What is a Classical Liberal Arts Education?

What is Classical Education?

If you’ve spent any time researching education for your child(ren), you may find that there is a resurgence of “classical education.” You may find yourself asking, “What exactly is classical education?” You’re not alone. In some ways, defining classical education is as difficult as defining what it means to be Catholic. No two individuals will have the same answer and no short definition can suffice. Some common ways to describe a classical liberal arts education include:

  • An education based on the Seven Liberal Arts - Made up of the Trivium (Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric) and the Quadrivium (Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy)

  • Joining the “Great Conversation” through the “Great Books” - Judged by their influence, these enduring works of literature are considered great because they help man enter into the conversation about what is true, good and beautiful.

  • The study of the classical languages of Latin and Greek

  • The pursuit of the Transcendental: Truth, Goodness, & Beauty

  • Teaching students how to learn, or developing the “tools of learning” (Dorothy Sayers)

In the words of the classic liberal arts scholar, Christopher Perrin, one potential definition for classical education is:

“A traditional approach to education that blends Christian theology with the historic curriculum and pedagogy of the seven liberal arts in order to cultivate societal leaders characterized by wisdom, virtue and eloquence.”

A Truly Catholic Education

“There can be no true education which is not wholly directed to man’s last end. There can be no ideally perfect education which is not Christian education.”

— Divini Illius Magistri, 7

Education is not simply acquiring information to pass a test, to earn a degree, and prepare for a job. As the Catholic Church has said in her many documents, true Catholic education is about formation of the human person, whole and entire, as a being made for union with God. Any education that falls short of this ultimate end, cannot be a true education.

At the heart of a Catholic liberal arts education is the task of forming both faith and reason in each student so that they may attain this ultimate end. “Liberal” comes from the Latin word libre, which means free. As such, this liberal arts education frees students to know, love, and serve Christ joyfully in this life so that they may be happy with Him forever in heaven. A Catholic liberal arts education, therefore, includes the pursuit of excellence in the moral life and the formation of the will through the development of virtue. Separated from Christ, the life of virtue is incomplete. Virtue certainly does support a free and flourishing society, but it falls short if this life of virtue does not also point towards Heaven, man’s true homeland. In addition to the pursuit of excellence in the moral life, a Catholic liberal arts education also pursues the formation of man’s other faculty - the intellect. Some of the greatest Catholic minds were borne through a liberal arts education. In addition to theologians, such as St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas or Pope Benedict XVI, the Church has produced other great minds as well: the mathematician Copernicus, the scientists André-Marie Ampère, Gregor Mendel, and Louis Pasteur, musicians Johann Bach and Ludwig von Beethoven, and novelists Dante Aligihieri, G.K. Chesterton, and Flannery O’Connor - just to name a few.

For a Catholic education to form students in both faith and reason, it must not only provide a rigorous curriculum, but the whole of the Catholic School, including its culture and the rhythm of daily life, must revolve around the person of Jesus Christ. All truth proceeds from Him, and therefore all subject matter--from arithmetic to grammar, literature to science, from philosophy to religion can lead back to Him.

Additional Resources

Christ, the Teacher

There’s much that can be said about a classical liberal arts education in the Catholic tradition! We invite you to explore some of the resources below to learn more.

The Institute of Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE) - Per their website, “The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education inspires and equips Catholic educators to renew today’s Catholic schools by drawing on the Church’s tradition of education, which frees teachers and students for the joyful pursuit of faith, wisdom, and virtue.”

The National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools (NAPCIS) - Per their website, “The mission of the [NAPCIS] is the solidarity, strength and security of small schools teaching the Catholic Faith. NAPCIS seeks to assist in providing for the spiritual and academic growth of our nation’s Catholic school children, all directed to the greater honor and glory of God and the perpetuity of His Church on Earth.”

The Cardinal Newman Society - Per their website, “the mission of The Cardinal Newman Society is to promote and defend faithful Catholic education.”

  • Tune into their podcast for good conversation on all things Catholic education!

An Introduction to Classical Education - A Guide for Parents by Christopher A. Perrin, M.Div., Ph.D. (Classical Academic Press)