An Opportunity to help Catholic Education

John Paul the Great Academy

There are very few more prudent cultural investments than excellent primary education. See John Senior's books The Death of Christian Culture, and The Restoration of Christian Culture. See also Pope Pius XI's "Divini Illius Magistri," and his "Rappresentanti in terra, both on the subject of Christian education.

I learned this week that a traditional Catholic K-12 school, John Paul the Great Academy in Lafayette, Louisiana, is facing a dire financial crisis, and could be forced to close. If you would like to help out the school, please visit their website and click on the "Support JPG" tab.

An opportunity to study orthodox Catholic theology

At Called to Communion I posted a link to two lectures recently given by Professor Lawrence Feingold on the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon. As usual, these lectures are outstanding both historically and theologically. In my opinion, Professor Feingold is one of the premier Catholic theologians in the United States. (See the latest issue of The Thomist for responses to his book The Natural Desire to See God According to St. Thomas Aquinas and His Interpreters.) And yet his lectures are clear and accessible even to those with very little theological training. This, in my opinion, is an additional mark of a good theologian.

If you are looking for an opportunity to deepen your understanding of Catholic theology or become qualified to take on some pedagogical role of service in your diocese or parish, and would like to study under Professor Feingold and other well qualified and orthodox Catholic theologians, consider taking classes in the Institute for Pastoral Theology (IPT) through Ave Maria University. The IPT is currently accepting applications for the Master of Theological Studies degree program for classes beginning in August 2010. Classes meet one weekend per month in various locations around the US, ten months each year. Deadline for applications is June 1, 2010. For further information, visit their web site at www.ipt.avemaria.edu.