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According to St. Thomas Aquinas, philosophy is the work of reason seeking to understand the order of things. Wisdom, he explains, is the perfection of our faculty of reason, and the task of the wise man is to set things in order. While our senses can know individual material things, only reason is able to understand how things relate to one another and how they are directed to their proper ends or purposes. There are two main kinds of order that reason considers. The first is the order of parts within a whole—for example, how the different parts of a … Continue

Welcome to the Classical Liberal Arts Academy My name is William Michael, and I’d like to welcome you to the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. If you’re looking for a timeless, trustworthy and affordable source for Catholic education—whether for your children or for yourself—you’ve come to the right place. I Founded the Academy with My Wife in 2008 My wife Dania and I founded the Academy in 2008. I’ve been working as a Catholic educator and classicist for over twenty years. My wife Dania is a homeschooling mother of ten children and provides support for homeschooling families studying with us. Together, … Continue

The Quadrivium is the second part of the seven classical liberal arts. Whereas the three arts of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric make up the Trivium, the final four arts—Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy—make up the Quadrivium, and together these form the complete classical liberal arts curriculum. The arts of the Quadrivium are the ancient mathematical arts, ordered to the study of Quantity, which is the second of the ten Categories of being identified by Aristotle. These arts were studied throughout history to prepare students for the study of philosophy and theology. In modern schools, mathematics is studied for practical purposes. … Continue

The Trivium is the first part of the classical liberal arts curriculum. It consists of three arts: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. These are the arts of human language. They were studied in the schools of classical antiquity and the Catholic Church and served as the foundation for all higher learning. In modern educational circles, there is great confusion because modern schools do not even mention the Trivium or teach these arts, and a fake classical education movement has led students away from the true study of Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric. The term “Trivium” has been misused. In the twentieth century, … Continue

In times of social confusion and spiritual instability, many turn to ancient Stoicism in search of personal peace and direction. My own spiritual journey began with Stoic philosophy. The writings of Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius are rediscovered and quoted as if they offer a comprehensive philosophy of life. Their counsel is admirable in many respects and is better than any modern alternatives. Stoicism calls man to self-discipline, clarity of mind, and rational control of the passions. It reminds him that he is not a victim of fortune, and that true dignity lies in governing oneself according to reason. Marcus … Continue

In the contemporary world, Catholic adults are increasingly surrounded by a continuous stream of content—books, podcasts, online lectures, videos, and social media commentary. Much of this content, while often well-intentioned, is consumed in a disorganized and passive manner. The result is not intellectual formation but fragmentation. Catholic men and women may pursue occasional readings in theology or philosophy, watch a few lectures on sacred Scripture or the lives of the saints, or quote well-known lines from Marcus Aurelius or St. Augustine. Yet without a coherent framework of study, these pursuits often fail to produce real understanding or moral transformation. The … Continue

Sunday, July 13Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary TimePsalter Week III Monday, July 14Monday of Week 15 in Ordinary TimePsalter Week IIIOptional Memorial: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin Tuesday, July 15Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the ChurchProper of SaintsPsalter: Common of Pastors or Doctors Wednesday, July 16Wednesday of Week 15 in Ordinary TimePsalter Week IIIOptional Memorial: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Thursday, July 17Thursday of Week 15 in Ordinary TimePsalter Week III Friday, July 18Friday of Week 15 in Ordinary TimePsalter Week IIIOptional Memorial: Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest Saturday, July 19Saturday of Week 15 in Ordinary TimePsalter Week IIIOptional … Continue

Children Are Not Meant to Be “Out of the Way” One of the quiet temptations in family life today is the urge to keep children “out of the way.” A parent, overwhelmed by daily work or distracted by the pace of modern life, may look for ways to keep children quiet, still, and out of trouble. In such moments, a screen—bright and silent—seems a gift. A tablet or phone placed in the hands of a fussy child can calm the room and give a parent time to catch up, think clearly, or just sit still. But this habit, though understandable, … Continue

In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, students are often required to demonstrate their mastery of assigned readings by composing written outlines. These outlines are not mere assignments to be completed for a grade; they are meant to prove that the student has read the text thoroughly, understood its structure, and studied it with attention and care. An outline that is well composed shows both the form and the content of a text, and it allows the teacher to see clearly whether the student has truly understood what he has read. The first step in writing such an outline is to … Continue