Why Classical Catholic Education Matters Today
As we enter Quarter 2 and find new rhythms in the school year, it’s a fitting moment to reflect on the higher purpose of the education we offer at Saint Joseph Academy. Our approach—classical and Catholic—is part of a rich tradition dedicated to forming the whole person, not just filling job roles or imparting technical skills.
This month, Dr. Jonathan Sanford, President of the University of Dallas, published an article for First Things that beautifully articulates these goals and ends. His insights remind us what makes our schools unique and why this vocation matters today.
As Dr. Sanford says, the reigning assumption in higher education is often that the purpose of college is to produce workers, not persons; technicians, not thinkers. This utilitarian mindset has crowded out the great tradition of liberal learning—education that frees the soul by opening it to truth, wisdom, and virtue.
A truly liberating education does what its name implies: it liberates. Catholic, classical education seeks the harmony of faith and reason and refuses to reduce itself to market utility. The genuine task is the formation of free and virtuous persons who can fully engage with the world as citizens and children of God.
Confident Catholicism welcomes honest dialogue, never wavering in fidelity to the magisterium, and always inviting students to seek truth in community. Education here is more than gathering information—it’s about entering a meaningful narrative, becoming pilgrims rather than tourists, experiencing transformation instead of mere accumulation of skills.
Beauty, festivity, and wonder are not luxuries in classical education. They express our deepest longing for the eternal. The “inefficiencies” of small classes, reading the Great Books, sharing in beautiful traditions, and study abroad experiences are not obstacles but catalysts for true human flourishing.
At Saint Joseph Academy, we educate so our students may be free to think, love, and worship—so they may seek wisdom, live virtuously, and ultimately glimpse the divine. As the Church Fathers taught, our destiny is nothing less than theosis—becoming “fully alive” to the glory of God.
This is why classical Catholic education matters today. Anything less is unworthy of what it truly means to be educated.
To read Dr. Sanford’s full article, visit First Things.
