Nearly 80 people gathered Sept. 4 at the Center for Pastoral Leadership for a program on the benefits of classical Catholic education.
Presented by the First Friday Club of Cleveland, the event featured a panel discussion moderated by Mike Wisnor, president of Incarnate Word Academy in Parma Heights. The panel included Vincent De Luca, head of school at St. Brendan School in North Olmsted, the first school in the Cleveland Diocese to adopt the classical model. Other panelists were John Biernacki, board chair at St. Brendan, and Jacob Halusker, the Latin, etymology and world cultures teacher at IWA, who also teaches upper-level Latin at St. Brendan.
The lunchtime discussion began with De Luca providing a definition of classical education along with concrete examples of what constitutes a classical curriculum versus that of a traditional Catholic school. One big difference he cited centered on how each lesson begins with a “logos statement” that interconnects all subjects through reason and faith.
“For example, if students are being asked to read and comprehend a particular piece of text, then the logos statement would say that God gave us language so that we can communicate and love each other. And that is why we will learn to read and comprehend this text,” DeLuca said.
Wisnor, who was interim head of school at St. Brendan when the school announced its plan to begin implementation of the classical model in the 2024-2025 school year, added that another big component is the introduction of etymology in early grades and the start of Latin classes in sixth grade. Biernacki said the most important element he sees is the interconnectedness of every subject and how it all relates back to God.
Audience members asked several questions at the end of the discussion including what resources are available to other Catholic schools that might want to consider incorporating elements of the model or in adopting the entire curriculum. DeLuca said St. Brendan is more than happy to share lessons they have learned. He also pointed to the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education as another resource.
“I feel like the panel was designed to whet the appetite to the enormous benefits of classical Catholic education,” DeLuca said. “I think we did a very good job of that by saying the things that you would see, tangibly, that are different, but to also understand the full philosophy of it. There are things in this world that do not change. They are transcendent and are based upon the truth, beauty, and goodness that God gives us through Jesus.”
The next First Friday Club of Cleveland program, “The Order of Malta: A Legacy of Service,” will be Oct. 2 at the Center for Pastoral Leadership in Wickliffe. Click here for more information or to reserve a seat.