The Thomistic Institute

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

Prof. Scott Cleveland explores the Aristotelian and Thomistic vision of friendship, arguing that true flourishing requires overcoming the vices of envy and apathy through the practice of charity and virtuous love.This lecture was given on February 24th, 2026, at North Carolina State University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Professor Scott Cleveland received his PhD in philosophy (Baylor University) and is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Catholic Studies at the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND). His research interests are in ethics, moral psychology, and philosophy of religion. He is especially interested in the study of virtues and emotions, the relation between the two, and the role of each in the moral and intellectual life. His thought is deeply influenced by Aristotle and Aquinas and his work has appeared in journals such as American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, Res Philosophica, Religious Studies, Religions, and the Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association. He is the co-editor with Adam Pelser of Faith and Virtue Formation: Essays in Aid of Becoming Good with Oxford University Press.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: Aristotelian Ethics, Thomistic Philosophy, Virtue Ethics, Human Flourishing, Friendship, Fraternity, Charity, Love

Prof. Adam Eitel argues that modern identity theories ultimately fail because they lack a stable metaphysical grounding, and he proposes an alternative view rooted in Saint Thomas Aquinas’s exposition of Psalm 8.This lecture was given on February 27th, 2026, at St. Raphael Retreat Center.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Professor Eitel is an Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Dallas. Before joining the UD faculty in 2023, he taught for eight years at Yale University, holding appointments in the Divinity School, the Program in Medieval Studies, and the Humanities Program. A specialist in medieval scholasticism, his research interests include doctrinal and moral theology, with a particular focus on the works of Thomas Aquinas and his contemporaries. His teaching and research bring historical Christian theology into dialogue with contemporary moral and political issues.Keywords: Identity, Salvation, Relativism, Psalms, Metaphysics, Theology, Human Nature, Christian Anthropology

Prof. Adam Eitel contrasts the modern, self-constituted notions of identity with the Thomistic understanding of man as a creature capable of seeing God., whereby our human identity is fundamentally reordered from the Adamic image to the image of ChristThis lecture was given on February 28th, 2026, at St. Raphael Retreat Center.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Professor Eitel is an Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Dallas. Before joining the UD faculty in 2023, he taught for eight years at Yale University, holding appointments in the Divinity School, the Program in Medieval Studies, and the Humanities Program. A specialist in medieval scholasticism, his research interests include doctrinal and moral theology, with a particular focus on the works of Thomas Aquinas and his contemporaries. His teaching and research bring historical Christian theology into dialogue with contemporary moral and political issues.Keywords: Christology, Ontology, Grace, Sacramental Theology, Christian Anthropology, Thomism, Creation, Salvation

Prof. Tim Flanigan, in the face of a "conspiracy of silence" in clinical settings that discourages the expression of faith, urges medical professionals to embrace the discomfort of witnessing to their beliefs to better support their patients. This lecture was given on January 22nd, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Timothy P. Flanigan, MD, is Professor of Medicine in the Infectious Diseases Division of The Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals and the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He received a BA from Dartmouth College and an MD from Cornell University Medical School. In 1991, he came to The Miriam Hospital to join Dr. Charles Carpenter to lead the HIV and AIDS program and was subsequently appointed Chief of Infectious Diseases in 1999 until stepping down in 2012. He spearheaded the HIV Care Program at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections to develop improved treatments for HIV infection and has received NIH and CDC funding for over 30 years. He received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leadership Award in 2000. He also co-directed the Lifespan Lyme Disease Clinic. He is co-founder of RISE (Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education). As a byproduct of his work in corrections, he is the founder and president of the Newport/Fall River Star Kids Scholarship Program to help break the cycle and support the children of parents with a history of incarceration and/or substance abuse to succeed in school, go on to post-secondary education and to meet their full potential as self-sufficient, active participants in their communities. He has been recognized by the HIV Medicine Association for his community-based work with HIV-infected men and Women.In 2013, he was ordained a permanent Deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, RI and serves at Saint Theresa’s and St. Christopher’s churches in Tiverton, RI. In 2014, he spent two months in Monrovia, Liberia helping the Catholic Medical Clinics and hospitals respond to the Ebola epidemic.Earlier this year he received the Milton Hamolsky Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Physicians, Rhode Island Chapter and is married to Luba Dumenco, MD and the proud father of five children and a grandson.Keywords: Medicine, Personhood, Ethics, Faith, Incarnation, Dignity, Clinical Practice

Prof. Bruce Marshall explains that through the indelible mark of baptismal character, the faithful are uniquely deputized to participate in Christ's once-for-all sacrifice through the celebration of the Eucharist.This lecture was given on March 28th, 2026, at St. Albert's Priory.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Bruce D. Marshall is Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine at Southern Methodist University, and in 2023 he held the Aquinas Chair in the Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum in Rome.  He is the author of Trinity and Truth and Christology in Conflict, and at present he is completing a book entitled The Primacy of Christ: Faith, Reason, and the Cross. Marshall has written extensively on the doctrines of the Trinity, the person and redemptive work of Christ, the Eucharist, the Catholic Church and non-Christian religions, and the relationship between faith and reason. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. from Yale University, and is a past President of the Academy of Catholic Theology.Keywords: Baptism, Priesthood, Christology, Sacraments, Eucharist, Liturgy, Worship

Sr. Mary Angelica Neenan, O.P. explores how the human soul’s powers of intellect and will are designed to find their ultimate fulfillment in the transcendentals of truth, goodness, and beauty.This lecture was given on September 11th, 2026, at Mississippi State University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Sister Mary Angelica Neenan, O.P. is a member of the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, TN.  She earned the Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) in Moral Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelicum, in Rome in 2011. Other studies include Education, Accounting, Mathematics, and Fine Art.  Before entering the Dominican Order, she studied Fine Art at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and specializes in Renaissance technique portrait painting. After having taught all grades, 1 through 12, at various schools run by the Dominican Sisters in Tennessee, Ohio, and Minnesota, Sister Mary Angelica was an assistant professor of Theology at Aquinas College, Nashville, TN from 2007-2018. She ran AquinasAbroad, the study abroad program for Aquinas College in Bracciano, Italy from 2014-2017, and served as the Director of Student Affairs, and Interim Director of Admissions in Nashville from 2017-18. Currently, Sister Mary Angelica is a Religious Affiliate Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of Dallas, Texas, where she teaches in the Theology Department.Keywords: Soul, Salvation, Beatification, Transcendentals, Human Nature, Virtue Ethics, Theology

Dr. Marvin Bolt explores the history and epistemology of scientific instruments, arguing that they are not merely passive tools but active embodiments of knowledge that require hands-on engagement to fully understand.This lecture was given on July 16th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Marvin Bolt is an expert in the history of science and astronomy who served as the first Curator of Science and Technology at The Corning Museum of Glass until his 2020 retirement. Prior to this role, he managed extensive historical collections and curated major astronomy exhibitions at Chicago's Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum. Throughout his career, he expanded scientific collections, curated prominent exhibitions, and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame while actively engaging in teaching and publishing.Keywords: Scientific Instruments, History Of Science, Epistemology, Natural Philosophy, Scientific Revolution

Prof. Santiago Solares explores the technical challenges and philosophical implications of Atomic Force Microscopy, arguing that rigorous scientific practice requires both technical precision and a commitment to intellectual formation.This lecture was given on July 17th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Professor Solares joined The Catholic University of America in 2023, prior to which he held faculty positions at The George Washington University (2014-2023) and at the University of Maryland, College Park (2006-2014).  His research program spans scanning probe microscopies, nanoscale mechanics, multiscale modeling and viscoelastic materials, especially polymers and biological materials. His teaching interests include simulation methods (atomistic to continuum), thermodynamics, mechanics and dynamics. Before joining academia he held various technical and management positions with Pepsi-Cola International and Mars Incorporated. He currently holds a primary appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a secondary appointment in the Department of Physics.Keywords: Atomic Force Microscopy, Physics, Faith And Reason, Science, Philosophy Of Science

Prof. Karin Öberg examines how the vocation of the scientist aligns with the Thomistic view that studying the material order is a necessary component of faith, arguing that the scientific study of the cosmos serves as a profound path to understanding God's wisdom, power, and goodness.This lecture was given on July 18th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Professor Öberg obtained her B.Sc. in Chemistry from Caltech and her Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Leiden. She has taught at Harvard since 2013, where she is the Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences. Her scholarship aims to uncover how chemical processes impact the outcome of planet formation, with special attention to the possible habitability of nascent planets. She has published over 250 refereed articles, including in Nature and Science. Professor Öberg has been awarded the Barry Prize by the American Academy of Sciences and Letters (2024), the Harnack Lectureship by the Max Planck Society (2022), a Simons Investigator Award (2019), the American Astronomical Society's Newton Lacy Pierce Prize (2016), a Packard Fellowship (2014), and a Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2014). She is the Vice President of the Angelicum Board, a Board Member of the Society of Catholic Scientists, a member of the American Academy of Catholic Scholars and Artists, and a frequent public speaker on questions of science and faith.Keywords: Astronomy, Vocation, Cosmology, Philosophy Of Science, Faith and Science

Fr. John Saward presents Aquinas's Summa III, q.83 as a "spiritual exegesis" of the Mass, showing how the Angelic Doctor reads the rites, words, and ceremonies of the Mass as signs that both signify and make present the saving mysteries of Christ's passion, grounded in the real presence and in the priest's acting in persona Christi.This lecture was given on May 18th, 2026, at University of Oxford.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Fr. John Saward is a Senior Research Fellow of Blackfriars Hall. He was formerly Professor of the International Theological Institute at Gaming, Austria, and at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.Fr. Saward’s publications include Redeemer in the Womb (1993); The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty (1997); Cradle of Redeeming Love (2002); and Sweet and Blessed Country (2005).Keywords: Aquinas, Concomitance, In Persona Christi, Liturgical Exegesis, Real Presence, Roman Canon, Sacramental Realism, Signs Of The Cross, Summa Theologiae, Transubstantiation

Fr. John Mark Solitario explains the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit as stable infused dispositions that render the soul responsive to the Holy Spirit's promptings, completing the virtues by introducing a divine mode of acting, and shows that they are necessary for salvation and Christian perfection because human reason, even healed by grace, remains susceptible to folly and ignorance.This lecture was given on April 25th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-eventsAbout the Speaker:Fr. John Mark Solitario is from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in West Springfield, MA and the eldest of four children. After attending Catholic schools through high school, he earned his bachelor of arts from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. Desiring to contribute to Catholic education, he was admitted to the PACT (Providence Alliance of Catholic Teachers) Program at Providence College where he completed a Masters of Education and taught high school in Lowell, MA for two years. He credits his growth in the Catholic Faith and inspiration to live it fully to outstanding teachers and role models, among them not a few Dominicans—priests, sisters, and lay. “From the time I met the Order, I aspired to the Dominican ideal of contemplation followed by a generous sharing of the fruits of that encounter with God. I have found this ideal realized and sustained within the fraternal life of the Province of St. Joseph.”Keywords: Aquinas, Charismatic Gifts, Fear Of The Lord, Gifts Of The Holy Spirit, Habitus, Isaiah 11, Piety, Summa Theologiae, Virtues, Wisdom

Prof. Bruce Marshall argues that the Mass is a truly propitiatory sacrifice in which Christ's once-for-all offering on the cross is made present (not repeated) and given into the hands of the Church to be offered by priest and people together, so that by their active participation, the lay faithful share in Christ's eternal priesthood and the work of our redemption.This lecture was given on March 28th, 2026, at St. Albert's Priory.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.About the Speaker:Bruce D. Marshall is Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine at Southern Methodist University, and in 2023 he held the Aquinas Chair in the Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum in Rome. He is the author of Trinity and Truth and Christology in Conflict, and at present he is completing a book entitled The Primacy of Christ: Faith, Reason, and the Cross. Marshall has written extensively on the doctrines of the Trinity, the person and redemptive work of Christ, the Eucharist, the Catholic Church and non-Christian religions, and the relationship between faith and reason. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. from Yale University, and is a past President of the Academy of Catholic Theology.Keywords: Active Participation, Aquinas, Council Of Trent, Eucharistic Sacrifice, John Paul II, Once For All Sacrifice, Propitiatory Sacrifice, Sacrosanctum Concilium, The Offertory, Transubstantiation