Skip to main content

The Catholic Intellectual Tradition

Explore Topics

Raphael's "The School of Athens"

Faith and Reason at the University

When faith and reason are properly understood, it becomes clear not only that do they not contradict, but also that faith has a central role to play in the project of higher education.

Fra Angelico's "St. Benedict"

Saint Benedict and the School of Life

Saint Benedict taught us that the key to living a rich, full, and useful human life is to keep our eyes fixed on the things of God.

Peter Paul Rubens's "Saint Ignatius of Loyola"

The Jesuit Ratio Studiorum

The Ratio Studiorum was founded on the conviction that faith embraces and completes the best that the world has to offer.

El Greco's "Christ Heals the Man Born Blind"

The Six Ages of the Western Church

Historian Christopher Dawson recognized within the life of the Church six distinct "Ages," each possessed of a unique origin, distinctive achievements, and Age-ending crisis.

"Annunciation," by Gentile Da Fabriano

Friendship with Truth

The vocation of the university professor is comprised of two essential elements: stewardship for truth and a responsibility to the souls entrusted to his or her care.

"Ince Hall Madonna," byJan Van Eyck

Philosophies of Education

Every educational program demands a specific image of the human person and human flourishing and is founded upon a particular philosophical – even theological – understanding of the world.

"Flight into Egypt," by Gentile Da Fabriano

Origins of the University

The medieval university was founded as an expression of the Christian imaginative vision. As the anthropological bases of society grow more confused, universities face identity crises.

"Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" from the Ghent Altarpiece, by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck

Foundational Principles of a Catholic University

Catholic and secular universities are founded upon strikingly different assumptions concerning the existence and action of God, the proper bases of knowledge, and the doctrine of the Fall.

"Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin," by Rogier Van Der Weyden

Attitudes and Practices of the Catholic Professor

The Catholic university professor has received a high calling, requiring an attitude of service to truth, service to others, and an apostolic impulse.

Giotto, Francis Gives His Mantle to the Poor Man

The Social Teaching of the Church

What is Catholic Social Teaching, and why is it important? Why should Catholic teaching have anything to do with society?