Ralph McInerny is among the most noted Catholic philosophers and authors of our day. He has taught at the University of Notre Dame since 1955, and has written a number of important works on St. Thomas Aquinas. He helped found Crisis magazine, a publication that addresses problems facing contemporary society from the standpoint of the Catholic tradition. Alongside his academic work, McInerny authored the best-selling Father Dowling mysteries, and was appointed to President Bush's Council for Arts and the Humanities.