Classical Education: Should Catholics Believe in It? | The Simpleton Podcast

***Corrections:***

• While St. Jerome Academy (SJA) is an Archdiocesan parish school, St. Jerome Institute (SJI) is an independent school formed by the same ideas (and some of the same people) behind the SJA curriculum and Montessori programs. SJI cannot officially call itself a "Catholic School" yet, since  canonical recognition from the Archbishop has not yet been obtained.

• In an earlier version of this description, the explanation of the St. Jerome Academy Book Club was confusing. The error has been corrected.

• Dr. Gibbons wanted to correct his error: during the conversation, he accidentally called the Vatican II ressourcement movement "risorgimento" (which was the political movement for Italian unity)! Please excuse the error.

---

Catholic school attendance numbers are rising for schools using a Classical Education curriculum (sometimes referred to as Liberal Arts Education or Liberal Education).

What is it, and why is it taking the world of Catholic education by storm?

Dr. Daniel Gibbons, Board President of St. Jerome Institute in Washington D.C. (and an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in English at The Catholic University of America) joins Clark and Laura to talk about Classical Education and its place in Catholic schools.

In this episode:

• What is Classical Education?

• The Great Books movement and its relationship with a Catholic liberal education

• How does a Classical Education change its students?

• Is a Catholic liberal education for everyone?

• What makes a great and effective teacher?

---

The Society for the Renewal of the Catholic Mind is a program created by St. Jerome Institute dedicated to fostering intellectual community beyond the classroom, particularly for friends, parents, and supporters of SJI. More information can be found at https://stjeromeinstitute.org/society/

As mentioned in the podcast, the St. Jerome Academy Book Club is a collection of works endorsed by SJA as beneficial reading selections for children. You can find the list at https://sjabookfair.com/sja-book-club/

To learn more about St. Jerome Institute, St. Jerome Academy, and the Catholic Classical Education model, visit https://stjeromeinstitute.org/

---

The Simpleton Podcast is also on Rumble and Odysee! You can watch the latest episodes of The Simpleton Podcast by going to:

Rumble: rumble.com/user/asimplehouseU

Odysee: odysee.com/@asimplehouseU

You can also find the video version of this episode on YouTube. Just search "The Simpleton Podcast", or go to https://youtu.be/OKfOHwLAeGw

---

Like, subscribe, share the podcast, and most of all, send us your feedback! Send us an email at asimplehouse@gmail.com with the subject line "The Simpleton Podcast Feedback".

A Simple House is a Catholic ministry that serves project and Section 8 neighborhoods in southeast Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Our Catholic missionary work involves meeting people in their neighborhoods and in their homes. Missionaries strive to meet the material and spiritual needs of the poor. While missionaries serve at A Simple House, they live a simple religious life. Each missionary attends daily Mass, says morning and evening prayer from the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours, and makes time for personal prayer and scripture study.

To learn more about A Simple House and The Simpleton Podcast, visit asimplehouse.org. You can also follow us on these platforms:

YouTube - A Simple House: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6LYNoV7AFGhKP4LR0Qqgnw

YouTube - A Simple House U (home of The Simpleton Podcast): https://youtube.com/asimplehouseu_2022

Facebook: @asimplehouse

Instagram: @asimplehouse.catholic