A Catholic Education
Pope John Paul II has written that "Christians today must be
formed to live in a world which largely ignores God or which, in religious
matters... too often flounders in a debasing indifferentism.... To
‘hold on’ in this world, to offer to all a ‘dialogue of salvation’
in which each person feels respected in his or her most basic dignity,
the dignity of one who is seeking God, we need a catechesis which
trains the young people and adults of our communities to remain clear
and consistent in their faith, to affirm serenely their Christian
and Catholic identity... that they can be witnesses to Him in a materialistic
civilization that denies Him..."
The Holy Father continues by saying that "the most valuable gift
that the Church can offer to the bewildered and restless world of
our time is to form within it Christians who are confirmed in what
is essential and who are humbly joyful in their faith.
More than any other program of education sponsored by the Church,
the Catholic school has the opportunity and obligation to be unique,
contemporary, and oriented to Christian service. Unique because it
is distinguished by its commitment to the threefold purpose of Christian
education and by its total design and operation which foster the integration
of religion with the rest of learning and living. Contemporary because
it enables students to address with Christian insight the multiple
problems which face individuals and society today. Oriented to Christian
service because it helps students acquire skills, virtues, and habits
of heart and mind required for effective service to others."
In conformity with the U.S. Bishops’ pastoral letter To Teach as
Jesus Did, Mariamante stands apart from other private schools
since the Catholic faith forms our foundation and serves as the integrating
element for all of the other subjects taught here.
An Ignatian Education
In 1982 the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education issued Les
laics Catholiques ("Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith")
which stated that "each Catholic school can preserve its own
specific character, spelled out in an educational philosophy"
or rationale and called upon lay Catholics to try to understand the
special characteristics of such a school and the reasons that inspired
them. Mariamante Academy has selected the Ignatian methods and objectives
of education as the basis for its educational philosophy which are
described in the school’s "General Statement of Educational Philosophy"
which was adapted from the "General Statement of Philosophy of
the American Jesuit High School."
As a result, Mariamante provides an education that is based on the
traditional "Ignatian Model" which recognizes the primary
importance of the student’s spiritual and intellectual formation.
Named after St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of
Jesus (the Jesuits), this approach fosters an intelligent obedience
to authority; the Christian habit of mind (through its emphasis on
classical literature); habits of orderly thinking (through the study
of languages); competency in the art of expression; respect for the
significant contributions of the past; leadership, particularly in
religious activities; and loyalty and devotion to the Holy See.
In accordance with the Ignatian Model, Mariamante holds that the pupil
is endowed with intellect and will, and has other spiritual as well
as physical capacities and needs, which it is the function of education,
in cooperation with the student, to actuate and fulfill. Pursuant
to the Academy’s Philosophy Statement, it is the duty of the school
to develop the memory through practice (language study, acts of history,
nature, etc.); to assist the student in awakening and controlling
sense observation (through descriptive writing, audiovisual aids,
study of inflected languages, reading, etc.); to aid the student in
the development and discipline of the imaginative faculty; to help
the student master the mechanics and techniques of expression; to
further the development of the student’s power to think grammatically,
i.e., the development of natural logic through the study of language;
and to promote the student’s character and training of the will.
Mariamante assists parents in training the student’s three powers
of the soul, memory, understanding and will. Self-activity, mastery
of progressively more difficult materials and the formation of the
will through conscientious
application of study habits are inherent in the Ignatian method since
one of its goals is to help the student become a responsible human
being, able to cooperate with the Holy Father’s mission of lay evangelization
in the world.
A Mariamante Education
Mariamante Academy’s education is a "liberal" one because
of its broad areas of study, including Religion (knowledge of God
and His revelation), Science and Mathematics (what God has made and
holds in His material creation), Philosophy (knowledge of man in his
love for truth), History and Culture (knowledge of man’s achievements)
and Languages. It is also "Catholic" because our faith,
mediated by the Magisterium of the Church, gives light, direction
and meaning to all that we do. At Mariamante the student is assured
of an education based upon Catholic principles.
The fundamental goal established for the Academy’s work in education
is to help parents lead their children to the knowledge and love of
God. Accordingly, our first concern at Mariamante is the development
of a truly Christian character in the student. Therefore, instruction
in religious truth and values is an essential part of the school’s
program ( both our Catholic and non-Catholic students are required
to take religion class and participate in the Academy’s liturgical
life). Religion is not just one more subject alongside the rest, but
instead, is the foundation upon which the student’s experiences of
learning and living achieve their coherence and deeper meaning.
According to our General Statement of Educational Philosophy, the
Academy’s curriculum provides for the progressive mastery of materials
which constantly challenge the developing capacities of the student.
This curriculum stresses formational more than informational subjects
and is integrated by a common, Catholic Christian philosophy which
permeates the entire curriculum. Thus, during each year at Mariamante,
lessons originally taught in the religion class can easily reappear
in an English, History or even a Science class.
Through its program of religious instruction and formation, Mariamante
can strengthen the students’ faith and prepare them for life in the
world, with the end of transforming it by their example in both word
and deed. Thus, while considering their levels of maturity, socialization
and intellectual development when tailoring its overall program of
formation, the Academy expects certain types of behavior and dress
on the part of its students, while prohibiting those contrary to the
ideals and spirit of the school.
Students must be willing to work intellectually, discipline themselves
morally, and come to take their place responsibly in a Christian community
of learners.
Mariamante Academy
P.O. Box 8453
Fredericksburg VA 22404
(540) 361-7007
mariamante@verizon.net