In his essay “On Lying in Bed,” GK Chesterton writes, “It is the great peril of our society that all its mechanisms may grow more fixed, while its spirit grows more fickle. A man’s minor actions and arrangements ought to be free, flexible, creative; the things that should be unchangeable are his principles, his ideals. But with us the reverse is true; our views change constantly; but our lunch does not change. . .”
Chesterton’s insightful observation continues to remain relevant even to this day. We can see its truth simply by looking at our educational system. Even Catholic schools have, at times, grown forgetful of the great ideals that are consistent with faith, reason, beauty, and truth and that organically come together like a tapestry to bring meaning to our existence, purpose, and passion. Our very humanity hinges not only on temporal things but more importantly on our eternal destiny.
Last month, I was able to see first-hand how the Chesterton Schools Network (CSN) palpably embodies this truth as it strives to recover an authentic understanding of Catholic education. From February 21-23, 2024, our group - the Friends of Chesterton Academy of Massachusetts - attended the Discovery Days cohort training by the Chesterton School Network held at Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family in Lisle, Illinois. For these three days, we witnessed the ways the CSN has lived out their mission and vision. The mission to evangelize through education is the heart of every Chesterton Academy. As the educational arm of the GK Chesterton Society, an canonical association of the lay faithful recognized by the Vatican, the Chesterton Schools Network remains authentically faithful to the Magisterium. The CSN articulates a clear vision of a Chesterton Academy graduate: a joy-filled Catholic, well formed in mind, heart, and spirit, living out its ideals of character, intellect and integrity. With this solid foundation in place, over 70 schools worldwide are set to operate in 2024.
While at Discovery Days, we were privileged to see the joyful and loving family culture of the Holy Family school, its students and faculty, and the expertise and professionalism of the Chesterton School Network team. We were able to attend the school’s solemn daily Mass, watched the students practice ballroom dance and make art, and were able to tour the school. We dove into the details on our own next steps in building our campus, consistent with the Network’s values and mission of excellence, faithfulness, and joy. We were also sumptuously fed by the school’s family supper club: we highly enjoyed the deep fried Chicago-style pizza! Most importantly of all, we were inspired to be among the fourteen other schools who are preparing to open in 2025.
We returned home from Discovery Days with a new name and a revitalized mission, and since then we have been filled with JOY! As another founding member reminded us, joy is about “serving Jesus first, loving and leading others, and offering yourself in prayer, service, and cheerfulness.” As members of the founding team of Chesterton Academy of the Immaculata, we pledge to pursue our mission in this spirit of joy as we bring this new school to life.
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