Latest from the Newman Society

girl in chair reading

Arlington Bishop to Homeschooling Families: “Thank You”

An American bishop stood strong last week in support of Catholic homeschoolers, just days after some bishops at the Youth Synod in Rome reported comments that were offensive to homeschool parents. On Friday, Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington celebrated his second annual Mass for homeschooling families. The Diocese reported […]

Homeschooling mom and child

Synod Report Displays Ignorance About Homeschooling

At the Youth Synod in Rome this week, one of the bishops’ discussion groups made some disappointing and ignorant comments about Catholic homeschoolers. It’s a sad reminder that, while homeschooling seems to be gaining support from many bishops in the United States, other bishops here and abroad have yet to […]

books

10 Poems Everyone Should Learn by Heart

The world is so full of a number of things,I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings. Considering how much unhappiness there is in the world today, there might be a temptation to dismiss this poem and its ilk as an optimistic delusion. There is a sad tendency […]

John Dewey and Progressivist Education

Despite its dominance in philosophy and scientific inquiry, Enlightenment empiricism would have but minimal practical effect upon education until it manifested itself powerfully in a philosophy of education—progressivism —that came to prominence during the early years of the twentieth century. Progressivism was largely founded by the thought and labor of […]

McCarrick

Editorial: Infidelity, Dissent and Scandal—from McCarrick to Catholic Education

In light of the terrible scandals confronting the Church in recent days, may we (once again) propose a key part of the solution to widespread infidelity, dissent and scandal? We propose the renewal of faithful Catholic education. The Church has been repeatedly wounded by the predatory, criminal and obscene abuse […]

college campus

It Never Was About Anything Else

More than fifty years ago, a group of prelates, priests, and cherry-picked leaders in Catholic higher education published the so-called “Land O’ Lakes Statement,” a declaration of independence made on behalf of Catholic colleges from the oversight of, and from influence by, the Holy See, local bishops, and the magisterium […]

30 Years Later, Notre Dame Has Learned Nothing

Proving that they’ve learned absolutely nothing from the scandal when they honored President Barack Obama in 2009, the University of Notre Dame recently honored former Indiana Gov. Joseph Kernan with one of its highest honors despite his public advocacy for the legalization of abortion. The university honored Kernan with its […]

What Would A Justice Kavanaugh Mean for Catholic Education?

The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court Justice has ignited storms of protests from the left, mostly centered around the issue of abortion. But another issue promises to be the focus of some harsh questioning in the near future — Catholic schools. I’ve long believed that the fate […]

Homeschooling as a Means to Rebuilding Catholic Culture

The following was originally given as a talk to the Calgary Catholic Homeschooling group. My wife and I have been teaching our kids at home for about eight years. I recall vividly when the idea of educating at home turned into a conviction. We were back in Saskatchewan, newly married, […]

Trojan Textbooks: Beware of Government Bearing Gifts

New Mexico’s Supreme Court is reconsidering a 2015 ruling which ended the state funding of textbooks for private schools. Is this good news? As a publisher of textbooks produced specifically for Catholic schools, I am conflicted in answering the question. On the one hand, state money provides a large well […]

Choosing a Catholic School Begins with Mission

With Catholic Schools Week upon us (Jan. 28-Feb. 3), families are invited to recommit to Catholic education and register their children for the upcoming school year. Others who are exploring Catholic schools may benefit from a new Parents Guide to understanding the nature and benefits of a faithful, excellent Catholic […]

clash with police

Why We Teach Catholics the Truth

The argument for faithful Catholic education is most apparent in humanity’s worst moments. It’s then that we realize how greatly our culture needs men and women full of virtue, wisdom, and reverence to help lead us to God. And we need Catholic homes, schools, and colleges that form young people […]

The Land O’ Lakes Statement Has Caused Devastation For 50 Years

In hindsight, what they did was appalling. But when several Catholic university leaders gathered in the summer of 1967 at a remote retreat in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin, did they fully anticipate the consequences of their vision for “modern” Catholic education? Hopefully not. It was 50 years ago, on July […]

Aquinas College

Nashville Dominicans Turn Focus Entirely to Teacher Formation

A few years ago, Sister Mary Sarah Galbraith, OP, and her team at Nashville’s Aquinas College set out to build a four-year, traditional college by expanding disciplines beyond nursing and education and building a residential campus. In many respects, they found significant success, and their accomplishments suggest real opportunities for […]

Student Group Big

Bishop Flores: What Every Catholic Kid Needs for School

Does “Catholic education” begin in Catholic schools—or is there something more foundational? Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, has an intriguing answer. Last week, in his St. Hildegard Lecture at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, Bishop Flores argued that there are “habits of the soul” that, when developed “prior […]