Our Charter

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE CHARTER  

(updated 14-Apr-23)  

Preamble  

The Goal of Education  

The Goal of Education at Saint Catherine of Siena Educational Institute is God and the  attainment of heaven by forming that culture of the mind, the will and the emotions, which disposes man to achieve an excellent life here below, leading to the one above.  As Pope Pius XI says: “Education consists essentially in preparing man for what he must be and for what  he must do here below, in order to attain the sublime end for which he was created.  Christian education takes in the whole aggregate of human life, physical and spiritual, intellectual and moral, individual, domestic and social, not with a view of reducing it in any way, but in order to elevate, regulate and perfect it, in accordance with the example and  teaching of Christ.” (Divini Illius Magistri, Encyclical on the Christian Education of Youth)  

Because education must lead to man’s ultimate goal, the religious and moral part of  education comes first and foremost: formation of minds to the truth, formation of the will  to good, formation of the faculties and passions to virtue. This is achieved through the cultivation of strong good habits which the future adult will practice for life.  As such, habits  cut through every part of a child’s day and every influence that she is exposed to: the culture in which she lives and breathes.  That is why all culture must be truly Catholic.  

Duties of the Parents  

“Parents are under a grave obligation to see to the religious and moral education of their  children, as well as to their physical and civic training, as far as they can, and moreover to  provide for their temporal wellbeing.” (Code of Canon Law 1917, Canon 1113)  This serious obligation belongs to the parents first and foremost, because the law of nature is that those who bring a new child into the world are to lead it to the perfection of adulthood.  Pope Pius  XI stressed the necessity of a Catholic home to attain true education: “In order to obtain perfect education, it is of the utmost importance to see that all those conditions which surround the child during the period of his formation, in other words that the combination of circumstances which we call environment, correspond exactly to the end proposed.  The first natural and necessary element in this environment, as regards education, is the family and this precisely because it so ordained by the Creator Himself.  Accordingly, that education, as a rule, will be more effective and lasting which is received in a well-ordered and well  disciplined Christian family; and more efficacious in proportion to the clear and constant  good example set, first by the parents, and then by the other members of the household.”  (Divini Illius Magistri)  

Unity Between School and Parents  

“The school is by its very nature an institution subsidiary and complementary to the family  and to the Church.  It follows logically and necessarily that it must not be in opposition to, but in positive accord with those other two elements, and form with them a perfect moral  union, constituting one sanctuary of education, as it were, with the family and the Church.  Otherwise, it is doomed to fail of its purpose, and to become instead an agent of  destruction.” (Divini Illius Magistri)  

Thus, the teachers act in loco parentis.  Their real authority over the children comes from  the parents. “Perfect schools are the result not so much of good methods as of good  teachers, teachers who are thoroughly prepared and well-grounded in the matter they have to teach; who possess the intellectual and moral qualifications required by their important office; who cherish a pure and holy love for the youths confided to them, because they love Jesus Christ and His Church.” (Divini Illius Magistri)  

Practical Shared Vision  

Saint Catherine of Siena Educational Institute, following this teaching of the Church, is precisely founded “to create a structure whereby the participating home-schooling families can educate their children together.” (Charter, i)  In order to provide this true education envisioned by the Church, it is an indispensable condition that the same understanding of the goal of education be held by each family: that it is education for the ultimate goal, that it is a shared education between school and family and that the same standards must apply both in school and at home.  That these principles may be supported in practice, and that the work of one family may not be undone or diluted by another, each family must agree also to the following:  

1) Faith. Each family must be truly Catholic, living a real Catholic Life at home by  the attendance at the Mass of all time, by family prayers and aiming at virtue.  They must reject the errors of Modernism, Sedevacantism, Feeneyism, etc.  

2) Culture. In The Death of Christian Culture, John Senior says this of culture: “All  the paraphernalia of our lives [...] has this end: Christian culture is the cultivation  of saints.” That is why this culture must be truly Catholic. Each family must  promote wholesome culture which nourishes the children in a healthy soil.  Because there is so much for a Catholic parent to prohibit, it is of the greatest  importance that parents provide alternatives to contemporary cultural diversions  and pressures. This can take some research and perseverance, but there are many  activities, books, music genres, films, plays, concerts, fashions and hobbies that are  wholesome and accessible to families. Three dominant cultural influences parents  must dutifully monitor are listed below:  

• Television/Internet (Netflix, YouTube, etc.) Television distracts people from  other and better things, producing passivity and even lethargy in the viewer, and  conditions the watcher to all sorts of moral deviances by constant exposure to the  same as shown in the news, portrayed in films and displayed by celebrities of every  kind on and off the screen. At worst, the television is a direct occasion of sin, often of  impurity. A child raised in a television environment will necessarily be affected by it.  She, in turn, will affect those around her and this influence, the fruit of a worldly and  anti-Catholic media, will be one of bringing this influence to other impressionable  souls in the classroom. That is why the parents, as a rule, will not allow television or 

streaming off the internet.  

• Pop music and Popular culture in our days is profoundly detrimental to virtue.  To quote Father Malachi Martin, “There is not the slightest implication even  of true morality in what is passed as entertainment today.”  Pop groups are formed based on sex appeal and sensual lyrics and music; popular talent shows contain immodesty and a false understanding of talent.  Through all this runs the spirit of worldliness which seeps into the soul. The celebrities which are made here are therefore not role models; they are said to be celebrities because they are beautiful and rich.  These things are popular because they readily appeal to our fallen nature, which looks for self-gratification and fame.  But because pop culture is the “in thing,”  it takes great strength of character for children to resist any peer-pressure in this  matter.  Under ‘pop music,’ we can classify the sorts of music which tend to impoverish rather than ennoble the human spirit.  The slushy, sentimental love song  can be just as culpable in this regard as the overtly satanic rock music, or the rap which celebrates criminality and the others which promote “permissive” views on  free-love, drugs and defiance in general.  

• Dress  In our days, immodesty in dress is the acceptable norm but it is a danger to chastity.  Pope Pius XII insisted that, as Catholics, we should not run after fashions which are forever changing, and which pay scant regard for norms of decency.  Families as a whole must encourage modest dress and not allow immodest dress in their homes, especially short skirts, low-cut tops as well as clothing which is so tight  as to be immodest.  Trousers for girls and women are not permissible, as they blur the differences between the sexes; they may be worn only exceptionally in cases of necessity.  

Charter  

i. The project is a ‘homeschool co-operative project’ which is a group of families  coming together to share resources in the education of their children. The purpose  of the project is to create a structure whereby the participating homeschooling  families can educate their children—partly together and partly through their individual efforts, as well as with the help of a hired teacher(s).  

ii. Faith: Students must be from practising Traditional Catholic families. Catechism in  particular and all subjects will be taught in the traditional manner with Our Lord at the  centre of all things. A respectful piety will be encouraged in all children and brief prayers such as a Morning Prayer, the Angelus, Grace Before and After Meals will be  said in class. The parents of the students must be willing to accept the authority of and the administration of the Sacraments from an SSPX priest.  

iii. Government: The project will be governed by a Board of Management comprising  the teachers and some of the parents, and an SSPX priest of the New Hamburg  priory. The current Chairman of the Board is Father Marcel Stannus. If the number  of participating families is greater than four, for reasons of efficiency, the number of  parents on the Board of Management may be limited in the future. In this event, only  founding members and parents who have participated in the project for more than a  year would be eligible for election to the Board of Management. The SSPX Prior shall  fill the role of Chairman of the Board of Management. The purpose of the Board of  Management is to strategically direct the project, in terms of fulfilment of its  objectives. The Chairman, in a case of disagreement, after listening to the views of all  parties concerned, if no agreement is forthcoming, is empowered to and shall make a  decision on the issue(s) in question.  

iv. Age of Commencement and Leaving Age  

The St. Catherine of Siena Educational Institute runs from Grade 7 through Grade  12.  The level of competency which a student should have before commencing  participation in the project is the successful completion of Grade 6 academic level.  

v. Risk: Parents accept that they send their children onto the property of the rental location at their own risk. 

     vi. Standards of Dress - as per below:  

vii. Students must attend all classes, in person and online.  

viii. Disciplinary Protocol: In disciplinary matters, the teachers should act as they see fit  in the first instance; if they judge it necessary, they will secondly approach the  parents to work out a common approach to a particular issue; if this proves  ineffective, they will refer the matter to the Chairman who will consult with the  teachers and the parents involved. In serious cases, he shall be empowered in  consultation with the teachers to take serious disciplinary action such as  suspension or, in the gravest cases, expulsion.  

ix. Curriculum and Materials: The choice of books, timetable and other materials and  arrangements will be proposed by the teaching staff who will make their  proposals to the Board of Management for discussion and ratification by the Board  

   x. Homework: It is the view of the teachers that homework (to re-enforce work already  covered in class) is an essential part of the education program in order for a child  to progress satisfactorily in her studies and reach her potential. All students will  be expected to do the set homework and their parents will be expected to assist  this program. The participation and interest of the parents in their  child’s/children’s education is essential. Students will not succeed in school  without the knowledge that their work ethic, attitude and interest in their studies  are important to their parents. Parents must ensure that their children have the  time, environment and help they need to succeed while also checking that their  children are keeping up with their work.  

  xi. Extra Work at Home: It is recommended that if a child is very strong in a  particular subject (rather than the parent moving the child ahead in the    textbook used in class) parallel extra work should be conducted at home; the  classroom environment will become disordered if children of the same age are  at different places in the same book. 

xii. Payment of Fees: “If you’re in - you’re in for a year” – once parents decide to  participate in the project and a child or children is/are enrolled, the parents must  make the commitment to pay the fees for a full academic year. This is because the  costs of the project must be borne and one family pulling out a child or children  part of the way through a year would place a burden on the remaining parents.  Fees must likewise be paid even if a child is sick or on holidays. Fees are payable  promptly by the end of each month for the next month.  For example, September  fees would be due by August 31.  

xi. Tuition Days Per Annum are a minimum of 144  

xii. Mobile Phones, Electronic Games or Cameras are not allowed on school property.  Teachers will confiscate these items if found. Internet connected devices such as  smartphones require a great amount of self-discipline to master.  Not only do they pose a distraction from the goals of the Co-op, as stated in the Preamble, but they are also a possible grave danger to the soul.  Consequently, no student of the Co-op is to have their own cell phone either at the Co-op location or at home.  Video games are not permitted during the school term, on account of the damaging effect  that they have on studies.  The use of a camera may be allowed by permission for  particular occasions.  

 Footnote: This charter also applies to all children and parents of children who are  not participating in the Co-op Project but might attend activities at the project premises, insofar as the individual parts of the Charter are relevant or applicable to them.