Exploring the new springtime for Catholic classical education
Exploring the new springtime for Catholic classical education
By all impartial assessments, Holy Family Cathedral School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, similar to numerous other Catholic parochial institutions across the country, was struggling significantly. Enrollment had decreased by 77%, resulting in only 88 students registered in 2019. Projected patterns and increasing financial deficits compelled administrators and diocesan authorities to seriously contemplate the closure of its oldest and most renowned institution (the school was established by none other than St. Katharine Drexel in 1899). In a final attempt to rejuvenate the school, the diocese opted to transform the institution into a “classical” one. A new headmaster was appointed, the staff was swiftly trained, a classical educational program was introduced, and in the autumn of 2020, Holy Family Cathedral School reemerged as Holy Family Classical School.
Exceeding all plausible anticipations, the transformation led to exponential growth of the school and a revitalized enthusiasm within the parish. In just three years, the enrollment at Holy Family Classical School has tripled. The demographics of the parish community shifted quickly due to an influx of families with numerous school-aged children. The school now faces increasing waitlists for nearly all grades, and a high school curriculum has been introduced to satisfy parental requests. At present, the parish and school are exploring innovative approaches to address the escalating needs of a flourishing and expanding community eager for a more traditional framework of ecclesial life and formation.
This phenomenon is not exclusive to Holy Family or Tulsa. Comparable outcomes have been observed in dioceses across the country. Since 2020, more than 200 new Catholic “classical” schools have been founded in the United States, along with a 78% rise in enrollment in existing classical academies. Regardless of whether they are diocesan-run, independent, online, or traditional brick-and-mortar, there has undeniably been a wave of enthusiasm for Catholic classical education. education.
For the attentive and curious Catholic, this increase in alternative education prompts two fundamental and intriguing inquiries: (1) what precisely constitutes a Catholic classical education, and in what ways does it set itself apart from different current frameworks, both secular and parochial? And (2) what is drawing so many contemporary Catholic parents to the classical approach? In addressing these queries, I aim to shed light on the achievements of Holy Family and the visible revival of classical education taking place in the Diocese of Tulsa and numerous locations throughout the U.S.
Catholic traditional education
The goal and objective of all education, whether it be classical, secular, or religious, is twofold: the pursuit of truth and the development of culture. Whether we consider the Lyceum of ancient Greece or a local vocational school in Cleveland, they all aim to impart some form of knowledge to their students and introduce them to a communal existence. While every educational institution shares this overarching dual purpose, they vary — often significantly — based on the specific outcome the institution prioritizes and how it interprets and seeks these outcomes. For instance, the finishing schools of the early 20th century, like the Swiss Château Mont-Choisi or the Finch College in the U.S., highlighted the significance of communal living and trained their students in a distinctive manner of conduct that was appropriate for a young woman of that period. Likewise, institutions — such as many contemporary virtual academies — opt to focus on the pursuit of knowledge and, by their very nature, offer minimal cultural formation. Furthermore, there are schools that possess a very narrow or specific interpretation of the truth being sought, like MIT, which concentrates on cutting-edge technologies, or your local welding institute, which instructs students in the craft of shaping and joining metals.
What sets Catholic classical education apart is not its position outside the educational dichotomy but its bold intention to shape students in the entirety of truth and to introduce them to the vast scope of Western civilization.
Conveying the complete reality
Rather than aiming for a specific or concentrated delivery of knowledge within a certain field or discipline with a particular practical objective, Catholic classical schools strive for the pursuit of truth for truth’s own sake. Their primary concern is not solely on equipping students with knowledge to ready them for the workforce (even though it accomplishes this effectively), but instead emphasizes the importance of immersing them in the vast array of knowledge accessible to humanity.
What sets Catholic classical education apart is not that it exists outside the educational dichotomy, but that it aims — quite audaciously — to cultivate students in the entirety of truth and aspires to introduce them to the full scope of Western civilization.
In his 1987 speech addressed to U.S. Catholic educatorsPope St. John Paul II clearly articulates that Catholic educators are tasked with “transmitting the complete truth.” This “complete truth” encompasses not only the understanding that is relatable and attainable through natural human reasoning (such as one’s grasp of reading, writing, and mathematics, for instance), but also — and of greater significance — the wisdom that transcends human comprehension; the knowledge, as stated by St. Paul, that “eye has not seen, and ear has not heard” (1 Cor 2:9), specifically, the understanding of God himself. In other terms, Catholic classical education encompasses the intentional pursuit to grasp the profound inner life of God and, by extension, his loving bond with creation. Consequently, Catholic classical education possesses — rather uniquely — a supernatural perspective and focus. Significantly, this supernatural outlook does not overshadow or trivialize the lower natural scope of learning, but instead enhances and uplifts it. By examining the natural disciplines illuminated by faith and the Church’s direction, the student is liberated from the confines of reason and the risk of error, allowing them to ascend to the contemplation of truth itself.
5 NORMS OF CHRISTIAN LIVING 1. The dutiful avoidance of sin and its near occasion. 2. The arduous cultivation of moral and intellectual virtue. 3. The earnest search for and maintenance of good friendships. 4. The pious adherence to the laws and precepts of Holy Mother Church. 5. The docile openness to God's salvific grace.
Instilling the richness of Christian culture
Catholic classical education not only imparts the complete truth but also guides students to live in harmony with it. By gradually aligning one’s life with the truth, the learner starts to behave and engage in a manner suitable for an individual termed a “Christian.” One discovers how a person entrusted with such luminous and magnificent gifts as reason and faith should organize oneself and the matters entrusted to his or her oversight. In doing so, he or she becomes an active participant in a noble community that traces its roots back to the ancient Greco-Roman civilizations, culminates in the life of Christ, and extends infinitely into eternity. To join this community, not merely in theory but in practice through words and actions, is the gem atop the crown of Catholic classical education and the lasting hope for a fallen world.
While there are significant historical differences in how this Christian lifestyle can be expressed, there are, nevertheless, specific standards that transcend every era and location. To exist and behave as a Christian entails: (1) the conscientious evasion of sin and its imminent triggers, (2) the diligent development of moral and intellectual virtue, (3) the sincere pursuit of and preservation of solid friendships, (4) the devoted commitment to the teachings and regulations of Holy Mother Church, and, most importantly, (5) the willing receptiveness to God’s saving grace. Recognizing these principles, a Catholic classical school conveys and invites its students into this collective vision of living through the study of uplifting and significant literature, the thoughtful cultivation of an atmosphere that fosters virtue, and the profound example set by its educators.
In “The Death of Christian Culture,” John Senior eloquently describes literature as the “beast of burden” of civilization. More than a rational discourse or a theological essay, an engaging story awakens the human soul and makes one yearn to emulate. Who among us hasn’t been inspired by Hector’s devotion in “The Iliad” or reflected on Socrates’ impassioned defense in “Apology” and wished to pursue philosophy, or perused “The Life of St. Francis” by Bonaventure and not pledged to welcome Lady Poverty? The good and great books not only teach but also, maybe even more significantly, motivate readers to lead virtuous Christian lives. They offer learners a moral framework of how one should behave and exist. In numerous respects, all these writings either look ahead or look back to the ideal model and benchmark of righteous living, Jesus Christ.
A Catholic classical school is also diligent in creating an atmosphere where the human spirit can progress towards this goal. Just as soil must be cultivated and enriched to yield quality fruit, the setting of a school must also be thoughtfully prepared and enhanced to cultivate capable students. Naturally, to foster such an environment, administrators and teachers must be acutely conscious of what constitutes true support and what could be possible obstacles in the quest for human growth. This necessitates knowledge of the human person and a profound comprehension of the conclusion of humanity, encompassing both natural and supernatural elements. The environment, as stated by St. Thomas Aquinas, “contributes significantly.” The design of a school, the substances used in construction, the furnishings and their setup, the uniforms chosen, the type and quality of meals provided, the operational hours, the various institutional traditions, etc., all these factors either facilitate or obstruct the student’s development in truth. Nothing within the environment is neutral or trivial. Everything is important, and therefore, a Catholic classic appears and feels distinctly different from their secular and parochial equivalents.
More crucial than books and the surroundings is the teaching staff of the institution, which is essential in conveying a Christian culture. Acting in the capacity of parents, they partake in a uniquely significant way in the role of sanctification. To the utmost of their ability, the faculty exemplify, through their very lives, the practice of Christian existence. They abhor sin, demonstrate moral and intellectual virtues, cultivate deep and lasting friendships among one another, maintain respectful obedience to the Church’s teaching authority, and are fundamentally reliant on the graces accessible to them. In this manner, the faculty embody the model for their students. He or she becomes a living testament to the “good life.” Most importantly, the faculty at a Catholic classical institution exude a joyful and contagious love for God, for each other, for the students, and for the school’s discipline. Ultimately, it is this sincere love, which, according to St. Paul, covers a multitude of sins, that invites the souls at a Catholic classical school to embrace a Christian way of living.
In conclusion, Catholic classical education is characterized by its courageous goal to convey the entirety of truth, encompassing both natural and supernatural realms, alongside its sincere and deliberate call to embrace a Christian lifestyle fueled by profound charity through engaging with significant literature, fostering an appropriate atmosphere, and through the example set by its educators.
The attraction of Catholic classical education
At first glance, the temptation of Catholic classical education may merely be its “distinctiveness.” Catholic classical education differs from public education. In 2020, parents were given insight into the complexities of public sector education. The pandemic provided families with an unusual chance to observe its more troubling aspects. It exposed, in many but not all locations, a framework that favors staff over pupils, a leadership that shows contempt for parental authority, a diluted and frequently empty curriculum, and an educator workforce driven by political beliefs and a misguided understanding of human nature. For numerous parents, this was sufficient motivation to explore different educational options.
The valuable and exceptional writings not only teach but, possibly more crucially, motivate readers to lead virtuous Christian lives. … [T]hese works either look ahead or allude to the ideal model and benchmark of righteousness, Jesus Christ.
This primary appeal, however, is not the sole — nor enduring — reason for parents. For numerous families, Catholic classical education provides a more compassionate and enriching approach to learning. Beyond its readiness to reveal the expansive realms of human intellect and its heartfelt encouragement for students to emulate the life of Christ, Catholic classical education possesses several other distinctive characteristics that both parents and students appreciate. To keep it concise, below are four aspects of Catholic classical education that set it apart from the conventional modern classroom.
Primarily poetic
Fundamentally, Catholic classical education is a formation in reality. It familiarizes students with what metaphysicians refer to as “being,” or what scholastics previously termed “esse,” and it instructs them to simply marvel at the depth of reality. Instead of aiming for a mere theoretical technical proficiency of an object, classical education prioritizes igniting a natural fascination and joy in a subject. This perspective necessitates a receptive openness to the creative splendor of all existence. This unhurried approach accomplishes three critical objectives: (1) it restores the troubled modern spirit, (2) it enriches the moral imagination, and (3) it cultivates the aesthetic sensibility. All three are exceedingly essential today, and parents are eager to discover schools capable of providing this type of “poetic” education.
Intentionally integrated
Parents are actively searching for educational institutions that provide a holistic approach to learning. A disheartening aspect of contemporary secular education is its disunity. Adhering to particular philosophical and teaching trends, modern education splits the learner from the curriculum, and removes the enlightening and energizing influence of faith from both. Conversely, a Catholic classical education strives to heal these artificial divides and presents a cohesive formation across all three dimensions. It deliberately blends the practices of sound reasoning with the practices of virtuous living. It offers a tested course of study (typically the artes liberales), which provides learners with the ability to accurately interpret and comprehend the entirety of reality as a coherent whole. Finally, it underscores the transformative and unifying influence of faith in determining how one perceives and how one lives.
Specially Socratic
The specific educational approach commonly employed at many Catholic classical schools is also greatly desired by parents. Most classical educators implement what is frequently referred to as the Socratic method. Rather than a lecture-oriented style of teaching (consider Professor Grandgrind in Dickens’ “Hard Times,” who is depicted as a “canon … loaded with facts” and ready to obliterate his students from the “regions of childhood”), instructors at classical schools engage in discussions with their pupils. Reflecting the teaching methods of both Socrates and Christ, teachers pose open-ended questions to foster significant dialogue regarding the timeless truths found within the material under study. This method necessitates that students develop independent thinking skills, becoming proactive participants in their own education rather than mere passive recipients. Consequently, the educational strategy employed in Catholic classical schools encourages students to assume responsibility for their own thoughts, words, and actions; thereby, it draws the students closer to authentic human freedom.
Lavishly liturgical
The Catholic historian Christopher Dawson once stated that “the great civilizations of the world do not generate the great religions as a sort of cultural by-product; in a very real sense the great religions are the bases upon which the great civilizations stand.” The same applies to schools. The vigor of any educational institution is intertwined with and grounded in its religious traditions. Catholic classical schools possess — at their heart — a strong liturgical life. The liturgical practices of a school connect everything — belief and logic, ideas and actions, the natural world and science, pupils and educators, saints and transgressors — into a unified and cohesive whole. This fellowship reaches its peak in the Mass, which represents the ultimate way of knowing and loving and serves as both the conclusion and initiation of genuine education. Catholic classical schools recognize this and make significant efforts to offer regular, beautiful, respectful, and joyful liturgies.
Certainly, there are numerous distinctive features of classical education in the Catholic tradition: its strong focus on music and the arts, its attractive teacher-to-pupil ratio, its frequently unique governance system, its incorporation of classical languages, its culture of active parental engagement, its Salesian method of discipline, to cite just a few. However, the four mentioned above are the most frequently cited when parents are inquired about their reasons for contemplating enrolling their children in a Catholic classical school.
| POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION |
|---|
 “No Catholic school can be effective without dedicated Catholic teachers, convinced of the great ideal of Catholic education. The Church needs men and women who are intent on teaching by word and example — intent on helping to permeate the whole educational milieu with the spirit of Christ. This is a great vocation, and the Lord himself will reward all who serve in it as educators in the cause of the word of God. “In order that the Catholic school and the Catholic teachers may truly make their irreplaceable contribution to the Church and to the world, the goal of Catholic education itself must be crystal clear. Beloved sons and daughters of the Catholic Church, brothers and sisters in the faith: Catholic education is above all a question of communicating Christ, of helping to form Christ in the lives of others. “In the expression of the Second Vatican Council, those who have been baptized must be made ever more aware of the gift of faith that they have received, they must learn to adore the Father in spirit and in truth, and they must be trained to live the newness of Christian life in justice and in the holiness of truth. “These are indeed essential aims of Catholic education. To foster and promote them gives meaning to the Catholic school; it spells out the dignity of the vocation of Catholic educators. “Yes, it is above all a question of communicating Christ, and helping his uplifting Gospel to take root in the hearts of the faithful. Be strong, therefore, in pursuing these goals. The cause of Catholic education is the cause of Jesus Christ and of his Gospel at the service of man.” — Pope St. John Paul II, speaking to the National Catholic Educational Association of the United States at the Vatican on April 16, 1979 |
Spring in the Diocese of Tulsa
Surprisingly, the revival of classical education that is progressing across the country has discovered a welcoming environment in the Diocese of Tulsa. Over the last five years, the eastern region of Oklahoma has experienced a flurry of initiatives that can generally be categorized under the concept of “classicism.” Alongside the reestablishment of Holy Family Classical School, the Diocese of Tulsa has also recently converted another parochial K-8 institution to a classical educational framework. Sts. Peter and Paul will provide a liberal arts curriculum to its primarily Spanish-speaking student body starting in the fall of 2024. The presence of two classical schools within a diocese might not seem notable to many larger sees across the U.S., yet for Tulsa, it signifies an impressive 30% of its parochial institutions that adopt a classical approach. Moreover, there exists a substantial and highly engaged diocesan-affiliated K-12 homeschooling cooperative that employs a thoroughly classical curriculum. Furthermore, in the fall of 2024, the Diocese of Tulsa, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, will inaugurate St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Charter School, the first state-funded religious school in the nation, with an anticipated first-year enrollment of 500 students.
At the college level, the diocese has recently embraced the Catholic thinker Jennifer Frey, who has been entrusted with overseeing the newly created Honors College at Tulsa University. The Honors College provides a two-year great books program that, while not explicitly Catholic, is nonetheless inspired by the profound wisdom legacy of the Church.
Finally, the Diocese of Tulsa has opted to broaden the classical method not just in its educational institutions but also within its parishes. Through the work of the Alcuin Institute for Catholic Culture, the diocese provides a formation for all its parish instructors (teachers, catechists, deacons) that is classical in nature concerning both approach and content.
Ultimately, the classical renaissance taking place in the Diocese of Tulsa serves as an example for other dioceses and a sought-after destination for Catholic parents looking for a classical education model where their children can meet Jesus Christ and experience his life-changing love and truth in a profoundly genuine manner.
