The Thomistic Institute
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 2, 2026 • 49min
Thomas Aquinas and the Theological Virtue of Hope in Times of Quiet Despair – Prof. Rik Van Nieuwenhove
Rik Van Nieuwenhove, Professor of Medieval Theology at Durham University, explores Aquinas's distinction between natural and theological hope. He traces hope as an infused virtue aimed at sharing in divine beatitude. Short takes include hope amid earthly despair, acedia and spiritual distraction, presumption, and hope's bearing on suffering, death, and the paschal interpretation of pain.
9 snips
Apr 1, 2026 • 45min
The Promises and Pitfalls of Stoicism – Prof. Christopher Frey
Prof. Christopher Frey, McFarlin Professor of Philosophy who studies Aristotle and perception, examines Stoicism's appeal and limits. He traces its history, explains key Stoic ideas like living according to nature and treating externals as indifferent, and explores practices aiming for sagehood. He contrasts Stoic detachment with Aristotelian moderation and a Christian sense of sorrow and the need for grace.
Mar 31, 2026 • 51min
Why So Sad? The Sorrows that Kill and the Sorrows that Save – Sr. Anna Wray, O.P.
Sr. Anna Wray, Dominican philosopher and CUA professor, explores sorrow in Thomistic terms. She contrasts destructive acedia with sorrow that leads to deeper friendship with God. Short sections examine causes, signs, and remedies like Sabbath, contemplation, and gratitude. The talk closes with practical supports and Mary as a model for salvific sorrow.
Mar 30, 2026 • 48min
Wisdom from the Old Testament on Prayer and the Spiritual Life – Fr. Stephen Ryan, O.P.
Fr. Stephen Ryan, O.P., Dominican priest and Scripture scholar who teaches biblical languages at the Dominican House of Studies, explores Old Testament riches for the spiritual life. He highlights Scripture as the root of Christian prayer. He examines Israel’s journey, Sabbath and liturgical time, practices like fasting and almsgiving, and offers practical tips for praying with Scripture.
Mar 27, 2026 • 53min
Why Modern Christians Need the Eucharist – Prof. Michael Dauphinais
Michael A. Dauphinais, a Thomistic scholar and professor who studies Aquinas and C.S. Lewis, explains why the Eucharist matters for modern Christians. He explores modernity’s limits, the creed as encounter with Christ, biblical roots in John and Corinthians, early testimony, and Aquinas’s view of the Eucharist as restorative communion with the Trinity.
25 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 43min
Catholic Doctrine and Judaism – Prof. Gavin D'Costa
Gavin D'Costa, a leading scholar of Catholic‑Jewish relations and theology professor, speaks on how Vatican II reshaped the Church's stance toward Judaism. He covers the council's key texts, the rejection of collective blame, debates over covenant and Jewish identity, tensions around mission and witness, and contemporary challenges like defining antisemitism and interfaith dialogue.
13 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 45min
Justified by Grace, Works, or Faith? – Prof. Michael Root
Prof. Michael Root, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology who moved from Lutheranism to Catholicism, explores how grace, faith, hope, love, and works interrelate in salvation. He reframes the faith versus works debate, traces historical arguments, and explains how grace elevates human nature toward a merited destiny while preserving freedom.
Mar 24, 2026 • 59min
Why the Catholic Church Has Priests – Fr. Dominic Langevin, O.P.
Fr. Dominic Langevin, O.P., a Dominican theologian and dean who studies sacraments and liturgy, explains the priesthood as a divinely willed system of mediation. He outlines how ordained ministers bestow divine gifts, lift prayers, and are configured to Christ the High Priest. He traces scriptural and patristic roots, explains why ministers are male, and defends the Church’s ordered pastoral structure.
39 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 32min
Aquinas on Predestination: The Main Issues – Fr. John Baptist Ku, O.P.
Fr. John Baptist Ku, Dominican priest and Thomistic theologian, unpacks Aquinas’s take on predestination and divine providence. He discusses how God’s universal salvific will, efficacious grace, and real human freedom coexist. He contrasts Catholic single predestination with Calvinist double predestination, critiques Molinist middle knowledge, and explains how contingency expresses divine power.
Mar 20, 2026 • 46min
Immortality and Immateriality – Prof. Thomas Osborne
Thomas M. Osborne Jr., a Thomist scholar and philosophy chair known for work on Aquinas and moral psychology, explores how Aristotle and Aquinas link immaterial intellect to the soul's immortality. He contrasts modern consciousness debates with classical concerns. Short segments examine levels of life, intentional presence in perception, intellect’s universality, and Aquinas’s arguments for an immaterial intellect.
