In the world of classical education, including the Catholic sector, the challenge is logistical. We have institutional models such as the Chesterton schools, which opened sixteen new sites last September. Lots of donors are out there, too, angels who recognize the needs and understand the long-term impact of multi-year formation in the Catholic tradition. Most of all, we have parent demand, which confirms the adage “If you build it, they will come.”
The challenge is to find enough personnel to meet the demand and justify the donations. We need administrators and teachers trained in and committed to the Catholic way. Last fall I toured schools in a diocese out West, invited by Church figures interested in “classi-cizing” the curriculum. At one point, I sat down with a dozen English teachers to talk about literature, Gen Z, and the works they assigned. It was a dismaying conversation.