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The selection above is a musical setting by Claudio Monteverdi for evening prayers (vespers) on the eve of Marian feast days. Monteverdi lived from 1567 to 1643, and composed this work 1610 and dedicated it to Pope Paul V. Monteverdi is important for us as we consider the restoration of classical Catholic education and the real-life challenges we face a parents and students. The patron saint of students is St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who lived from 1568-1591, dying at age 23. Catholic parents often speak of “raising saints” as if this is a matter of choosing. The truth, however, is that … Continue

The following is taken from Thomas Taylor’s “Theoretic Arithmetic” (1818)[efn_note]Taylor, Thomas. Theoretic Arithmetic. (1818) https://classicalliberalarts.com/resources/Theoretic_arithmetic.pdf[/efn_note] Arithmetic is to be learned the first of the mathematical sciences, because it has the relation of a principle and mother to all the rest. For it is prior to all of them, not only because the fabricator[efn_note]See: https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=fabricator[/efn_note] of the universe employed this as the first paradigm of his distributed intellection[efn_note]See: https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=intellection[/efn_note], and constituted all things according to number. But the priority of Arithmetic is also evinced by this, that whenever that which is prior by nature is subverted, that which is posterior is … Continue

In this lesson, we study chapter 21 of Book I of the Latin Grammar of Emmanuel Alvarez. This is a translation of chapter 21 of Book I of the Latin Grammar of Rev. Emmanuel Alvarez, S.J., by William C. Michael l. Genitivus pluralis declinationis primae, secundae ac tertiae interdum, praesertim a poetis, minuitur, quam imminutionem Graeci “syncopen” vocant. The Genitive plural of the declension first, second and third sometimes, especially by (the) poets, is abbreviated, which abbreviation (the) Greeks “Syncope” call. The topic of this lesson is simply the use of syncope, or “abbreviation”, in Latin, where the normal plural … Continue

A Lion, a Heifer, a Goat, and a Sheep once agreed to share whatever each might catch in hunting. A fine fat stag fell into a snare set by the Goat, who thereupon called the rest together. The Lion divided the stag into four parts. Taking the best piece for himself, he said, “This is mine of course, as I am the Lion;” taking another portion, he added, “This too is mine by right—the right, if you must know, of the strongest.” Further, putting aside the third piece, “That’s for the most valiant,” said he; “and as for the remaining … Continue

You have pulled the kids out of school. Now what? This is a situation being faced by many Christian parents as the problems in modern schools force them to take actions they must take, but never planned to take. Removing the kids from school is an important first step, but now the challenge of homeschooling begins. Ini this talk, I discuss what parents need to do after they’ve pulled their children out of school and are ready to begin homeschooling. Tell us about what’s going on in the lives of your children affects you when the children are young. But … Continue

Transcript Today is Tuesday, November 30, and this is William Michael, of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. I received a question from a friend this morning that I think is an important question that I don’t believe I’ve I’ve talked about much. I think it’s a topic that may cause confusion, and really may be the source of a lot of the confusion that surrounds classical education. Why are there these fake classical Christian school programs, why is there this wacky talk about “stages of learning”? I think this may may really get at the heart of this issue. And … Continue

In this lesson, we study chapter 6 of Book I of the Latin Grammar of Emmanuel Alvarez. This is a translation of chapter 6 of Book I of the Latin Grammar of Rev. Emmanuel Alvarez, S.J., by William C. Michael. To complete the objectives of this lesson, complete the following tasks: Study the lesson for mastery. Complete any memory work listed below. Complete the lesson quiz until a passing score is earned. Complete the lesson assessment. Lesson I. Nomen positivum sive absolutum est quod rem absolute simpliciterque significat, ut magnus. parvus. Translation: A positive (or absolute) noun is that which … Continue

In this lesson, we study verses 6-10 of the first chapter of the Gospel of St. John. ANALYSIS 6 Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ θεοῦ, ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης: Ἐγένετο (egeneto): verb, 3rd, sing, aor, mid, ind = “there was”ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos): sub, nom, sing, masc = “man”ἀπεσταλμένος (apestalmenos): part, nom, sing, masc, perf, pass = “sent”παρὰ (para): prep (gen) = “from”θεοῦ (theou): sub, gen, sing, masc = “God”ὄνομα (onoma): sub, nom/acc, sing, neu = “name”αὐτῷ (autō): pron, dat, sing, masc = “for him”Ἰωάνης (Iōanēs): sub, nom, sing, masc = “John” 7 οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός, ἵνα πάντες … Continue

In this lesson, we will continue our study of Latin Grammar, focusing on the various classes of adjective nouns. To complete the objectives of this lesson, complete the following tasks: Read the lesson once through to become familiar with the content to be studied. Study the lesson carefully, taking notes, as you work to master the content of the lesson. Learn the translation of all of the Latin rules in Alvarez’s Latin Grammar. Complete any assigned Memory Work in the lesson. Review the lesson for mastery. Complete the lesson Assessment. Lesson In the last lesson, we learned that Nouns can … Continue