The Thomistic Institute

Christopher Mooney argues that John Henry Newman’s teaching on conscience means conscience is not mere personal preference or social conditioning, but the practical application of divine moral law to particular actions.

This lecture was given on March 9th, 2026, at Ohio State University.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Christopher Mooney is an assistant professor of theology at the Augustine Institute Graduate School in St. Louis, Missouri, where he teaches on Catholic theology, scriptural interpretation, and the Church Fathers. His teaching and research specialize in Augustine, the Fathers, and historical theology, and he is the author of Augustine's Theology of Justification by Faith (2026). A native of Connecticut, he studied at Georgetown and Yale Divinity School before receiving his PhD from the University of Notre Dame. He also serves as a theological representative for the USCCB's Catholic-Reformed dialogue. He lives next door to the Augustine Institute's campus with his wife and four children.

Keywords: Authority, Conscience, Divine Law, Eternity, Faith, John Henry Newman, Moral Truth, Particular Cases, Pope, Truth

Prof. Paul Gondreau argues that disability, though a real physical wound of human nature, can also be a profound gift because it deepens participation in Christ’s suffering and points toward healing in the resurrection.

This lecture was given on March 9th, 2026, at University of Oxford.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speakers:

Paul Gondreau is professor of theology at Providence College, where he has taught for 28 years. He received his doctorate in theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, doing his dissertation on Christ's full humanity (Christ's human passions/emotions) under the renowned Thomist scholar Jean-Pierre Torrell. He specializes in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and has published widely in the areas of Christology (focusing on Christ’s full humanity and his maleness), Christian anthropology, the moral meaning and purpose of human sexuality and sexual difference, the biblical vision of Aquinas' theology, the theology of disability, the sacrament of the Eucharist and the priesthood, and the Catholic vision of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

Keywords: Cerebral Palsy, Cross, Disability, Grace, Healing, Hope, Human Dignity, Resurrection, Suffering

Dr. Peter Koritansky argues that Thomas Aquinas grounds punishment in natural law and retributive justice, where punishment is justified not merely to deter or rehabilitate, but to express the moral order and the common good.

This lecture was given on March 5th, 2026, at Cornell University.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Peter Karl Koritansky is a professor and Director of the Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at Cleveland State University. He has previously taught at Malone University, Walsh University, The University of Prince Edward Island in Canada, and the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum in Rome, Italy. He has also been a visiting research scholar with the Jacques Maritain Center at The University of Notre Dame and at Princeton University with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. He is the author of several articles and books, including Thomas Aquinas and the Philosophy of Punishment (The Catholic University of America Press, 2012), Engaging the Skeptic: Addressing the Modern Secularist’s Objections to the Catholic Worldview (Justin Press, 2018), and "Thomas Aquinas and the Euthyphro Dilemma" (The Heythrop Journal, 2021). He now lives in Hambden, Ohio with his wife, Pam, and four children.

Keywords: Anger, Common Good, Criminal Justice, Desert, Irascible Appetite, Moral Order, Natural Law, Punishment, Retributive Justice

Prof. Nina Sophie Heereman argues that the Church is not a human invention but a divinely founded reality rooted deeply in Scripture, where Israel’s story, the Eucharist, and Pentecost all reveal Christ’s intention to gather a new people of God.

This lecture was given on March 5th, 2026, at Louisiana State University.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Heereman was born and raised in Germany. Originally trained to become a lawyer and after completing her bar exam, she experienced a deep encounter with the Lord which led her to consecrate her life to the study and teaching of the Word of God. She subsequently attended the ICPE school of Evangelization in India, Banglore, and studied theology in Frankfurt and Rome. She received an STB from the Pontifical Gregorian University, an SSL from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and the SSD from the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem and the Université de Fribourg. She has taught as a visiting professor at the Collège des Bernhardins in Paris, the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, the DSPT in Berkley, and is currently Associate Professor for Sacred Scripture at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University. Her scholarly interests include a reintegration of Exegesis with Systematic and Spiritual Theology. She is the author of Behold King Solomon on the Day of His Wedding (Leuven: Peeters, 2021), and Athirst for the Spirit (Steubenville: Emmaus Press, 2023).

Keywords: Body of Christ, Bride of Christ, Church, Covenant, Eucharist, Old Testament, New Testament, Pentecost, Salvation History, Temple

Fr. Gregory Pine argues that good conversation is a real moral and spiritual practice: it matters, takes time, and should be used to draw near to others through listening well, welcoming contributions, and sharing life rather than trying to win or dominate.

This lecture was given on March 4th, 2026, at Iowa State University.

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 Identity: A Sacramental Guide to the Fullness of Life, and is co-author of Credo: An RCIA Program and Marian Consecration with Aquinas.

His writing also appears in Aleteia, Magnificat, and Ascension’s Catholic Classics series. In addition to the TI podcast, he regularly contributes to the podcasts Godsplaining and Pints with Aquinas, and Catholic Classics.

Keywords: Catholic Life, Conversation, Communion, Friendship, Human Nature, Humility, Listening, Prudence, Small Talk, Social Skills