September 1990 Print

A Letter from the Dominican Sisters of France

Since our settling at Fanjeaux in 1975, Archbishop Lefebvre has on several occasions asked our Superior General, Mother Anne-Marie Simoulin, to found schools in America; schools where Christian teaching and education are given according to the spirit of the Gospel, and in faithfulness to the Church of all times. Because most congregations have become Modernist, Mother General, since 1983, has been accepting into our Congregation American girls desiring to be consecrated to God in the life of a Dominican Teaching Sister, with the thought that these Americans would return to their country when ready to open a school. Currently there are seven American Sisters, and two postulants are to enter this month.

The years have passed and this project of founding in the United States is taking shape because, God willing, we shall open this first school in September 1991, in exactly one year.

Here we wish to present to you the importance and the necessity of a Christian education, and the principles informing our task of teaching and education. We hope that this information will encourage you to enroll your children in this future school, or to support it in one way or another.

Why is it so Important to Attend Catholic Schools?

When a child comes into the world, he is far from being a man, an adult. A child does not possess the rational knowledge of good, truth, beauty; he has no inborn ideas. A child has desires, inclinations. The mind of a young child is a page on which nothing has yet been written, but on which will be marked all the images and ideas of things that he will encounter hour after hour, from cradle to grave.

What will become of this child? Everything depends upon the education he receives. Man is indeed free, but this word "freedom" must be rightly understood. Man is free, not in the sense that he has the right to do whatever he pleases, but in the sense that he is endowed with reason, and thus responsible for his thoughts and his actions before God and men. Thus man is truly free only when he is the master of his passions, when he is always ready to act in accordance with what he knows to be right. An apprenticeship in the use of freedom is necessary, and this is the role of education. Whereas a rosebush seed can grow only into a rosebush, and never into a cauliflower, the child who comes into the world will be a saint or an evil-doer according to the education he has received, following the direction in which his mind and heart have been guided.

What is Education?

"Education essentially consists in the formation of a man, teaching him what he must be and how he must conduct himself in this earthly life in order to attain his end" (Pius XI).

What is his end? The first question of the catechism provides us with the answer: God made man to know, love and serve Him in this life so as to be happy with Him in Heaven.

Man has an end, a reason for being, that is supernatural. God did not create man for the earth, but for Heaven, to share His divine life. A man must always act as a Christian in the temporal order because "he has no lasting dwelling here below."

That is why a complete education is necessarily a Christian education, and why a "Christian education embraces the whole of life in all its aspects: affective and spiritual, intellectual and moral; individual, familial and social," as Pope Pius XI wrote in his encyclical, Divini Illius Magistri. And, he continues, "...this Christian education will not diminish a man's life whatsoever; rather it will elevate it, govern it, and perfect it following the example and doctrine of Jesus Christ."

One can see the importance of Christian education, not only for each person but also for families and for the entire human community, whose perfection follows necessarily the perfection of its members. That is why one must never lose sight of the fact that the subject of Christian education is the whole person: a soul joined to a body in the oneness of nature, with all his faculties, natural and supernatural.

It is clear therefore that for a school to be Christian, the providing of religious instruction does not suffice. Rather, "...it is necessary that all the teaching, the organization of the school, personnel, curriculum, books in every subject matter, be governed by a truly Christian outlook, and that the entire formation be imbued with Christian piety" (Pius XI).

Who is Responsible for this Education?

"The task of education belongs above all to the Church which has been established by Jesus Christ as the Guardian, the Interpreter, and the infallible Teacher of Truth. It is thus an inalienable right of the Church, and a grave duty which she cannot neglect, to watch over the education of her children, the faithful, in every institution. No earthly power can legitimately oppose or impede this right. That is why, over the centuries, the Church has created a flourishing multitude of schools and institutions in all branches of knowledge" (Pius XI).

But... before going to school, the child belongs first to his family. Parents receive immediately from their Creator the mission of educating their children. Parents first have the duty of harmonizing the education they give to their children with the end for which they have received them from God. Addressing young couples, Pope Pius XII said: "Rear your children in the Faith, in the fear and love of God; infuse in them that wisdom which makes a Christian. Be their models on the path towards God."

Thus we insist absolutely on working in close collaboration with the families of our students, the school being by its nature an institution that is complementary of family and Church. The role of the school is not to replace the family but to complete it. The parents who confide their children to us do not discharge themselves from the responsibility of their children's education; rather they count on us to complete the education of their children, for whom they are primarily responsible.

How do We Go About Accomplishing this Task of Instruction and Education? How do We Apply These Principles in Our Schools?

We want, above all, to give children true culture. And what is true culture? Many people think that culture is a collection of numerous facts which can be used to impress others in conversations. But true culture is not this useless crowding of one's mind with sophisticated learning. It is the formation of one's mind according to what is true, to what is beautiful, to what is good. These values of truth, beauty and good are objective guidelines, objective because they never change (truth never changes...), and because they are from God from all time. Once firmly educated in this way, one is capable of judging the fundamental realities of life. True culture puts light and order in one's thoughts.

Forming a child's mind (by teaching) is not sufficient. This intellectual formation must shape his life (by education) and influence all his actions. The goal of teaching is to transmit truth. And truth in turn disposes a child's heart toward what is good. Education leads a child to act virtuously, according to what is good. Thus the two—teaching and education—are inseparable in the Christian formation of a child.

In addition, our schools are destined for girls and all our teaching is done in this light. Our work is to prepare in today's girls tomorrow's women; and thus, at the same time as we form their minds and hearts, we initiate them to the virtues which are indispensable to Christian women. We refuse coeducation in our schools, for God created man and woman with a nature that is complementary, not identical. The intellectual development of a boy is not the same as that of a girl. A boy's mind works more through a reasoning procedure, whereas a girl's mind is more intuitive. They must be taught the same truths, of course, but not in the same way. We must, therefore, educate them separately in order for each to learn and understand his particular mission and to acquire the corresponding virtues.

To ensure the sturdiness of future families, it is necessary to educate real men and real women. This also explains why we stress the importance of an intellectual formation accompanied by the acquisition of homemaking skills: sewing, washing, ironing... and we also ask the girls to give a helping hand in the daily chores of housekeeping, gardening, washing dishes, putting things in order.

In the hierarchy of different subjects taught in our schools, the very first place is given to Catholic doctrine. Your daughters will be taught to know, love and live their Catholic Faith. It is necessary that your children learn the truths of our Faith, as taught by Our Lord Jesus Christ, and handed down to us by the Apostles through holy Scripture and Tradition.

Philosophy will be taught in the upper grades according to the spirit of St. Thomas Aquinas, in order to arm our students' minds with Truth and thus to protect them against error. And in all grades, each subject will be taught in the light of Catholic doctrine and Thomistic philosophy.

The next highest place in our schools goes to the teaching of literature. Great authors give us an insight of human beings and help us know them, and allow us to judge man and his destiny. Through ancient and modern literary works we discover eternal values and are brought face to face with the supreme questions of truth, liberty, society, love, sin and grace.

All true culture has its origins in time but touches eternity, being built on the solid foundation of the religious Greek and Latin tradition. The Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church keeps the Deposit of the Faith in a sacred language. Learning Latin is justifiable since it is the privileged instrument chosen by the Church to teach us. It allows us to pray better in the language which best expresses the unchangeable truths of God.

When we realize the treasures contained in Latin, Greek, French and English works, we can more easily approach other cultures by studying their language and their authors. These languages as well will be studied more for the culture they offer than for their practical usefulness.

Concretely, How do we Plan to Teach Literature Here Next Year?

We are going to use texts from English literature (Dickens, Shakespeare, and Chesterton, for example) which present the true values of humanity. For the lower grades, we plan to compose a collection of beautiful sentences and poems taken from the best authors or translated from other languages; and for the higher grades, we are going to find books that encourage the serious personal thought of which we have already spoken. As for languages other than English, we plan to teach Latin and French at first, and later, Greek and perhaps Spanish.

History gives an opportunity to teach the true meaning of natural rights, of love of one's country, of the collaboration between different countries, of the subordination of our countries on earth to Christ the King. The programs of our history and geography classes will comprise the United States and the world.

Mathematics, sciences, the discovery of art, drawing and music, and physical education also have a part in our schools, but their place has not the same importance as the place that Catholic doctrine, philosophy and literature merit.

The American school system seems to leave us relatively free to choose the subjects we will teach. We will take advantage of this system to give our children the solid formation necessary to strengthen their character. Their personal school-work, too, will require of them not only a recitation of what they have learned, but also a judgment of certain points of civilization and of certain moral attitudes.

Now we can draw the conclusion of these explanations, perhaps a bit difficult, but nonetheless necessary in order to present you our apostolate. The essential ideas are summarized in the words of the Reverend Father de Chivré, a Dominican priest who assisted our Congregation when it came to Fanjeaux:

To educate a child is to dare to choose for him, in order to deliver him from his ignorance, his weakness, his personal inclinations. It is to choose according to what one knows to be Christian, that is, Christ-like. To educate is to seek the essential good of a child whatever it may cost, keeping in mind his true future: Eternity.

Everything in one's education must be marked by Faith and honor, including games, leisure time and youth groups.

This idea of education does not at all resemble education in today's schools, but this should not trouble us. Far from making your daughters into "diminished" adults, they will, on the contrary, grow up to be women devoted to their duties, women whose hearts and minds will be well formed, and who will be capable of withstanding the lies of newspapers and television, billboards and movies. They will be women who will know how to think, and who will strive to work toward the making of a truly Christian society. They will be truly happy women, because they have been freed from the slavery of what is in vogue; truly happy because the sense of effort, the eagerness to study, and the willingness to sacrifice will have overcome ease, laziness and pleasure.

These are the kind of women that the world needs... that America needs... that the Church needs. It is the role of Christian schools to prepare them.

We must not think that this is impossible, saying that "times have changed... we are no longer in the Middle Ages," for, as Father de Chivré said: "The role of the Faith is to change the times, whatever they may be."

You can see that all this represents an undertaking that can only be realized over a period of years. That is why, when we found schools, we prefer to begin by opening a primary school. Afterwards we plan to add a grade successively year by year, in order to assure this formation of which we have spoken.

As to the location of our school, we have received proposals from different places in the United States: on the East coast, near Chicago, Kentucky, Texas, Idaho... Regardless of our decision, in this vast country, a boarding school is necessary. We organize our schedule to permit students who live close enough to go home each weekend, from Friday afternoon to Monday morning. Boarding students who live farther away may stay at the school, going home less often or only at vacations. We also accept day students.

Not only do we teach our students, but we also take care of them twenty-four hours a day: in the dormitories, in the refectories, on the playground, during housework, and in the classroom. We strive to establish a family atmosphere in our schools.

Generally it is not possible for the Sisters to undertake all the teaching; that is why we are often helped by laywomen, of whom we require the same religious convictions, the same understanding of our apostolate. It is a very good thing that the girls see at firsthand the example of young women and mothers who live according to the principles we teach them at school. Otherwise, the children readily believe that these principles are good for nuns, but not for them who "live in the world."

In conclusion, we cannot tell you today what our decision will be, for we shall choose definitely only when we have seen the properties, but the decision will be taken very soon. In either case, we need your support, for we are poor. In France as everywhere in the world, in this time of extreme crisis for the Church, the work of Tradition can only come into being and develop through the generosity of the faithful. We express our profound thanks to you in advance, and be assured that in return we will offer ardent prayers to God that He bless you, your families, your children, and your country.

The novitiate will continue to be given in France, at Fanjeaux, so as to give to American Sisters the best formation possible, to establish them firmly in the Dominican tradition, to enable them to benefit from the riches of Christian civilization, and so as not to disperse our forces. For enrollments, you may write to:

 

Mother Gabriel of the Sacred Heart
Cours St. Thomas d'Aquin
Le Pare
86700 Romagne FRANCE

Donations should be addressed to:
Dominican School Fund
P.O. Box 217
St. Marys, Kansas 66536-0217