By Gibbons J. Cooney
In the May newsletter, Fr. Joseph Illo, Star’s pastor, wrote: “I’m excited to announce that our school will be rolling out a new curriculum in the fall of 2019. The Archdiocese has asked our school to develop the Catholic Liberal Education model, also known generally as ‘Classical Curriculum.’ “
“The Classical or Liberal Education movement began in England sixty years ago, and today over 260 schools have adopted this model. In March I attended a seminar with our schools department at St. Jerome Academy near Washington D.C. (New Principal) Mr. David Gallagher will be attending a July seminar at Catholic University in Washington sponsored by the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education — their website has good articles on this educational approach. Having seen the test scores, enrollment numbers, and great excitement generated by this model, I share the enthusiasm of our faculty over this new direction. It’s worth noting that many tech giants, such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, greatly value the more classical approach to prepare for later education in technology. Beginning with the classics of literature and history, children learn how to think in a way that prepares them to excel in all careers.”
The mission statement of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education says, in part: “Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has called for the renewal of Catholic education at all levels, from grade school through the research university. The Church has warned that Catholic schools must not be just secular schools with a Catholic name and a religion class.”
“The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education was founded in 1999 to help educators renew today’s Catholic schools by drawing on the Church’s tradition, which frees teachers and students for the joyful pursuit of faith, wisdom, and virtue. Our goal is different from that of secular schools, therefore our approach should be different”.
“Today’s teacher training programs, professional development opportunities, and curricular materials are rooted in a pragmatic philosophy of education that emerged a century ago as a rejection of the successful 2,500-year-old tradition that preceded it. For millennia, education was seen not as mere job training but as a search for wisdom and virtue. The Catholic Church took up this classical tradition in the liberal arts and sciences and ordered it toward Christ, producing some of the finest minds and the wisest saints in history. At the heart of this flourishing is a clear conviction about the nature and purpose of reality, of the human person, and of God — all of which are undermined by secular progressive education and its industrialized methods.”
K-12 schools using Catholic Liberal Education generally teach the Trivium: the lower division of the seven liberal arts, which consists of grammar (the acquisition of skills and learning concrete facts through memorization; grades 1-5), logic (beginning to understand these facts and being able to reason and asking Why?; grades 6-8), and rhetoric (learning to express what they now understand in the most compelling manner possible; grades 9-12).
The statement concludes by noting that the decline in Catholic schools pretty much mirrors the decline in fidelity to the ‘Church’s tradition’: “The best-kept secret in Catholic education today, after five decades of plummeting enrollment and waning belief, is that the remedy lies not in secular solutions but in the Church’s own proven wisdom in the formation of the whole person.”
A liberal education model coming to another “catholic” school? Why so much liberalism in our schools? Why is this even news? It seems that every catholic school offers a liberal education. No more! Liberals.
Margie, you are mixing “liberal” politics with “liberal” learning. They are not the same thing. For thousands of years college and university student studied the liberal arts and sciences. Many universities still have colleges of liberal studies. Think languages, history, sciences, etc. Don’t think politics. The movement toward college and university being advanced trade schools means we have more professionals who are not well educated. I think Fr. Illo may be on to something.
A Liberal Arts education means a classical education. That’s good!
This is not liberal as in liberalism. It is liberal as in liberal arts. Classical education has many benefits but it tends to short shrift the STEM subjects that are really important now. A lot of kids would not be really good at it. A lot of kids are going to find it boring. If you have a kid who adapts well to it, it is wonderful. I’m glad there is a Catholic resource for it. My kid hated it, except he loved ancient history. He hated memorization and eventually just refused to do it. It will be interesting in this day and age when facts, dates, poetry etc. are at your fingertips to see how kids respond to that.
Anonymous, as I am sure you already know, every child has his or her own God given talents, and they are needed to make the world go around. As I wrote after another article, “Beware of a one size fits all education.” Christian virtue, though, should be taught in all classes, and God did make a saint from a carpenter and a tax collector.
Correction — a Classical Education is a superior education for STEM careers. Tech entrepreneur, Michael Ortner (Founder of CapTerra) gave a super talk on this very topic in January at Star of the Sea, as well as at the National Catholic Classical Schools Conference. “From Greeks to Geeks: The Classical Liberal Arts
as the Best Foundation for STEM”
Margie– the term “liberal” in this case, refers to the traditional Liberal Arts and Humanities. By the way— let’s hope this school will turn into a true Catholic school– with devout Catholic teachers, teaching Catholic students, of devout Catholic families! Church music also must be taught only by a devout, PRACTICING CATHOLIC, who upholds our holy Faith and Morals—- especially at Mass!!
Classical Liberal education is quite opposite of what you think. It’s teaching students to strive for virtue. Its motto is “Truth, Beauty and Goodness” It’s challenging and rewarding. Students are guided to first acquire solid knowledge in various areas, later enabeling them to think and analyze it, and defend the truth in speech and writing. The reward for student’s hard work is a good feeling of mastering the material.
We need many more Fr. Illo’s!!
Amen! this is great what he and others are doing.
I know Father Illo and he is a holy priest.
I have only met him once, but I have been impressed by his writings and what I have read and heard. Pray for him though, as the devil would like to take him down.
I will second Peggy’s comment…..Hooray for Fr. Illo!
I’m heartened by what the parish is doing. It’s been reported that kids in high school and college are no longer being sufficiently exposed to logic and critical thinking. Any child who develops logic and critical thinking will have an advantage over his peers.
Consequently, I’m planning on exposing my son to Scholastic metaphysics and Natural Law when he’s in high school. I’m hoping that this exposure will also help inoculate him against the empty, fly-by-night ideas that keep popping up in our culture.
Is this effective only at this parish? Or throughout the Archdiocese? Only while the current pastor is there?. Yes, current education sometimes lacks ‘classical’ education. However, meaningful improvement can not come at the expense of four years of each of Math and Science in High School. [Both require logic and critical thinking].
For centuries, prior to the Second Vatican Council– teaching orders of nuns, brothers and priests— used to form Catholic schoolchildren, in a solid classical education– once considered the very best, all over the world! And all of this collapsed, after Vatican II ended! Parishioners today, cannot imagine what Catholic churches, schools, hospitals, and universities used to be — before the Council!! A completely different, very “Catholic” world– now gone for good!! The vision of Pope St. John XXIII?? The only bad thing, I thought– was that sometimes, the discipline was too strict, too unkind… why not be kinder, and keep what is truly excellent, I always wondered…
Before the Council, every Catholic boy, at some point in his life– considered becoming a priest. The priesthood was very much looked up to, and admired! Most Catholic boys were trained to be altar boys, and some entered minor seminaries, too! Seminaries were always full of vocations, and rectories were always full of priests, bustling around in their cassocks, reciting their breviaries, saying Mass, with busy schedules, serving their flocks– leading a very religious life! The old Latin Mass and meatless Fridays were universal! A priest wore a gold wedding band, and was considered “married to God.” All of that disappeared, after the Council– is this God’s will??
Mike:
Science and math are in the quadrivium: the second part of the seven liberal arts.
Arithmetic (number in itself)
Geometry (number in space)
Music (number in time)
Astronomy (number in space and time)
By music (actually harmonics) and astronomy we would mean natural science nowadays. But you need the trivium first to understand the quadrivium.
Hey San Francisco friends, get yourselves to Star of the Sea parish and enjoy this treasure on your midst! :)
Classical curriculum teaches a child to think. A good resource for reading materials is the Mother of Divine Grace book list. It has been a great resource for classical curriculum whether you are enrolled with their school or not.