NEW VIRTUE CURRICULUM FOR PAX CHRISTI STUDENTS
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC | By MEG WATERS
SR. MARY PERPETUA, LEFT, AND SR. JOHN DOMINIC JOIN DR. CHRISTINA ARELLANO, PRESIDENT OF PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES, FOR A PHOTO AT ST. ANNE PARISH SCHOOL IN SANTA ANA. PHOTO BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
If academic excellence was the only metric of success in school, traditional Catholic education would appear to be no different from secular.
However, Catholic education emphasizes the development of strong moral character alongside academics. Theologian and doctor of the Church St. Thomas Aquinas noted that obedience driven by fear does not cultivate the virtues and values children need to make sound moral decisions throughout their life. Instead, Aquinas believed that virtue is cultivated through love, reason and practice. Pax Christi Academies is committed to teaching children how to live a virtuous life and has turned to the experts: Sr. John Dominic Rasmussen, OP, co foundress of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Recently 60 Pax Christi teachers gathered at St. Ann Parish School in Santa Ana to learn how to model the core Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love, as well as the Cardinal Virtues of Justice, Temperance, Fortitude and Prudence.
TEACHERS AT THE “DISCIPLE OF CHRIST EDUCATION IN VIRTUE” PROGRAM SHOW OFF THEIR BOXES OF VIRTUE. PHOTO BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
The teachers adopted a new curriculum to incorporate virtue in every aspect of education at the five Pax Christi schools in Orange County to help students build a virtuous life. The program is called “Disciple of Christ Education in Virtue,” and it teaches the language of virtue, which Sister calls a habit that enables us to know what is true and love what is good. The program encompasses 28 virtues, including both theological and cardinal virtues, and emphasizes practical application through “virtue spotting” and meaningful feedback. For the past 10 years the program has been implemented in more than 13 dioceses across the country, beginning in Sacramento. The program aims to enhance school culture and address social-emotional learning needs.
“We need to teach and support the teachers to live virtuous lives, so they can model it for the children,” said Sr. John Dominic.
The program started when she was a principal of a school and had asked the teachers to teach virtue, but they didn’t know how to do it.
“So, fair enough, I challenged them to develop a curriculum with me. Parents also wanted me to bring a secular anti-bullying program, so we combined it with another program Catholic Social-Emotional learning which is based on the virtues,” Sr. John Dominic said.
She and her team have developed resources for the teachers to use, and her team then visits schools to explain and share ideas from teachers across the country. Every principal and teacher knows their students, so the program serves as a framework that educators can craft to be most effective.
“It’s about learning the language of virtue – I felt the vocabulary of virtue just fell away,” Sr. John Dominic said, “and I’m passionate about bringing it back.”
The program is outlined on the website OpenlightMedia.com. In it there are online courses for students, teachers and adults. A free “VirtueQuest Strength Survey is available to take to find a person’s Virtue strengths.
