The Professors of International Catholic University and Catholic Thinkers
Ralph McInerny founded International Catholic University. He was a beloved professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where he directed the Medieval Institute and the Jacques Maritain Center. Dr. McInerny was a fellow of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, a recipient of the Boucheron Lifetime Achievement Award, and a member of President Bush’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. He founded Crisis Magazine, Catholic Dossier, and hosted the Basics of Catholicism conference at Notre Dame for many years. A tireless writer, he published countless books on matters of faith and philosophy, as well as witty novels, including the well-known Father Dowling Mysteries and a more recent series of mysteries set at Notre Dame.
Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Basics of Catholicism: Faith and Reason
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
Introduction to Thomas Aquinas
Anthony Andres, Ph.D. is a member of the teaching faculty of Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California, where he previously received his B.A. in Liberal Arts. Before returning to his Alma Mater to teach, he pursued a Ph.D. in Philosophy under the instruction of Dr. Ralph McInerny at the University of Notre Dame, and he was an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Christendom College, spending two of his fourteen years there as the Chair of the Philosophy department. He has written many articles; among them are several for The Aquinas Review, including: “St. Thomas on the Argument of the Proslogion,” “The Place of Conversion in Aristotelian Logic,” and “Aristotle and the Conventional Logicians on the Fourth Figure.”
H. Reed Armstrong is a renowned sculptor, whose works have been critically acclaimed as a revitalization of the Spanish mystical tradition of the “Golden Age” as seen in the work of El Greco, Zurbaran, Alonso Cano, and Martinez Martiñez. He places his artistic training at the service of his dedication to Catholic art education. He taught Art History at Christendom College and was the director of the Magi Center for Catholic Art at the Catholic University of America. Mr. Reed’s articles have appeared in such publications as Crisis Magazine, Communio, Latin Mass, and the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly. He is a member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and was the recipient of the American Maritain Association’s 2005 “Humanitarian Award.”
Benedict M. Ashley, O.P. is Emeritus Professor of Moral Theology at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. Before his conversion to Catholicism, Fr. Ashley was a professed atheist and communist. He found his way to the Church through his study of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas under Mortimer Adler at the University of Chicago. Before his ordination to the priesthood through the Order of Preachers in 1948, he received his Doctorate in Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. Fr. Ashley also holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and a Master’s in Sacred Theology. He is an Associate Faculty of Philosophy for the Institute for Advanced Physics, and was a Senior Fellow of the National Catholic Center for Bioethics. Among Fr. Ashley’s books is Health Care Ethics, co-authored in 1975, a fundamental text on the topic of Catholic medical ethics, now in its fifth edition.
Moral Theology: Biblical Foundations
Rev. Kenneth Baker, S.J., is editor emeritus of the Homiletic & Pastoral Review, having served as editor from 1971 to 2010. He graduated from Gonzaga University, studied Theology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and translated Karl Rahner's Primacy and Episcopate into English. After teaching for two years at Gonzaga University, he published his translation of Rahner’s Spiritual Exercises and received his Ph.D. from Marquette University. Returning to Gonzaga he became head of the Department of Theology in 1968, leading it faithfully through the turmoil surrounding Humanae Vitae. He then served as president of Seattle University. Fr. Baker has built and run three community television stations and was president of Catholic Views Broadcasting, Inc., which produced a weekly 15-minute radio program airing on 50 stations across the U.S. He is the author of a three-volume explanation of the Faith called Fundamentals of Catholicism.
William Bentley Ball was one of the nation’s foremost Catholic constitutional lawyers, serving as counsel in 25 constitutional cases before the Supreme Court and many more before state supreme courts. He is best known for the case Wisconsin vs. Yoder, in which he successfully argued that it was a violation of religious liberty for the state of Wisconsin to force Amish children to attend public school. He assisted many pro-life and religious liberty groups, and he often represented the Catholic viewpoint in court. Among other books, he was the author of Mere Creatures of The State: Education, Religion, and The Courts.
Religious Liberty In the United States
J. Brian Benestad, Ph.D. is Professor of Theology and Director of the Catholic Studies Program at the University of Scranton. He received his Ph.D. from Boston College, and an STL from the Gregorian University in Rome. Professor Benestad is an expert on Catholic Social Doctrine, and testified before the House Labor Relations Committee General Assembly of Pennsylvania on the topic of unions in Catholic social doctrine. He is the author of many articles and several books, among them Church, State, and Society: An Introduction to Catholic Social Doctrine.
Otto Bird, Ph.D. was founder of the University of Notre Dame’s General Program of Liberal Studies, which is based on the “Great Books” of Western Civilization. Dr. Bird was known for his love of the intellectual life; he studied at the Universities of Michigan, Chicago, and Toronto, finding his way to Catholicism through the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. He edited the Encyclopedia Britannica yearbook for many years, contributing an essay annually. A revered teacher and mentor, he also dedicated time to such writings as Syllogistic, The Idea of Justice, Cultures in Conflict: An Essay in the Philosophy of the Humanities, and Seeking a Center: My Life as a “Great Bookie”.
The Liberal Arts: Their History and Philosophy
William Carroll, Ph.D., a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan, is a member of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford. He is an historian with a particular interest in the history of science and in the development of the doctrine of creation. He has been recognized for his work by organizations such as the Templeton Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is the author of several books, including Thomas Aquinas, Creation, and Contemporary Science.
Rev. Romanus Cessario, O.P. is a professor of Systematic Theology at St. John’s Seminary, Boston, and a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. He studied Philosophy and Theology within the Dominican Order, and completed his doctoral studies at The University of Fribourg in Switzerland under Colman E. O’Neill, a leading sacramental theologian of the immediate post-conciliar period. Fr. Cessario is the author of several books and many articles on Moral Theology, including, The Moral Virtues and Theological Ethics, Christian Faith and the Theological Life, and Virtue. He is General Editor of Catholic Moral Thought, a multi-volume series of textbooks, and co-editor with Father Joseph Koterski of Moral Philosophy and Moral Theology.
Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D. received his doctorate from Catholic University, where he studied with renowned Jesuit theologian Avery Cardinal Dulles. He has been on the faculty of the University of Dallas, and co-founded the Wellness Opportunities Group, a company dedicated to helping people physically, mentally, and financially. Wishing to put his education at the service of the Church in a unique way, he founded and undertook the full-time operations of the Crossroads Initiative, an apostolate of Catholic renewal that provides educational and evangelical resources. Always looking for ways to spread the Truth, Dr. Ambrosio has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including his own Early Church Fathers on EWTN. He is a New York Times best-selling author of the book on Mel Gibson’s movie, The Guide to the Passion.
Michael Dauphinais, Ph.D. is the Dean of Faculty at Ave Maria University. He received his doctorate in Systematic Theology from the University of Notre Dame and is a member of the American Academy of Religion. He is the author of several books, including: The Common Good and the Body of Christ: St. Thomas and the Catholic Worker, and Knowing the Love of Christ: An Introduction to the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Jude Dougherty, Ph.D. is among the giants of Catholic higher education. He was the first layman appointed Dean of the prestigious School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America and is an emeritus member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. He has served as president of the American Catholic Philosophical Association and the Metaphysical Society and has, for many years been, editor of the sixty-year-old Review of Metaphysics. Among his books are The Good Life and Its Pursuit and The Logic of Religion.
Rev. Kevin Flannery, S.J., is Professor of the History of Ancient Philosophy, Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is a Fellow of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and author of several books and articles on logic and ethics, including Christian and Moral Ethics.
Basics of Catholicism: Christian and Moral Action
Laura Garcia, Ph.D. is a member of the Department of Philosophy at Boston College. She received her doctorate from the University of Notre Dame and taught at Rutgers University, Georgetown University, University of St. Thomas (St. Paul), Catholic University, Calvin College, and University of Notre Dame. Dr. Garcia is widely published on topics in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics, and she has a particular interest in life issues and the vocation of women. She has co-founded two organizations: University Faculty for Life and Women Affirming Life. Among her publications, Dr. Garcia wrote a review of Ralph McIerny’s Characters in Search of an Author.
John Haas, Ph.D. is the President of the National Catholic Bioethics Center. He has held various teaching positions and is known nationally through the St. Charles Forum, which appeared regularly on EWTN. He was ordained to the ministry in the Episcopal Church, but converted to Catholicism and has become one of its most eloquent and articulate spokesmen. Dr. Haas is a member of the Medical Moral Commission of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is a consultant to the Committee for Pro-Life Activities of the USCCB. In 2012 he was named to the Governing Council of the Pontifical Academy for life by Pope Benedict XVI. Dr. Haas is also the Founder and President of the International Institute for Culture, which sponsors multiple conferences each year.
Introduction to Moral Theology
Martinez Hewlett, Ph.D. is Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Arizona and adjunct professor at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. His formal education is in Chemistry and Biology, and his interest in the sciences and in philosophy and theology has made him an advocate of the idea that science and faith are not contradictory. He coordinates the St. Albert the Great Forum on Theology and the Sciences at the University of Arizona. Dr. Hewlett also entertains a talent for writing novels.
Thomas Hibbs, Ph.D. is Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Culture and Dean of the Honors College at Baylor University. He studied Philosophy at the University of Dallas and the University of Notre Dame and is a talented teacher capable of tackling diverse topics, from Medieval Philosophy to Contemporary Culture. He served as chair of the Philosophy department at Boston College, during which time his popular course Nihilism in American Culture was featured in a Boston Globe article. He is frequently invited to comment publicly on current events, appearing on such shows as All Things Considered. His many publications include Dialectic and Narrative in Aquinas: An Interpretation of the Summa Contra Gentiles and a book about current popular culture called Shows About Nothing.
The Philosophy of Human Nature
James Hitchcock, Ph.D. is Professor of History at St. Louis University. He received his Ph. D. from Princeton University, and has a particular interest in Modernism and its effects. He has authored many articles, some of which have appeared in New York Times Magazine and National Review, as well as in many scholarly journals. His many books include The Supreme Court and Religion in American Life, Catholicism and Modernity, and The Pope and the Jesuits.
John Hittinger, Ph.D. is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, and he is a member of the Center for Thomistic Studies. He holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Dallas, and the Catholic University of America. He previously served on the philosophy faculty at Benedictine College, The College of St. Francis, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Ave Maria University, and Sacred Heart Major Seminary of Detroit. Dr. Hittinger has published articles and presented papers on a variety of topics including John Locke, Jacques Maritain, military ethics, liberal education, political philosophy, and the thought of John Paul II. He is the author of Reassessing the Liberal State: Reading Maritain’s Man and the State, and a collection of essays entitled Liberty, Wisdom and Grace: Thomism and Modern Democratic Theory. In 2008, Dr. Hittinger founded the Pope John Paul II Forum for the Church in the Modern World.
Dr. Russell Hittinger, Ph.D. is Research Professor of Law and Warren Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa. He is also on the governing council of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas (Vatican). Dr. Hittinger has been honored with many awards and fellowships, including the Josephine Yalch Zekan Award for the best scholarly article in faith and law. He serves on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Jurisprudence and First Things. Among his books is The First Grace: Rediscovering Natural Law in a Post-Christian Age.
Basics of Catholicism: Catholic Social Doctrine
Peter Hodgson, Ph.D. was a Physicist and Fellow of Corpus Christi College at Oxford University, where he headed the Nuclear Physics Theoretical Group. Dr. Hodgson placed great emphasis on the idea that scientists are morally obliged to reflect upon the impact of their work on society, and he called upon philosophers, theologians, and scientists to integrate their studies and beliefs. He wrote 10 books on Nuclear Physics, 300 research articles, and many popular articles on Theology and Science.
Margaret Hogan, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus in the Philosophy department at the University of Portland, where she held the McNerney-Hanson Chair in Philosophy. She received her Ph. D. from the University of Marquette. She is a Fellow of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture and an ethicist for various health care organizations. Some of her many writings include Marriage as a Relationship: Real and Rational, Finality and Marriage, and Catholic Health Care Institutions: Dinosaurs Waiting Extinctions or Safe Refuge in a Culture of Death.
Christopher Kaczor, Ph.D. (rhymes with razor) is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University. He graduated from the Honors Program of Boston College and earned a Ph.D. four years later from the University of Notre Dame. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Kaczor did post-doctoral work as a Federal Chancellor Fellow at the University of Cologne and as William E. Simon Visiting Fellow in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. He was appointed a Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life of Vatican City, a fellow of the Word on Fire Institute, and winner of a Templeton Grant. He has written more than 100 scholarly articles and book chapters. An award winning author, his fifteen books include Disputes in Bioethics, Thomas Aquinas on the Cardinal Virtues, Abortion Rights: For and Against, 365 Days to Deeper Faith, The Gospel of Happiness, The Seven Big Myths about Marriage, A Defense of Dignity, The Seven Big Myths about the Catholic Church, The Ethics of Abortion, O Rare Ralph McInerny: Stories and Reflections on a Legendary Notre Dame Professor, Life Issues-Medical Choices, Thomas Aquinas on Faith, Hope, and Love, The Edge of Life, and Proportionalism and the Natural Law Tradition. Dr. Kaczor’s views have been in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, National Review, NPR, BBC, EWTN, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, MSNBC, TEDx, and The Today Show.
Rev. Joseph W. Koterski, S.J., teaches Philosophy at Fordham University, where he has won both the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching and the Graduate Teacher of the Year Award. He is the editor-in-chief of International Philosophical Quarterly, and he is the President of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. He has produced videotaped lecture-courses on “Aristotle’s Ethics,” on “Natural Law and Human Nature,” and most recently on “Biblical Wisdom Literature” for The Teaching Company. Among his recent publications is: An Introduction to Medieval Philosophy: Basic Concepts (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009).
Very Rev. Douglas Mosey is president rector of Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He received his doctorate in Theology from the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto, where he taught before taking a position at Holy Apostles.
Rev. Brian Mullady, O.P. is an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut and preaches parish missions and retreats. Fr. Mullady studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he taught for six years. He has served as a parish priest and has hosted several different series on EWTN. He is a member of the Catholic Academy of Science and he is the theological consultant to the Institute of Religious Life. Fr. Mullady has written two books and numerous articles, and he is the author of the Question and Answer column in the Homiletic and Pastoral Review.
Rev. Marvin R. O'Connell is a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He has taught at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and at the University of Notre Dame, specializing in Catholic Church History. Father O’Connell has lectured widely in this country and abroad and is the author of several books and hundreds of articles. He is best known among Notre Dame students and friends as the biographer of the university’s founder, Fr. Sorin. Among his other books are: Critics on Trial: An Introduction to the Catholic Modernist Crisis, The Counter Reformation: 1559-1610, The Oxford Conspirators: A History of the Oxford Movement 1833-1845, and the novel McElroy.
Two Critical Moments in Catholic History
Charles E. Rice, Professor Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame School of Law, has dedicated his career to constitutional law and jurisprudence. He began his law career in New York, where he taught at New York University and Fordham Law School. He served on the Education Appeal Board of the US. Department of Education and was a consultant to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and to various congressional committees. He was co-editor of the American Journal of Jurisprudence and has written several books, including: Fifty Questions on the Natural Law: What it is and Why We Need It.
The Natural Law: What It Is and Why We Need It
Ellen Rice is a freelance writer and offers publishing services to scholarly and educational institutions. She is a co-author of the Catholic Schools Textbook Project’s All Ye Lands: Teacher’s Edition, and Light to the Nations, Vol. 2. She assisted in editing The Catholic Dossier and the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly for several years. Miss Rice has published many articles on Catholic issues, and is the editor of The John Paul II Lifeguide: Words to Live By.
Basics of Catholicism: Catechism of the Catholic Church
Anthony Rizzi, Ph.D. is founder and director of the Institute for Advanced Physics. He is known worldwide for having solved the 80-year old problem of defining angular momentum in Einstein’s conception of general relativity. With physics degrees from MIT and Princeton, he has been senior scientist for the California Institute of Technology at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and adjunct professor at LSU. Dr. Rizzi is also a serious student of philosophy and theology, and was invited by Dr. Ralph McInerny to speak at the University of Notre Dame’s Thomistic Institute on “The Primary End of Marriage.” Dr. Rizzi asks fundamental questions about his discipline. In doing so, he by no means questions the enormous achievements of modern science. But he does enable the student to see that science alone cannot provide us with the complete story of the things that are. He is the recipient of several awards and honors, including the NASA award, and is the author of the book The Science Before Science: A Guide to Thinking in the 21st Century.
Father Neil J. Roy, STL, Ph.D. is a priest of the diocese of Peterborough, Canada and has taught liturgy and sacramental theology at various Catholic institutions including the University of Notre Dame, and has been the editor of Antiphon: A Journal of Liturgical Renewal.
Basics of Catholicism: Introduction to Sacred Liturgy
Fr. James Schall, S.J. retired from teaching Political Philosophy at Georgetown University in December of 2012. But he was not done teaching. Through a partnership with the International Catholic University, Fr. Schall recorded many of his well-known essays and lectures, including a full course based on his popular “Introduction to Political Philosophy.”
Born in Pocahontas, Iowa in 1928, Fr. Schall served in the US Army, studied at the University of Santa Clara, Gonzaga University, University of San Francisco, and Georgetown University, and was a member of the Society of Jesus. He is well known for his book, Another Sort of Learning, a powerful tool for life-long students who feel underserved by their formal education. Generations of students laud him as a man who first convinced them that it was important to ask, “What is?”, then led them on the path to reality and truth. He was a teacher of virtue, influenced by the writings of Aquinas, the Greeks, John Paul II, and Chesterton, to name a few. And he wrote on a wide range of topics and in publications such as Crisis Magazine, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, The Catholic Thing, and many others.
Fr. Schall: Political Philosophy
Thomas P. Scheck, Ph.D. is a professor in the Classics Department of Ave Marie University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in Religion, Classics and Philosophy and an M. Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Dr. Scheck is a revert to the Catholic Church and has published two translations in the Fathers of the Church series: Origen's Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans and St. Jerome's Commentary on Matthew. He is the author of Origen and the History of Justification.
Rev. Maurice W. Sheehan, O.F.M. Cap. is Academic Dean of Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. He received his masters degree from the Catholic University of America and his doctorate from the University of Oxford. He has been teaching since 1956 at various institutions including the Franciscan Institute of St. Bonaventure University and the Theologates in Washington D.C. and Baltimore. He edited a book of essays on St. Francis of Assisi and three translations of studies of St. Francis.
Janet E. Smith, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas, holds her doctorate from the University of Toronto and has taught at the University of Notre Dame. In recent years, she has become the leading expositor and defender of the moral teaching of the Church, particularly on the issue of contraception. Her popular recorded lecture, “Contraception: Why Not?”, represents the beauty and logic of the Church’s teaching on the topic and has been instrumental in educating Catholics and non-Catholics alike. She lectures widely in this country and abroad and is a consultant to the Pontifical Commission on the Family.
Monsignor William B. Smith was Professor of Moral Theology at St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, Yonkers, New York, for many years. A gifted speaker and defender of the Faith, he spent his priesthood publicly engaging in discussions of faith and morals, always representing Catholic doctrine with grace and wit. He was often the media representative for John Cardinal O'Connor of the Archdiocese of New York on pro-life and other issues of concern to the Church.
The Moral Magisterium of John Paul II
David Solomon, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where he founded and directed the Center for Ethics and Culture. He is well known as an expert on ethical theory and medical ethics, having spoken at numerous institutions throughout the world on these topics. Professor Solomon served as a National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellow at Oxford University, in addition to holding the position of research fellow at Boston University and visiting professor at Baylor University. He has appeared on The Firing Line, was the co-author of the first study of the public policy implications of the Roe v. Wade abortion decision, and is the author of Abortion and Public Policy and The Synoptic Vision: The Philosophy of Wilfred Sellars.
Monsignor James C. Turro, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary, Seton Hall University, where he also served for 45 years as the director of the seminary’s library. In gratitude for his endless work in overseeing the preservation and development of the library, it was renamed in his honor in 2007. Monsignor Turro is a gifted university professor, spiritual director, and retreat leader, and is in high demand internationally as a lecturer. Among his books are: Conversion: Reflections on Life and Faith, and Reflections: A Path to Prayer. He is also the author of the popular “Your Word is a Lamp” monthly column in the Magnificat magazine.
The New Testament: The Gospel of St. John 1:1-4:29
Rev. William A. Wallace, O.P., author of 16 books and over 300 scholarly articles, is professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland. He is professor emeritus of the Catholic University of America, where he taught both philosophy of science and history of science for twenty-five years. In addition to doctorates in philosophy and theology, he holds degrees in physics and electrical engineering. He served with distinction as a naval officer during World War II, following which he entered the Dominican Order, and was ordained a priest in 1953.
Kenneth D. Whitehead, Ph.D. is a retired United States Assistant Secretary of Education. He was a career diplomat who served in Rome and the Middle East. Later he was the executive vice president of Catholics United for the Faith. Mr. Whitehead is the author of dozens of articles and several books, including The Pope, the Council, and the Mass: Answers to the Questions the “Traditionalists” Have Asked, which he co-authored. He is the translator of more than twenty books, and has translated the important study by Roman Curia Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, Il Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano II. He now works as a writer, editor, and translator.