The Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture concludes a successful Fall Lecture Series with a book launch of Visiting Fellow Phil Lawler’s debut novel, Ghost Runner, on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. After a discussion of the novel, participants will enjoy conversation over Regency tea in honor of the 250th birthday of Jane Austen.
The event will close a semester of programming at Mercy Hall, the College’s beaux arts mansion in the heart of Nashua’s Historic District. The Center, a public outreach of Thomas More College, hosted five leading Catholic intellectuals and inspiring speakers to engage students, faculty, staff, and the broader College community on timely and perennial topics, drawing record audience numbers in fulfilling the Center’s mission to “build an outpost of civility: a community in which reasoned discussion, animated by Christian faith, can work toward a revival of Christian culture.”
Jennifer Bryson, PhD, Fellow in the Catholic Women’s Forum of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, inaugurated the series in September with a talk on the German Catholic writer Ida Friederike Görres. Dr. Bryson has been working tirelessly to bring Görres’ important works to English-speaking audiences. John Henry Newman: A Life Sacrificed, Bread Grows in Winter, and The Church in the Flesh are currently available, and What Binds Marriage Forever is available for preorder. Watch the lecture here.
Later in September, bestselling author and speaker Sam Goodwin visited the Center to share insights from his experiences in captivity in Syria. Readers can relive that journey with Dr. Goodwin in his book, Saving Sam.
In October, the College hosted former New Polity editor Jacob Imam, PhD, who spoke about the dignity of work. John Johnson, PhD, came to Mercy Hall later that month to lecture on the films of Christopher Nolan. As the founder of the Albertus Magnus Institute, a continuing education nonprofit, and Patmos Hosting, a tech company, Dr. Johnson made a compelling case for the religious nuances within these complex films.
In November, Andrew Abela, PhD, Dean of the Busch School of Business at CUA, spoke about growing in virtue through the cultivation of moral habits. He describes his practical approach to living a happier life in his book Super Habits, available from Sophia Press. Watch the lecture here.
The Center has an exciting lineup of speakers for Spring, with outstanding talks every month leading up to the annual Catholic Literature Conference on April 25, 2026. On February 11, author Leah Libresco Sargeant will speak about her new book, The Dignity of Dependence; on February 16, the Center will host a special Presidents’ Day Symposium on our newest Doctor of the Church, St. John Henry Newman, with Robert Royal and Edward Short. On March 11, the Center welcomes American Enterprise Institute Fellow Christopher Scalia, and on April 15, Catholic Answers host Cy Kellett will speak on G.K. Chesterton and Walker Percy. Mark your calendars and visit the Center’s website to learn more about the Spring Lecture Series and register. We look forward to seeing you there!
For further reading:
“A Schooling in the Heart of Jesus”: TMC’s Eucharistic Pilgrims
