The Thomistic Institute Podcast
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.
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.
Recent Episodes
June 26, 2026
The Family, the Polity, and the Church – Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P.
Fr. Brad Elliott argues that human beings are naturally social and are meant to flourish through the distinct but related societies of family, polity, and Church, with the Church uniquely ordering people to grace and the common good. This lecture was given on November 1st, 2025, at St. Albert's Priory. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Fr. Brad Elliott was raised in Dayton Ohio and studied Jazz percussion at the University of Cincinnati
June 25, 2026
Flannery O'Connor: Hillbilly Thomist or Hillbilly Nihilist? – Prof. Jennifer Frey
Prof. Jennifer Frey asks whether Flannery O’Connor is really a “hillbilly Thomist” or a “hillbilly nihilist,” and uses her life and fiction to show how grace, reality, and shocking moral drama can expose the deepest truths about human nature. This lecture was given on February 7th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Jennifer A. Frey is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tulsa. She previous
June 24, 2026
Is There a Right to Steal? – Prof. Michael Krom
Prof. Michael Krom uses Aquinas to argue that while stealing is always morally wrong, urgent need can change what counts as rightful use of superabundant goods, revealing how private property is meant to serve the common good. This lecture was given on February 12th, 2026, at Georgia Institute of Technology. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Michael Krom started reading Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae shortly after his conversion at the end
June 23, 2026
The Mystical Body of Christ: What Does Jesus Have to Do with Me? – Dr. Edmund Lazzari
Dr. Edmund Lazzari explains how Christ’s divinity and humanity make the sacraments, grace, confession, purgatory, and the communion of saints all part of one living mystical body in which every Christian is united to every other in Jesus. This lecture was given on February 11th, 2026, at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Edmund Lazzari is Teaching Fellow in the Department of Catholic Studies a
June 22, 2026
The Creator of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence: Natural Law, Inalienable Rights, and a Just Political Order – Prof. Christopher Kaczor
This lecture was given on April 9th, 2026, at Indiana University.To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod.About the Speaker:Dr. Christopher Kaczor (rhymes with razor) graduated from the Honors Program of Boston Colle...
June 19, 2026
Rights, Liberties, and the Nature of Medicine – Prof. Christopher Tollefsen
Prof. Christopher Tollefsen argues that medicine is fundamentally ordered to health, not preference satisfaction, and he shows why that matters for abortion, euthanasia, physician authority, and conscience. This lecture was given on February 5th, 2026, at University of Scranton. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Christopher Tollefsen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina. He has published over 100 articles in jo
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