Sean Fitzpatrick (’02) Shares Four Principles of Catholic Education

In a recent article for the National Catholic Register, Sean Fitzpatrick (’ 02), assistant headmaster and co-founder of Gregory the Great Academy in Elmhurst Township, Pennsylvania, lays out four principles of classical Catholic education that have helped the school succeed for over 10 years.

Founded with St. John Bosco’s teaching methods in mind, Gregory the Great Academy provides its students with a classical education, daily observance of the Divine Liturgy, and practical skills such, as animal husbandry and farming. The school also holds true to the four guiding principles that Mr. Fitzpatrick shares with the Register’s Michael Mastromatteo:

• “Children are happier without smartphones and video games.”
• “Teaching, as Salesian founder St. John Bosco emphasized, is a form of friendship.”
• “Education should form the whole person — body and soul, nature and supernature, healthiness and holiness — shaping a man ‘in full’ in the direction of a saint.”
• “Education is best achieved when it’s exciting, enchanting, captivating, and enlivened by the muses.”

Fostering discipline through love and guidance rather than fear, Gregory the Great Academy strives for “technological poverty” to help students avoid distractions and see the world beyond a screen. It aims to promote a love for Christ through literature and the fine arts, producing young men of intellect, character, and faith.

“What we offer is geared as a next step in maturation,” says Mr. Fitzpatrick, “and to look to friends and mentors for formation in rites of passage that are often missing in our insulated society.”