Oct 31, 2024
Seeking the Truth, Abiding in Christ by Aleteia and the Augustine Institute. When Jesus calls his first disciples in St. John’s Gospel, we find a remarkable exchange between Our Lord and them (see John 1:35-39). Jesus asks, “What are you seeking?” The disciples reply with another question: “Where are you staying?” He responds, “Come and you will see.” According to Dr. Jeffrey Lehman, Professor of Philosophy and Theology and Director of the Augustine Institute’s new M.A. in Catholic Education program, this dialogue makes perfect sense. “In antiquity,” Lehman explains, “teaching and learning were understood as a matter of seeking the truth together. When Our Lord asks the prospective disciples what they seek, he is inquiring about their desire to seek the truth with him as their teacher and companion on the journey.” Read
Disability and Inclusion in Classical Education by Mark Bradford at Word on Fire. In their 1978 Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities, the bishops acknowledged that defending life is more than just opposing abortion. It implies that working to “enable the individual with a disability to achieve the fullest measure of personal development of which he or she is capable,” and, among other things, that includes “the right to equal opportunity in education.” Unfortunately, almost fifty years later, that prophetic statement remains elusive to most children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who would like to attend a Catholic school. Happily, though, there are signs of hope. Read
Between Eden & Hell, Huck Writes His Way to Freedom by Andrew J. Zwerneman at Cana Academy. Life is hard for Huck Finn. He is just about as poor as a person can be: no worldly goods to speak of, no family or home. He’s illiterate, too. One would not expect that writing plays a significant role in liberating him from the burdens he bears. Yet, that is what happens when Huck faces the most important decision in his life: whether to return Jim to slavery or not. Read
7 Saint Biography Series That Your Kids Will Love to Read by Theresa Civantos Barber at Aleteia. You might be surprised at the enormous role good books can play in a person’s faith. St. Josemaria Escriva once wrote that “Spiritual reading has made many saints,” and Pope Francis recently published a letter about the powerful role of literature in forming souls. As a mom of four, I work to get excellent and high-quality literature into my children’s hands. Read
Crimes Against the Humanities: The Tragedy of Modernity by Joseph Pearce at The Imaginative Conservative. One of the most heinous crimes against humanity that modernity has perpetrated is its war on the humanities. And let’s not forget that the humanities are thus called because they teach us about our own humanity. A failure to appreciate the humanities must inevitably lead to the 5dehumanizing of culture and a disastrous loss of the ability to see ourselves truthfully and objectively. Read
The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is Complete: A Conversation with Scott Hahn by Paul Senz at Catholic World Report. After nearly 25 years of work, and the publication of dozens of individual volumes, the complete Ignatius Catholic Study Bible has finally arrived. St. Jerome famously wrote “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” and the Church recognizes and emphasizes the importance of Catholics having a deep love for, and familiarity with, holy writ. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is a tremendous contribution to that effort. Read
A Growing Light in the Darkness: Newman Guide Colleges Increase in 2024-25m by Cardinal Newman Society Staff at the Cardinal Newman Society. Not only do the colleges recommended in The Newman Guide share a common mission of faithful Catholic education, but they also share enormous enrollment growth, with several breaking records this fall. And the number of Newman Guide Recommended colleges is growing, too! Read
Throwback Thursday
St. John Bosco and the Secret of Education by Sean Fitzpatrick at Crisis Magazine on January 30, 2014. Don Bosco’s educational system developed as a product of his own tremendous love for youth and in the Salesian spirit of understanding. The technique of the preventive method consists chiefly in kindly supervision with the aim of building character and guarding against harmful influences: the conjunction of vigilance and familial affection, to prevent infractions rather than punish them. “This system,” the saint writes, “is based entirely on reason, religion, and kindness.” Read