Welcome Back, UVA Students, Faculty & Friends of the Institute!
Thank you for your patience as we work on reconstructing our website. Explore our free Fall 2024 Programs below:
Free Flannery O’Connor Film Night
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2024 | UVA MINOR HALL AUDITORIUM
Directed and co-written by four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, WILDCAT invites you to weave in and out of celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor’s mind and short stories as she ponders the great questions of her writing:
- Can scandalous art still serve God?
- Does suffering precede all greatness?
- Can illness be a blessing?
In 1950, Flannery visits her mother Regina in Georgia when she is diagnosed with lupus at 24 years old. Struggling with the same disease that took her father’s life and desperate to make her mark as a great writer, this crisis pitches her imagination into a feverish exploration of belief. As she dives deeper into her craft, the lines between reality, imagination, and faith begin to blur, allowing Flannery ultimately to come to peace with her situation and to a healing of her strained relationship with her mother.
Faith and Science Minicourse (Fall 2024)
3 Fridays (Sept. 13, 20 & 27) 10:00am-12:00pm, w/ Roots lunch cards for registered UVA students
Location: UVA Clark Library 156
- Why do many–including many Catholics–still think that the Church and the Catholic faith are in conflict with the modern sciences?
- How does St. Pope JPII’s faith-science dialogue model work?
- Is contemporary Astrophysics in conflict with Creation ex Nihilo?
- Is Evolutionary Science a problem for the Doctrine of Original Sin?
- What Is more reasonable: the meaninglessness of matter’s ‘heat death’ or Christian belief in bodily Resurrection?
- Who apologizes for modern science’s long train of mistakes and abuses? What is the replication crisis plaguing modern science? Why does modern science need Christian commitments to truthtelling and the human person?
Challenge yourself–as others have in prior years–by signing up for this in-person, non-credit, faculty-led minicourse. Prior experience is NOT expected. Questions? Email Dr. Beth Frazier or Dr. Charles Kromkowski (cak5u@virginia.edu).
Graduate Student Fellowship Dinners
Join UVA graduate/professional students, researchers and postdocs for monthly Fellowship & Dinner events. Our primary goal is to create a forum for friendship and support across our disciplinary divisions, where we can find refreshment and encouragement in the commitments of others to their academic works and our shared Faith. Questions? Interested in helping? Email grad student co-facilitators: Mary Clare Young (Classics, cdn3nm) or Candace Lei (Biomedical Engineering, spw4mt).
Sept. 25, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish)
Oct. 30, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish)
Nov. 20, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas Univeristy Parish)
Fall 2024 Aquinas Reading Group
All are invited to join this faculty-led, (free) lunch group dedicated to reading and discussing the writings and wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas. Starting on Sept. 30, we will meet for a bi-monthly lunch discussion of Book IV of Aquinas’s Summa Contra Gentiles. Need the text? we can assist on this, too! Newcomers and “just listerners” always are welcomed the group. Registration requested, but not required. Contact Dr. Anna Stelow (ars5x@virginia.edu).
Sept. 30, 2024: Monday, 12:00-1:30pm, SCG IV, 1-14 (On the Divinity of the Son)
Oct. 21, 2024: SCG, IV, 15-26 (On the Holy Spirit and the Trinity)
Nov. 4, 2024: SCG IV, 27-49 (On the Incarnation)
Nov. 25, 2024: SCG IV, 50-60 (On Original Sin, and the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation)
Dec. 9, 2024: SCG IV, 61-78 (On the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Marriage)
Dec. 16, 2024: SCG IV, 79-97 (On the Resurrection)
October TBD, 2024: Flannery O’Connor Reading Group
For Flanney O’Connor lovers and those who have not yet been properly introduced to the shockingly strange stories she felt compelled to tell because we all “breath in nihilism” and “people are deaf and dumb and need help to see and hear.” Time/Location TBD
Oct. TBD: A Discussion of 2 Short Stories
Faith and Reason in the Modern University Minicourse
What is faith? What is reason? And why do many within modern universities believe that authentic faith commitments require their deep separation from one’s intellectual and professional pursuits. This free, noncredit minicourse counters the conventional norm by openly exploring the possibility that “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (JPII). But how exactly can the wings of faith and reason work together? Join us as we take up and discuss the life and inspiring texts of Boethius (c.480-524), a Christian philosopher and marytr, who demonstrated how faith and reason flew together.
Seminar 1: The Life, Death, and Theological Tractates of Boethius
Seminar 2: Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Books I-III
Seminar 3: Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Books IV-V
November TBD, but Registration now open. Questions? Email Dr. Charles Kromkowski
August 29, 2024 Welcome Back Social!
All new and returning UVA Graduate Students, Postdocs and Faculty: Welcome Back Social! Thursday, August 29, 6:00-9:00pm, St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish Courtyard. Let’s begin the new year together with fellowship, food and drinks. All are invited, including spouses and friends. Sponsored by the St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought and UVA Catholic Graduate Students (GradCats). Questions? Email Mary Clare Young (cdn3nm).
September 6, 2024 Lunch Discussion: St. Faustina Kowalska!
UVA Students & Friends: Join us for a free onGrounds lunch introduction to the inspiring life and writings of the much beloved St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). Friday, Sept. 6 (12:00-1:30pm), UVA Clark Library 156. Reserve a seat by registering or emailing Dr. Beth Frazier (eas3dm@virginia.edu).
Faith and Science Minicourse (Fall 2024)
- Why do many–including many Catholics–think that the Catholic faith and modern science are in conflict?
- Is contemporary Astrophysics in conflict with Creation ex Nihilo?
- Does Evolutionary Science create problems for the Doctrine of Original Sin?
- In what ways is Christian belief in bodily Resurrection confirmed and contradicted by the physical sciences of life and death?
- How can a real dialogue between the distinct truths and ways of knowing offered by faith and by science help us see the differences, validity and real limits of things known by science and things known by faith?
Challenge yourself–as others have in prior years–by signing up for this free, non-credit, faculty-led minicourse. Prior experience is NOT expected; only an openness to inquiring about some harder questions in a cross-disciplinary way. This 6-hour commitment may very well change the way you think about God, yourself, others and the great sciences of the universe! Interested? then register today! Questions? Email Dr. Charles Kromkowski (cak5u@virginia.edu).
Faith and Reason in the Modern University Minicourse
What is faith? What is reason? And why do many within modern universities believe that authentic faith commitments require their deep separation from one’s intellectual and professional pursuits. This free, noncredit minicourse counters the conventional norm by openly exploring the possibility that “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (JPII). But how exactly can the wings of faith and reason work together? Join us as we take up and discuss the life and inspiring texts of Boethius (c.480-524), a Christian philosopher and marytr, who demonstrated how faith and reason flew together.
Seminar 1: The Life, Death, and Theological Tractates of Boethius
Seminar 2: Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Books I-III
Seminar 3: Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Books IV-V
Registration now open. Questions? Email Dr. Charles Kromkowski
Fall 2024 Dante, Paradiso Reading Group
Join Professor Bill Wilson and other lovers of the Divine Comedy in a friendly discussion of Dante’s Paradiso in 4 Wednesday evening seminars (6:30pm-8:00pm at Thomas Aquinas University Parish). Registration requested. UVA students: we will buy you the book! Questions? Please email Dr. William Wilson (wmw2v@virginia.edu).
Sept. 18 (Wed. 6:30-8:00pm)
October 2 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm)
October 16 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm)
Nov. 6 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm)
Fall 2024 Aquinas Reading Group
All are invited to join this faculty-led, (free) lunch group dedicated to reading and discussing the writings and wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas. Starting on Sept. 30, we will meet for a bi-monthly lunch discussion of Book IV of Aquinas’s Summa Contra Gentiles. Need the text? we can assist on this, too! Newcomers and “just listerners” always are welcomed the group. Registration requested, but not required. Contact Dr. Anna Stelow (ars5x@virginia.edu).
Sept. 30 (Monday, 12:00-1:30pm), SCG IV, 1-14
Graduate Student Fellowship Dinners
Join UVA graduate/professional students, researchers and postdocs for monthly Fellowship & Dinner events. Our primary goal is to create a forum for friendship and support across our disciplinary divisions, where we can find refreshment and encouragement in the commitments of others to their academic works and our shared Faith. Questions? Interested in helping? Email grad student co-facilitators: Mary Clare Young (Classics, cdn3nm) or Candace Lei (Biomedical Engineering, spw4mt).
Sept. 25, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish)
Oct. 30, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish)
Nov. 20, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas Univeristy Parish)
Nov. 8: Flannery O'Connor Reading Group
Nov. 11: Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles Reading Group
Nov. 14 Public Lecture: Vaidyanathan, The Beauty of Understanding"
Nov. 20: Graduate Student Fellowship Dinner
Nov. 25: Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles Reading Group
Please Support the St. Anselm Institute
For the past 25 years, the generosity of UVA alumni, parents, faculty and friends of the Institute have sustained and inspired every one of our free programs. Thank you!
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Visit our Video Archives of Past LecturesVideo Archive
Episcopal Moderator
Faculty Steering Committee
Charles Kromkowski, Politics, Executive Director
John Miller, Classics
Ed Stelow, Medical School
William M. Wilson, Religious Studies
Contact the Institute:
Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024 Lecture
Brandon Vaidyanathan
Professor of Sociology, Catholic University of America
"The Beauty of Understanding: A Global Study on What Scientists Can Teach Us About the Pleasures of Learning"
5:15pm | UVA Minor Hall Auditorium | All are invited
Scientists often are viewed as coldly analytical and rational, unaffected by the beauty and mystery of Nature. Yet like the rest of us, Nobel Laureates and many other scientists openly reveal that they also are deeply moved by unexpected disclosures of beauty in their work as scientists. For a world that too easily forgets to appreciate our immersion in Beauty, Prof. Vaidyanathan will share the findings of a first-ever global survey of 3,500 physicists and biologists in the US, UK, Italy and India on the role of aesthetics in science and the varieties of beauty that scientists encounter in their work.
Cosponsored by the Thomistic Institute @ UVA and the St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought, with the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation, "In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on College Campuses Nationwide," (Grant #62372).
Fall 2024 Aquinas Reading Group
All are invited to join this faculty-led, (free) lunch group dedicated to reading and discussing the writings and wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas. We will meet for a bi-monthly lunch discussion of Book IV of Aquinas's Summa Contra Gentiles. Need the text? we can assist on this, too! Newcomers and "just listerners" always are welcomed the group. Registration requested, but not required. Contact Dr. Anna Stelow (ars5x@virginia.edu).
Sept. 30, 2024: Monday, 12:00-1:30pm, SCG IV, 1-14 (On the Divinity of the Son), UVA Clark 156
Oct. 21, 2024: SCG, IV, 15-26 (On the Holy Spirit and the Trinity), UVA Clark 155
Nov. 11, 2024: SCG IV, 27-49 (On the Incarnation), UVA Clark 156
Nov. 25, 2024: SCG IV, 50-60 (On Original Sin, and the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation)
Dec. 9, 2024: SCG IV, 61-78 (On the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Marriage)
Dec. 16, 2024: SCG IV, 79-97 (On the Resurrection)
Flannery O'Connor Reading Group
Flannery O'Connor Reading Group For Flanney O’Connor lovers and those who have not yet been properly introduced to the shockingly strange short stories she felt compelled to tell because we all “breathe in nihilism” and “people are deaf and dumb and need help to see and hear.” Interested? Email Dr. Beth Frazier, eas3dm@virginia.edu.
Graduate Student Fellowship Dinners
Join UVA graduate/professional students, researchers and postdocs for monthly Fellowship & Dinner events. Our primary goal is to create a forum for friendship and support across our disciplinary divisions, where we can find refreshment and encouragement in the commitments of others to their academic works and our shared Faith. Questions? Interested in helping? Email grad student co-facilitators: Mary Clare Young (Classics, cdn3nm) or Candace Lei (Biomedical Engineering, spw4mt).
Sept. 25, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish)
Oct. 30, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish)
Nov. 20, 2024 (Wed., 6:30-8:00pm, @ St. Thomas Aquinas Univeristy Parish)
Faith and Reason in the Modern University Minicourse
What is faith? What is reason? And why do many within modern universities believe that authentic faith commitments require their deep separation from one's intellectual and professional pursuits. This free, noncredit minicourse counters the conventional norm by openly exploring the possibility that "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth" (JPII). But how exactly can the wings of faith and reason work together? Join us as we take up and discuss the life and inspiring texts of Boethius (c.480-524), a Christian philosopher and marytr, who demonstrated how faith and reason flew together.
Seminar 1: The Life, Death, and Theological Tractates of Boethius
Seminar 2: Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Books I-III
Seminar 3: Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Books IV-V
November TBD, but Registration now open. Questions? Email Dr. Charles Kromkowski
Free Flannery O'Connor Film Night
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2024 | UVA MINOR HALL AUDITORIUM
Directed and co-written by four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, WILDCAT invites you to weave in and out of celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor's mind and short stories as she ponders the great questions of her writing:
- Can scandalous art still serve God?
- Does suffering precede all greatness?
- Can illness be a blessing?
In 1950, Flannery visits her mother Regina in Georgia when she is diagnosed with lupus at 24 years old. Struggling with the same disease that took her father’s life and desperate to make her mark as a great writer, this crisis pitches her imagination into a feverish exploration of belief. As she dives deeper into her craft, the lines between reality, imagination, and faith begin to blur, allowing Flannery ultimately to come to peace with her situation and to a healing of her strained relationship with her mother.
Faith and Science Minicourse (Fall 2024)
3 Fridays (Sept. 13, 20 & 27) 10:00am-12:00pm, w/ Roots lunch cards for registered UVA students
Location: UVA Clark Library 156
- Why do many--including many Catholics--still think that the Church and the Catholic faith are in conflict with the modern sciences?
- How does St. Pope JPII's faith-science dialogue model work?
- Is contemporary Astrophysics in conflict with Creation ex Nihilo?
- Is Evolutionary Science a problem for the Doctrine of Original Sin?
- What Is more reasonable: the meaninglessness of matter's 'heat death' or Christian belief in bodily Resurrection?
- Who apologizes for modern science's long train of mistakes and abuses? What is the replication crisis plaguing modern science? Why does modern science need Christian commitments to truthtelling and the human person?
Challenge yourself--as others have in prior years--by signing up for this in-person, non-credit, faculty-led minicourse. Prior experience is NOT expected. Questions? Email Dr. Beth Frazier or Dr. Charles Kromkowski (cak5u@virginia.edu).
August 29, 2024 Welcome Back Social!
All new and returning UVA Graduate Students, Postdocs and Faculty: Welcome Back Social! Thursday, August 29, 6:00-9:00pm, St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish Courtyard. Let's begin the new year together with fellowship, food and drinks. All are invited, including spouses and friends. Sponsored by the St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought and UVA Catholic Graduate Students (GradCats). Questions? Email Mary Clare Young (cdn3nm).
September 6, 2024 Lunch Discussion: St. Faustina Kowalska!
UVA Students & Friends: Join us for a free onGrounds lunch introduction to the inspiring life and writings of the much beloved St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). Friday, Sept. 6 (12:00-1:30pm), UVA Clark Library 156. Reserve a seat by registering or emailing Dr. Beth Frazier (eas3dm@virginia.edu).
Episcopal Moderator
Faculty Steering Committee
Charles Kromkowski, Politics, Executive Director
John Miller, Classics
Ed Stelow, Medical School
William M. Wilson, Religious Studies