Image: Hans Holbein the Younger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
If you happened to be a fly on the wall in a particular little classroom near Christchurch, NZ, in October 2024, you may have seen a group of children, age eleven to thirteen, listening to lectures on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Barrie’s Peter Pan, and Collodi’s Pinocchio, and discussing these books. If you happened to be a fly on the wall in the next room, you would have been among high-school aged children, learning about and discussing the works of Bronte, Lewis, Chesterton, Tolkien, and Austen. And if you happened to be a fly on the wall for a little longer, you may notice that this also occurred in 2023, and is scheduled again in 2025.
These intensive study courses are an initiative of the St Thomas More Trust, an organisation “for the promotion of liberal arts within the classical tradition across all age groups.” (Facebook page) The St Thomas More Trust brings the liberal arts to New Zealand, helping to educate people in a way that will form their minds and strengthen Faith. Besides discussing sound Catholic Theology, the students at the intensive attend Mass. All members of the founding committee are parents of large Catholic families, eager to provide their children with a solid, Catholic education. Many of the attendees and organizers of St Thomas More Trust events are homeschooled students and their parents.
Speakers at events have included Dr. Paul Morrissey, President of Campion College, Dr. Stephen McInerney, Dean of Studies at Campion College, Ben McCabe, Founder of Augustine Academy, Eliza McCabe, lecturer at Augustine Academy, Dr. Robert Loretz, and Steven Woodnutt. Campion College offers degrees and diplomas in liberal arts from its NSW campus. Augustine Academy is a unique institution which provides a one-year liberal arts course to high-school aged students.
After a successful year of 2024, including the intensive course, a literature workshop delivered by Dr. McInerney, and an event for Catholic secondary school teachers, the St Thomas More Trust is planning some wonderful events for 2025. You can read more on their website or follow them on Facebook, to learn more about how they help educate and form local Catholics of all ages.