This article originally appeared in the Seat of Wisdom Newsletter, Winter 2000–2001.

More than forty years ago, in a series of lectures delivered at the Catholic University of Lublin, Auxiliary Bishop of Cracow Karol Wojtyla taught: "This is the purpose of education, both the education of children and the mutual education of adults: seeking true ends, that is, real goods, as the ends of our actions, finding ways to attain them, and showing these ways to others." Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy is developing a curriculum that satisfies the purpose of education envisioned by the tradition of the Church, which the future Pope John Paul II succinctly summarized.

In the Academy's present one-year curriculum, five courses are dedicated to giving students a basic understanding of God as He revealed Himself: two year-long courses in Christian doctrine, and semester-long courses in scripture and apologetics, Church history, and magisterial thought.

At first glance the rest of the courses in the Academy's curriculum might not seem to be as important. Latin, logic, and philosophy might be interesting and good of themselves, but what are they in comparison to theological studies? After all, even St. Thomas observed, "Man's good consists in the knowledge of truth; yet man's sovereign good consists, not in the knowledge of any truth, but in the perfect knowledge of the sovereign truth." Why waste time, which might be devoted to the study of sacred subjects, on "secular" learning?

St. Thomas provides the basis for answering this question in his examination of the vice of curiosity. One form of curiosity is: "when a man studies to know the truth above the capacity of his own intelligence, since by so doing men easily fall into error." One improperly prepared for study may fall into error by misunderstanding the material. On the other hand, one who has developed appropriate study habits and acquired prerequisite knowledge will derive much greater profit. Therefore studies that enhance a student's ability to grasp the highest subject enhance rather than diminish a properly ordered curriculum.

Philosophy provides the student with a basic grasp of the order of creation. Consequently the Church has long held that the study of sound philosophy is a necessary prerequisite for theological study of any depth. Logic examines the reasoning process and thus allows students to think more efficiently, to critique the thinking of others, and to express themselves more clearly. The study of Latin enhances one's awareness of grammar, thus allowing one to make finer distinctions in one's own thought and to notice the distinctions in the thought of others. Hence the more "secular" courses enhance the teaching offered in the more "theological" courses.

A program which integrates a solid intellectual foundation with a solid study of the faith penetrates the truths of the faith in a deeper way than one which concentrates exclusively on "spiritual" studies, precisely because the more acute the mind, the deeper the penetration. The formation of the mind has the added benefits of enabling the student to better explain the faith to others, as well as preparing him for further academic studies. While the Academy is pleased to be able to offer our present one-year program as a means of forming young adults, we hope to extend the program to a full four years, since a fuller program would lay a deeper intellectual foundation, which in turn will allow the mysteries of the faith to be studied, lived, and proclaimed in a far richer manner.