Episodes

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...
June 18, 2026

Aquinas' Philosophy of the Angels – Prof. Gregory Doolan

Prof. Gregory Doolan explains how Aquinas uses philosophy to show that angels are real immaterial beings—pure forms with intellect and will—whose place in creation can even be understood in relation to the famous “head of a pin” question. This lecture was given on February 5th, 2026, at Harvard University. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Gregory T. Doolan is Associate Professor in the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of...
June 17, 2026

Private Property and the Universal Destination of Goods: How a Right to Private Possessions Serves the Common Good – Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P.

Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P. explores how the Catholic tradition understands ownership as a moral relation that binds persons together rather than isolating them, and why that matters for families, society, and human flourishing. This lecture was given on February 4th, 2026, at Stanford University. 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 College C...
June 16, 2026

Thomistic Sacramental Theology – Fr. Thomas Joseph White

This lecture was given on February 6th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Fr. Thomas Joseph White is the Rector Magnificus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome. Originally a native of southeastern Georgia in the US, Fr. White studied at Brown University, where he converted to Catholicism. He did his doctoral studies in theology at Oxford University, and is the author of vari...
June 15, 2026

Pope Leo XIII and Communism – Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P.

Fr. Brad Elliott shows how Leo’s Rerum Novarum responds to Marx and Engels by grounding property rights in the father’s duty to provide, the family’s priority over the state, and the Church’s vision of human flourishing. 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 College Cons...
June 12, 2026

Nagasaki Prays, Hiroshima Rages: God's Providence and Narratives of Suffering – Prof. James Nolan

Prof. James Nolan argues that Nagasaki’s prayerful response to the atomic bomb can only be understood through the city’s long Christian history, especially the witness of the hidden Christians and Takashi Nagai. This lecture was given on January 29th, 2026, at Florida State University. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Professor James L. Nolan, Jr. is the Washington Gladden 1859 Professor of Sociology at Williams College, where he has b...
June 11, 2026

What is Catholic Social Teaching? – Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P.

Fr. Brad Elliott argues that it is really a theological vision of the human person as a social being ordered to God through family, polity, and Church, showing how the common good, friendship, and the distinct missions of these three societies shape both public life and spiritual life. This lecture was given on January 23rd, 2026, at Vanderbilt University. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Fr. Brad Elliott was raised in Dayton Ohio and ...
June 10, 2026

Mercy and Justice in Political Life: Augustine, Seneca, and Nussbaum – Prof. Sarah Byers

This lecture was given on January 23rd, 2026, at University of Toronto.To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod.About the Speaker:Sarah Byers is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Boston College. Her interests incl...
June 9, 2026

The University and the Search for Wisdom in the Middle Ages – Dr. Brian FitzGerald

Dr. Brian FitzGerald explores how the first universities emerged from cathedral schools and monastic learning, and why they were built not just to transmit information, but to cultivate wisdom, practical judgment, and a love of learning. This lecture was given on January 15th, 2026, at Dartmouth College. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speakers: Brian FitzGerald is Lecturer on Medieval Studies and the Study of Religion at Harvard University. ...
June 8, 2026

The Good Citizen: Lessons from Tocqueville on Democratic Citizenship in the 21st Century – Prof. Raymond Hain

Prof. Raymond Hain argues that Tocqueville’s insights show democratic citizenship depends on stable attachments, shared social life across class lines, and a willingness to let citizens practice freedom through responsibility. This lecture was given on December 4th, 2025, at University of Tulsa. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speakers: Raymond Hain is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director of the Humanities Program at Provid...
June 5, 2026

How John Paul II Used the Saints Against the Communists in Poland – Prof. James Felak

Prof. James Felak shows how John Paul II used the saints in his pilgrimages to communist Poland to challenge atheistic rule, strengthen Catholic identity, and encourage resistance and hope. This lecture was given on October 31st, 2025, at St. Albert's Priory. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speakers: James Felak is a Professor of History and current holder of the Newman Center Term Professorship in Catholic Christianity at the University of Wa...
June 4, 2026

Musical Dependence: What's Behind It and How We Can Move Beyond It – Sr. Anna Wray, O.P.

Sr. Anna Wray argues that many people are caught in a “musical dependence” that uses music to make ordinary life merely tolerable, a mere toleration which can transformed into true enjoyment by means of asceticism and an education in genuine enjoyment. This lecture was given on November 12th, 2025, at Catholic University of America. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Sister Anna Wray is a native of Connecticut and a member of the Dominic...
June 3, 2026

Silence, Contemplation, and Non-Being – Fr. Ephrem Reese O.P.

Fr. Ephrem Reese argues that silence is not mere absence but a fertile, hidden potency through which contemplation, devotion, and the word of God can come to life. This lecture was given on November 8th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speakers: Fr. Ephrem Reese was born in Harrisburg, PA, and has family in Philadelphia, New Jersey and California. He received a BA from St John’s College in Annapolis, MD in ...
June 2, 2026

Boredom: The Threshold of Great Deeds – Fr. Ephrem Reese O.P.

Fr. Ephrem Reese argues that boredom can be read both as a modern opening onto time and wonder and, more importantly, as a spiritual problem that must be disciplined by the virtues. This lecture was given on November 7th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speaker: Fr. Ephrem Reese was born in Harrisburg, PA, and has family in Philadelphia, New Jersey and California. He received a BA from St John’s College in ...
June 1, 2026

Why We Need or Don't Need Utopias – Dr. Jan Bentz

Dr. Jan Bentz argues that utopias are dangerous because they promise a perfected society by denying human fallenness, replacing Christian hope and grace with man-made salvation, and turning politics into a counterfeit religion. This lecture was given on November 1st, 2025, at Thomistic Institute in Limerick. To make a gift this June, visit https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod . About the Speakers: Dr. Jan C. Bentz was born and raised in Germany and graduated high school in St Louis, Missouri...
May 29, 2026

Catholic Social Teaching – Prof. James Felak

Professor James Felak argues that Catholic social teaching presents a holistic vision of the human person and society, insisting that rights and duties belong together, the market must serve the common good, and neither socialism nor unchecked capitalism can satisfy human dignity. This lecture was given on November 1st, 2025, at St. Albert's Priory. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speakers: James Felak is a Professor of Hist...
May 28, 2026

Astonished at the World: G. K. Chesterton's Philosophy of Wonder – Joe Grabowski

Joe Grabowski presents Chesterton’s philosophy as a disciplined recovery of wonder, arguing that reality is not exhausted by habit, utility, or material explanation but should be seen with childlike astonishment and gratitude. This lecture was given on March 30th, 2026, at the University of Kansas. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speakers: Joe Grabowski is the Vice-President of Evangelization for the Society of Gilbert Keith...
May 27, 2026

Receiving a Share of God's Kingdom: Vocation and Christian Life according to St. Paul – Fr. Jordan Schmidt, O.P.

Fr. Jordan Schmidt says that vocation is a grace-filled cooperation with God’s kingdom, where renewed discernment helps us choose our way of life and embrace suffering with Christ for the salvation of ourselves and others. This lecture was given on March 28th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speakers: Fr. Jordan Schmidt graduated with a BA in English and Philosophy from St. John’s Univers...
May 26, 2026

Principles of Discernment – Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.

Fr. Gregory Pine teaches that discernment is less about forcing certainty and more about entering the way Christ reveals himself: gradually, trustingly, and through prayerful relationship. This lecture was given on March 28th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. 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 moral theology at the Dominican House of Studies and the Assistan...
May 25, 2026

Attainment of Happiness – Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.

This lecture was given on March 28th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. 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 moral theology at the Dominican House of Studies and the Assistant Director of the Thomistic Institute. He holds a doctorate from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). He is the author of Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly and Your Eucharistic...
May 22, 2026

Life to the Full: Are You Surviving or Thriving? – Sr. Mary Madeline Todd, O.P.

Sr. Mary Madeline Todd argues that Christ calls us not merely to survive but to thrive, and that “life to the full” comes through meaning, suffering united to love, disciplined commitment, wonder, prayer, and sacramental life. This lecture was given on March 27th, 2026, at University of South Alabama. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speakers: Sister Mary Madeline Todd, O.P., a Dominican Sister of the Congregation of Saint Ce...