This lecture was given on July 10th, 2024, at Theodore House at Stonyhurst.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. John Mark Solitario, O.P. is a coordinator for campus outreach at the Thomistic Institute. He met the nuns and friars of the Order of Preachers at the Dominican Monastery of the Mother of God in his hometown of West Springfield, MA. Their lives of Christian totality, marked by sacrifice, prayer, and preaching but above all, a supernatural goodness and joy, made a huge impact on him. After studying the liberal arts and philosophy at Christendom College and teaching high school theology as a member of Providence College’s PACT program, Father entered the Dominican novitiate in Cincinnati, OH, and went on for theological studies at the Dominican House of Studies. Following the solemn profession of religious vows, he was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ in 2019. Focusing on the Universal Call to Holiness in the theology of the Spanish Dominican Juan Arintero, Fr John Mark earned his licentiate in sacred theology in 2020. He is delighted to be working with students and professors as they seek to know better the truth about God and his creation through the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Fr. Dominic Legge explores the intricacies of the hypostatic union, focusing on Aquinas's understanding of how the divine and human natures are united in the person of Christ, while navigating various Christological heresies.

This lecture was given on February 24th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Dominic Legge is the Director of the Thomistic Institute and Associate Professor in Systematic Theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He is an Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, a Ph.L. from the School of Philosophy of the Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2001, after having practiced constitutional law for several years as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also taught at The Catholic University of America Law School and at Providence College. He is the author of The Trinitarian Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Keywords: Albert the Great, Christological Heresy, De Unione, Divine Nature, Ephesus, Hypostatic Union, Monophysitism, Nestorianism, Saint Thomas Aquinas

Professor Paul Gavrilyuk explores Cyril of Alexandria's Christology as a sustained meditation on majesty and lowliness, driven by the desire to probe the mystery of the hypostatic union in light of the Nestorian controversy.

This lecture was given on February 23rd, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Prof. Paul L. Gavrilyuk holds the Endowed Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy in the Theology Department at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA (2013- present). His fields of expertise range from historical theology to philosophy of religion to ecumenical studies. He has contributed to the understanding of the early Christian doctrine of God, of modern Russian religious thought, and of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue. He is the founding president of the International Orthodox Theological Association and Rebuild Ukraine.

Keywords: Alexandria, Antioch, Christology, Cyril of Alexandria, Divine Impassibility, Hypostatic Union, Kenosis, Logos, Nestorius, Philippians 2:5-11

Fr. Khaled Anatolios argues that the Nicene Council and its doctrine of creation from nothing entail a comprehensive understanding of Christian existence, particularly as illuminated by Athanasius's "On the Incarnation," which configures human life within the dialectic of being and nothingness.

This lecture was given on February 8th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Khaled Anatolios is John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology at Notre Dame. He is interested in all aspects of the theology of the early Church, with special emphases on the Trinitarian, Christological, and soteriological doctrines of the Greek fathers and Augustine; early Christian biblical exegesis; and the development of theological methodology in Patristic and medieval theology. He has published on a variety of early Christian theologians including Irenaeus, Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, and Gregory of Nyssa. A particular focus of his work is the engagement between early Christian theological reflection and contemporary theological concerns.

Keywords: Saint Athanasius, Creation From Nothing, Existential Theology, Gabriel Marcel, Homoousios, Nicene Council, On The Incarnation, Theology, Word of God

Fr. Jordan Schmidt explores the concept of humans being created in God's image and likeness (Imago Dei) from a biblical perspective, particularly focusing on the Genesis creation account and St. Paul's teachings.

This lecture was given on November 7th, 2024, at University of South Florida.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Jordan Schmidt graduated with a BA in English and Philosophy from St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN in 2002. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2005 and after completing his theological studies (STL and Mdiv), he was ordained a priest in 2012. Fr. Jordan initially served as associate pastor of St Mary’s parish in New Haven, CT, and subsequently returned to the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC to pursue doctoral studies at CUA, ultimately earning his PhD in biblical studies in 2018. He is currently an assistant professor of Sacred Scripture at the PFIC where he teaches various Old Testament courses, including survey courses on the Pentateuch, Prophets, and Wisdom literature as well as seminar courses on biblical inspiration, eschatology and apocalyptic literature, theological history, and creation theology.

Keywords: Ancient Near East, Creation, Genesis, Imago Dei, Jesus Christ, Original Sin, Saint Paul, Sacrifice, Worship

This lecture was given on February 9th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Sr. Anna Wray, O.P. (Thomistic Institute) is a native of Connecticut and a member of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia. Sister received her PhD in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, having written her dissertation on Aristotle’s account of the activity of contemplation. Sister is on faculty in CUA's School of Philosophy.

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy explores the meaning of loving God with all our minds, drawing from St. Thomas Aquinas's interpretation of the greatest commandment.

This lecture was given on December 9th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in the southeast suburb of Canal Winchester. The youngest of four children, his parents would drive everyone on Sunday to Mass at St. Mary’s Church. However, after leaving the area for college, his family joined the parish of St. Patrick’s in Columbus. While home on Christmas and summer breaks, Fr. Irenaeus would join his family to hear the holy preaching of the friars. He received a Bachelor and Masters of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and practiced for a religious architecture firm in the DC area. After meeting the student brothers and reading about the life of St. Dominic and the Order, he began to consider a religious vocation with the Province of St. Joseph. “I find the balance of contemplative and apostolic life, the charism of study, the reverence of the liturgy and the fraternal community all things that lead to a happy life fulfilled by giving people knowledge of salvation.”

Keywords: Analogical Predication, Articles of Faith, Deposit of Faith, Ignorance, Love of God, Saint Paul, Sacred Study, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Wounds of Original Sin

Sr. Anna Wray draws upon Dominican sources, such as St. Thomas Aquinas and A.G. Sertillanges, to explore the activity of studying and its connection to the spiritual life, emphasizing study's intellectual nature and its role in preparing us for contemplation and union with God.

This lecture was given on November 15th, 2023, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Sister Anna Wray is a native of Connecticut and a member of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia. Sister received her Ph.D. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, having written her dissertation on Aristotle’s account of the activity of contemplation. Sister is on faculty in CUA's School of Philosophy.

Keywords: A.G. Sertillanges, Contemplation, Crucifixion of the Desk, Dominican Order, Prayer, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Spiritual Growth, Studying, Study and the Spiritual Life

Professor Rik Van Nieuwenhove explores Thomas Aquinas's concept of contemplation, emphasizing its intellective nature, self-transcendent character, and relationship to charity, while discussing its significance in modern life.

This lecture was given on November 28th, 2024, at University of St. Andrews.

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About the Speaker:

Rik Van Nieuwenhove lectures in Medieval Thought at Durham University, UK. He has published scholarly articles on medieval theology and spirituality, theology of the Trinity, and soteriology. His books include: Introduction to Medieval Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012); Jan van Ruusbroec. Mystical Theologian of the Trinity (IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2003); Introduction to the Trinity (with D. Marmion) (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011); and he is editor of The Theology of Thomas Aquinas (with J. Wawrykow) (IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2005); and Late Medieval Mysticism of the Low Countries (with R. Faesen & H. Rolfson) (NJ: Paulist Press, 2008). Presently he is researching the topic of contemplation in Thomas Aquinas.

Keywords: Charity, Christian Love, Contemplation, Divine Names, Gratuitousness, Intellective Understanding, Modern Philosophy, Reason, Self-Transcendence, Thomas Aquinas

Fr. Ambrose Little explores the concept of praying always and becoming aware of God's constant presence in our lives, discussing biblical exhortations, patristic interpretations, and four ways God is present to us: by his presence, power, essence, and divine indwelling.

This lecture was given on September 13th, 2024, at Duke University.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Ambrose Little is the assistant director of the Thomistic Institute He is originally from Connecticut and entered the Dominican Order in 2007 and was ordained a priest in 2013. Before entering the Dominican Order, he graduated from The Catholic University of America with a BA in philosophy. After ordination, he completed a Licentiate in Philosophy at The Catholic University of America and then taught for two years at Providence College. After completing his Ph.D. in philosophy in the summer of 2021, he started teaching at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception. He specializes in the philosophies of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, with an emphasis on their study of nature and the soul. He also studies topics at the intersection between philosophy and science.

Keywords: Anselm Moynihan, St. Augustine, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, Catholic Spirituality, Divine Presence, Dominican Order, Practice of the Presence of God, Prayer, The Presence of God