William C. MichaelWilliam C. Michael

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P., is the founder and headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy and a Lay Dominican in the Catholic Church. Mr. Michael received an honors degree in Classics and Ancient History from Rutgers University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He led the CLAA to accreditation with Cognia in 2024. He has been studying and teaching the classical liberal arts for over 30 years.

Should We Obey Our Conscience or Church Authority?

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Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, theologians and faithful alike have wrestled with the relationship between conscience and Church authority. In an age that champions personal autonomy and moral subjectivism, the tension between obeying one’s conscience and submitting to the Church’s authoritative teaching seems greater than ever. However, within the Catholic tradition, these two demands are not contradictory. Properly understood, conscience and Church authority are ordered to the same divine truth and are complementary rather than contradictory. To understand this relationship, we must consider three authoritative sources of Catholic teaching: the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), the Summa … Continue

Obedience and Disobedience: The Virtue That Builds and the Vice That Destroys

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Part I. The Benefits of Obedience Obedience is a word that many people today misunderstand. Some hear the word and think only of rules, restrictions, or the loss of freedom. But for those who understand the wisdom of the Catholic faith, obedience is not something to be feared—it is something to be loved. Obedience is a virtue that brings peace to the soul, harmony to society, and order to the entire universe. In this article, we will explore the benefits of obedience from a Catholic perspective. We will see how this virtue—when rightly understood and freely practiced—leads to happiness, holiness, … Continue

Ray’s Arithmetic: Its History, Arrangement, Content, Method, and Use in the Classical Liberal Arts Academy

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A Forgotten Treasure Restored in Classical Catholic Education In today’s digital age, few children encounter mathematics in the same way children did just 150 years ago. But in the 19th century, before calculators and screens, students in America learned arithmetic through a simple yet profound system called Ray’s Arithmetic. More than a collection of textbooks, Ray’s Arithmetic is a method, a philosophy, and a tool of formation. Today, the Classical Liberal Arts Academy is restoring this time-tested program in the context of authentic Catholic education, placing it within a full liberal arts curriculum that respects both reason and divine revelation. … Continue

Traditionis Custodes: Pope Francis and the Restoration of Liturgical Unity

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In July 2021, Pope Francis issued the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, a document that signaled a decisive moment in the ongoing liturgical development of the Roman Catholic Church. At its core, the document represents not an arbitrary restriction of liturgical freedom but a deliberate response to a long and complex historical process that has unfolded since the Second Vatican Council. To understand Traditionis Custodes in its proper context, it is necessary to look back over the developments that preceded it, particularly the temporary accommodation of the pre-conciliar liturgy, the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI, and the feedback received from bishops … Continue

Understanding the Foundations of Logic with Porphyry

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Why Understanding Words Like “Genus” and “Species” Matters To begin with, we need to understand why Porphyry wrote this short work called the Introduction, or Isagoge in Greek. Porphyry was a philosopher in the third century after Christ, and he wanted to help readers approach the Categories of Aristotle—an important work in ancient logic. But this wasn’t just for the sake of abstract thought. The ideas in the Categories help us define things, divide them into groups, and understand how we come to know the truth. Because of this, the Catholic Church has found great value in these concepts and … Continue

 A Catholic Understanding of Units, Accuracy, and Scientific Precision

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Introduction: Wonder Begins with a Question Every scientific inquiry begins when we stop and ask a question. How far away is that star? How heavy is this rock? How fast is that bird flying? These questions don’t belong only to scientists. They belong to anyone who notices the world and wants to understand it. For Catholics, this kind of wonder comes from our belief that God made the universe with wisdom and love. The Bible tells us that God arranged everything “by measure and number and weight” (Wisdom 11:20). That means the world is not random or chaotic. It is … Continue

The Baltimore Catechism: A Legacy of Catholic Faith and Formal Catechesis

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Introduction: Why the Baltimore Catechism Still Matters When we speak of catechesis in the Catholic tradition, we are referring to a sacred and structured effort to hand down the teachings of Jesus Christ. The word “catechesis” comes from the Greek word katecheo, meaning “to echo” or “to resound.” It captures the Church’s mission to proclaim and explain the faith clearly and faithfully across generations. Among the great tools the Church has used in this mission, the Baltimore Catechism holds a prominent place, especially in the history of Catholic education in the United States. In an age of educational confusion and … Continue