The education provided at St. Gregory’s is not to form the intellect alone, but to form the whole man, including the will. Life at St. Gregory’s presents to the will certain goals and ideas which it can desire and to which it can direct its energies. By presenting Christian virtues to the young, not only is the imitation of Christ set as a goal, but also the aim of acquiring the virtues as a habitual state of soul. Virtue is rule over the exterior and interior senses. It is not a crushing control, but a rational control of human emotions. The aim of St. Gregory’s is not only to teach virtuous control of the emotions, but also, and primarily, to awaken emotions and then refine them through virtuous practice.
At St. Gregory’s, an attempt has been made to create an island of traditional faith, of fellowship, and of Christian culture. Elsewhere, boys are routinely overwhelmed by pressures of secularism, corruption, and the diminution of religious morals. St. Gregory’s educational philosophy sets it apart from most schools and this is due to a belief at its core which is both profound and simple. It is the belief that if a boy is removed from the pervasive influence of popular culture, exposed to good and beautiful music, literature, and art, is engaged in sport and wholesome recreation, presented with the noble deeds and moral examples of history, invited to participate in the immemorial forms of worship of the Catholic Church, and provided with the affirmation and discipline of Catholic adults and peers, then that boy will learn, over time, to take pleasure in what is good and to despise what is evil: the true mark of a virtuous man.
But the truest mark of a virtuous man is that he has attained the habit of virtue. A boy can be forced into virtuous action and, like a puppet, perform the required virtuous actions, but what happens when the strings are cut? A virtue must be presented in an attractive way so that, when the situation arises, the boy will be moved to desire upright action and so form the habit of choosing what is right. The community life of St. Gregory’s gives the boys a unique opportunity to recognize and exercise the social virtues and to serve God and man through love of neighbor and deepen their faith through the traditional perspectives and practices of Catholic life.
Naturally, since the students are adolescents, the practice of virtue is sometimes a struggle: virtue is not attained in a day or holiness without a lifetime’s effort. But with the combination of their desire to grow closer to God and the instruction, guidance and sacraments the Academy provides for them, then, with the prayers of our Blessed Mother to help us, the boys will all work together for the glory of God and the extension of His Kingdom upon the earth.
