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Gonzaga’s Jesuit, Catholic, Humanistic education will challenge and inspire you.
Video recordings of selected Institute events, including recent public talks by Fr Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., can be found on the
Faith and Reason Institute's YouTube channel.
Spring 2026 Events
Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J.
Former Gonzaga President and well-known Catholic author and speaker Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. is making his return visit to Gonzaga University for a series of talks on faith-reason integration. Fr. Spitzer will address the topics of miracles and angels and demons, drawing from his recent books, including Science, Reason, and Faith: Discovering the Bible (2023), and his Faith & Science study Bible slated for publication in Fall 2025.
Events are FREE and open to the public. No registration is required.
“The Scientific Investigation of Miracles Concerning the Holy Eucharist and the Appearance of Mary”
Wednesday 4th Feb, 2026, 7 PM Globe Room Cataldo Hall, Gonzaga
Today many are under the impression that science and miracles are incompatible, indicating that miracles are beyond the pale. However, recent scientific investigations show precisely the opposite. Fr. Spitzer will examine the scientific investigations of three Eucharistic miracles (Buenos Aires 1996, Tixtla Mexico 2006, and Sokolka Poland 2008) as well as the recent scientific investigation of the tilma of Guadalupe, the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, and four extraordinary cures at Lourdes.
“Can a Reasonable and Responsible Case be Made for Angels and Demons?”
Thursday 5th Feb, 2026, 7 PM Ballroom Third floor, Hemmingson, Gonzaga
The topic of angels and demons is often treated as mythical and cartoonish. Fr. Spitzer will examine recent evidence for angels and demons reported in medical studies of near death experiences and deathbed visions as well as corroborated reports of angelic appearances and demonic possessions. These studies show the likelihood that we are living in a world that goes beyond the merely physical and concrete—a world in which spiritual friends and adversaries are acting interiorly and exteriorly.
Fall 2026 Events
Michael Ward
Author, speaker, and C.S. Lewis scholar Michael Ward visits Gonzaga University for a lecture on the continuing significance of C.S. Lewis in Fall 2026 (this event was moved from Fall 2025 due to a schedule conflict).
“The Abolition of Man: C.S. Lewis’s Most Philosophical Work, But Is It Christian?”
C.S. Lewis is best known for his Narnia Chronicles and for works of popular theology such as Mere Christianity. What is less well known is that he began his academic career in philosophy. At Oxford he taught philosophy (with a focus on ethics) for many years, even after English literature had become his official scholarly focus. The Abolition of Man is his most philosophical work and Lewis described it as “almost my favourite among my books.” It consists of a short but dense argument, hard to grasp, and difficult to categorise. Dr Michael Ward will tackle this important and influential volume, showing its relevance for today’s culture and explaining its place within Lewis’s extraordinary body of work.
Michael Ward is a literary critic, theologian, and C.S. Lewis scholar. An associate faculty member in Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, he is the author of multiple books, most notably the award-winning Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press, 2010) and After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man (Word on Fire Academic, 2021). He co-edited The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis (Cambridge University Press, 2010) and presented the BBC television documentary The Narnia Code. He studied English at Oxford, theology at Cambridge, and earned his PhD in Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. Formerly an Anglican priest, he joined the Catholic Church in 2012 and was ordained a priest within the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in 2018.
Faith, Film, Philosophy 2026 addresses the topic Jesus on Screen. A series of public events on this topic will occur from October 5–9, with a scholarly conference on the weekend of October 8–10.