Aquinas Institute invites leading theologians and other experts to speak on current topics in theology and ministry at our annual Aquinas Lecture, held in honor of our school’s patron, St. Thomas Aquinas. Invited scholars bring the thought of Thomas Aquinas and Catholic intellectual tradition to bear on contemporary theological questions and issues.
2013 Aquinas Lecture
Toward the True and Holy: Catholic Engagement with Islam Today
Presented by Dr. Sandra Keating, Ph.D., S.T.L.
Respondent: Ghazala Hayat, M.D.
Sunday, January 27, 2013, 3:00 p.m.
The lecture will be held in the ballroom of St. Francis Xavier (College) Church in St. Louis.
The Aquinas Seminar, held for the Aquinas Community for further conversation with Dr. Keating, will be held at 10:00 a.m., on Monday, January 28, 2013 at Aquinas Institute of Theology.
50 years after the Second Vatican Council, the dialog between Catholicism and Islam continues to bear fruit towards genuine understanding and mutual regard. Recognizing with Pope Benedict XVI that "we must seek paths of reconciliation and learn to live with respect with each other's identity," Dr. Keating's lecture will explore areas of both cooperation and challenge that remain.
In the years following the Second Vatican Council, the Church's relationship to the world's religions has developed through committed dialog. In particular, the relationship between Muslims and Catholics has grown since the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate officially recognized several areas of potential agreement with Muslims in the Christian understanding of God, who is one, living, knowing, and all-powerful.
Dr. Sandra Keating, Ph.D., S.T.L., Associate Professor of Theology at Providence College in Rhode Island, is a member of the USCCB Catholic-Muslim Dialogue group and a consultor on the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims. She teaches and publishes in the area of comparative religion with an emphasis on Catholic-Muslim Relations, and has published numerous articles and a book on relations between Muslims and Christians in the Middle East.
Ghazala Hayat, M.D., is a Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at Saint Louis University, and the former president of Interfaith Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls. She also serves as Chairperson for the Public Relations Committee of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis, and is a frequent speaker in interfaith dialogue events. Dr. Hayat will respond to Dr. Keating’s presentation from a Muslim perspective.
Video from the 2012 Aquinas Lecture
The Sound of Barking Dogs:
Meister Eckhart and Thomas Aquinas
Presented by
Rev. Michael Demkovich, O.P.
Fr. Demkovich's presentation of the Aquinas Lecture was given on January 29th, 2012, at St. Francis Xavier College Church in St. Louis.
Video from the 2011 Aquinas Lecture
Per Se Potestativum
The Dimensions of Human Freedom in Thomas Aquinas
Presented by
The Most Reverend Daniel Flores, S.T.D.
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, Texas
Bishop Flores' presentation of the Aquinas Lecture was given on January 30th, 2011, at St. Francis Xavier College Church in St. Louis.
Past Aquinas Lecturers
2012 - Rev. Michael Demkovich, O.P.
2011 – The Most Reverend Daniel Flores, S.T.D.
2010 – Matthew Levering, Ph.D
2009 – Elenore Stump, Ph.D.
2007 – Richard Gaillardetz, Ph.D.
2006 – Amy-Jill Levine, Ph.D.
2005 – Susanne M. DeCrane, Ph.D.
2004 – Richard Gula, S.S.
2003 – Kenneth Goodpastor, Ph.D.
2002 – Lisa Cahill, Ph.D.
2001 – Roger Haight, S.J.
2000 – Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J.
1999 – Dianna Bergant, C.S.A.
1998 – Thomas O’Meara, O.P.
1996 – James and Evelyn Whitehead, Ph.D.
1995 – Martin Marty, Ph.D.
1994 – Jean Porter, Ph.D.
1993 – Mary Collins, O.S.B.
1992 – Rev. Michael J. Himes
1991 – John Renard, S.J.
1990 – David Power, O.M.I.
1989 – Gail Ramshaw, Ph.D.
1988 – Arvin Vos, Ph.D.
1987 – Paul J. Philibert, O.P.
1986 – Carla Mae Streeter, O.P.
1985 – Mary Ann Fatula, O.P.
1984 – Donald Goergen, O.P.
1983 – Thomas O’Meara, O.P.
1982 – Walter Principe, C.S.B.