Conversations) You can listen to the original lecture here: https://soundcloud.com/thomisticinstitute/so-death-doth-touch-the-resurrection-death-and-human-nature-sr-elinor-gardner-op/s-6yzNWufbIfe For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Sister Elinor Gardner is a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. Before arriving at University of Dallas, she taught at Aquinas College in Nashville, TN and at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Her doctoral work (Boston College) was on the ethics of Thomas Aquinas ("St Thomas Aquinas on the Death Penalty").

This lecture was given on November 17, 2022, at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Sister Elinor Gardner is a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. Before arriving at University of Dallas, she taught at Aquinas College in Nashville, TN and at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Her doctoral work (Boston College) was on the ethics of Thomas Aquinas ("St Thomas Aquinas on the Death Penalty").

Fr. Albert Trudel, O.P., an expert in medieval theology and literature, dives into the profound themes of sanctification through the lenses of Thomas Aquinas and Dante. He explains Dante's transformative journey in Purgatorio, illustrating the symbolic transition from vices to virtues with Virgil's guidance. The discussion highlights the profound connection between intellect and will in pursuing truth, alongside the essence of redemption and divine union, making a compelling case for the ontological journey toward sanctity.