The Aquinas Institute was established in 2004 under the directorship of Fergus Kerr OP. It aims to foster study of St Thomas at Oxford through seminars, occasional conferences, summer schools, and programmes that will bring international research scholars to the university each year.

The Institute seeks to foster the study of St Thomas from three perspectives: theological, philosophical, and from the viewpoint of medieval studies.

Members of the Institute include Revd Dr Vivian Boland OP (Director), Revd Dr Fergus Kerr OP (Founding Director), Prof. Steve Baldner (Visiting Fellow, Trinity term 2006), Dr William Carroll (Aquinas Fellow Hilary Terms), Revd Dr Simon Gaine OP, Revd Peter Hunter OP Revd Dr Aidan Nichols OP, Revd Dominic Ryan OP.

The 2013 Aquinas Lecture

This year's Aquinas Lecture was given by Dr Matthew Levering, of the University of Dayton, on 30th January. His subject was Aquinas and the Gospel, and he explained how Aquinas interpreted the meaning of the gospel in his commentary on St Paul's letter to the Romans.

The 2013 Aquinas Colloquium

The 8th annual colloquium of the Aquinas Institute - Teleology and Eschatology - took place on Saturday 2 March 2013. Speakers included:

• Jean Porter (University of Notre Dame);
• William Desmond (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven);
• Paul J. Griffiths (Duke University Divinity School);
• Bryan Kromholtz OP (Graduate Theological Union).

The 2013 Aquinas Seminars

This year's Aquinas Seminar series focused on Thomas Aquinas and Contemporary Culture.

24 January Joël Lonfat (Blackfriars): Sex, pleasure and women in the Middle Ages: was Thomas Aquinas a champion for women?

31 January Matthew Levering (University of Dayton): Milbank and Aquinas on nature and grace

7 February John O'Callaghan (University of Notre Dame): How Many Gods? Aquinas beyond monotheism

14 February Ed Feser (Pasadena City College): Aquinas and the immaterial aspects of thought

21 February Paul Clavier (École Normale Supérieure): Sartre versus Sertillanges on creation: existential autonomy and ontological dependency

28 February William Desmond (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven): Analogy after dialectic: rethinking divine transcendence

The Aquinas Seminars are made possible by a generous grant from the Earhart Foundation in the United States of America.

Reading classes and other events

Each Michaelmas term, the Director runs a weekly advanced reading class on Aquinas for University and Studium students. In Trinity term, the Director runs a seminar on Medieval authors before and after Aquinas.

Patrons of the Institute

Professors John Haldane, Alasdair MacIntyre, Eleonore Stump.