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I attended a conference last summer with the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education at Catholic University of America. This summer, I will be returning to provide a breakout session entitled Classical Schools and the New Evangelization. The President and Founder of ICLE, Michael Van Hecke, made a comment at the conference that continues to resonate with me. 

In the quest to measure the quality and success of an educational program, there are so many data points available to schools. Do standardized test scores verify mission success? Is student behavior the best prism to gauge whether...

This week I have been blessed to spend time in our kindergarten. I have been moved and stunned by the simple and unbridled joy with which they view--- everything! It is a joy borne of God, that revels in His creation. Whether it is grace before meals, or prayers of thanksgiving at the end of the day; their petitions are heartfelt and sincere. The world is viewed with wonder and awe. They are quite simply, an inspiration of pure faith.

Each day they write warm and complimentary notes to one another, which are delivered during mail time at the close of day.  The original drawings and honest gre...

Dear Families,

Parenting is no easy or simple task. Now that my own children are reaching the age of reason (7), I am quickly learning the new challenges that will unfold between 2nd grade and high school graduation. 

Perhaps the biggest challenge is projecting: projecting how one act or habit now predicts good or negative outcomes ten years down the road; projecting our own experiences either from childhood or even now as adults onto our children; projecting the values of the world into the souls of our children; and finally, projecting anything besides God's plan for our children into decis...

I was recently listening to a podcast that struck me to the core. I love the variety of Catholic podcasts so easily available now. I listen when I do my morning stretches, as I drive to and from work, or when folding laundry. It is a wonderful way to learn, to laugh, and to explore new ideas.

There are podcast for every niche audience. Those made by women, for women, celebrating the wonderful work of women; by lay ministers who love the Marvel Universe and bemoan the struggles of modern parish work -- caution: they are Franciscan alumni!; by my idol Bishop Robert Barron -- (ask your children ...

Mount Royal Academy recently partnered with Northeast Catholic College to offer a three-week internship experience for aspiring teachers. Both schools are affiliated with the Cardinal Newman Society, and MRA is one of the first ever Ambassador Schools for the Catholic Honor Roll. 

The geographic proximity of the campuses, coupled with a record a nationally recognized excellence in Catholic education, contributed to this most fitting partnership. 

NCC has long been included in the Newman Guide, which "recommends Catholic colleges and universities because of their commitment to a faithful Catho...

Last Saturday, I attended my daughter's first Reconciliation.

Early on, when Jubilee asked me where 'momma' went, I would say that she went to say sorry to Jesus.

I often express how I need to get myself to the penalty box. I was once a hockey player, so the image seems apt, but in another sense, it doesn't really capture the beauty of the sacrament.

God never quarantines us in a desolate space to punish us for our inability to love Him. That would be just selfish, an attribute inconsistent with and entirely inappropriate to God.

The problem is, we often send ourselves to the penalty box: we ...

How often do you hear of a Catholic school that is growing?

We all know the story by now: Declining enrollment in Catholic schools has brought about widespread closure and consolidation of what were once evangelical centers of academic and moral excellence.

But do we know how the story ends? No. We do not know what will happen with our Catholic schools, but we do know that with the eyes of faith, God will make all things new again.

This season of lent is a fitting time to look at Catholic education through the prism of redemption, as our current climate in the Church also positions a particul...

Last Friday I was privileged to journey to Montreal, joining fellow staff members in pilgrimage to St. Joseph’s Oratory, in thanksgiving for the journey which gave birth to Mount Royal Academy 25 years ago. Walking through the enormous main basilica, I was full of awe at the magnitude of all the blessings God has showered on this community over the years. Kneeling at the altar of the tiny, original, chapel I sensed the amazing scope of the dream our founding families possessed. Looking up I was surrounded by rows of crutches and canes, tokens of miracles granted through the intercession of S...

The field of clinical psychology peaks my interest. Of late, I have been reading and seeking out the perspectives of people who really encounter serious sadness and tragedy in others, trying to assess how I can even improve my own mindset. 

There is an adage that often gets thrown around to capture what happens when someone who feels extremely wronged or confused: "perception is reality". This is peculiar to me because it means we don't share any common experience of what is happening around us; instead, our personal experience of what is happening is what determines what really happened.

In ...