Our Model of Education
the three pillars
Our goal is to form joyful, generous, faithful and confident Catholic leaders prepared for community life and mission in the modern world. Inspired by Saint Pope John Paul II, we take as our motto Cultura Vitae, the culture of life, as our students triumph over the materialism and despair that pervades our culture to have life and have it abundantly. We do this with a classical curriculum that combines a broad, liberal arts education with a strong emphasis on the development of Christian virtues and an appreciation of beauty. Through our Three Pillars Model, we form our students in:
Intellect
We teach the classics of Western thought from physics to philosophy, and the interrelationship of the great ideas; teaching students not merely what to think but how to think.
Character
We help students grow in the four cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice, which we believe are the foundation of leadership.
Spirituality
Our students come to understand and embrace the truth of why they exist: to know God, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and be happy with Him forever in the next.
Our Patrons:
G.K. Chesterton and St. Philip Neri
Chesterton Academy of St. Philip Neri is named for the great English writer and Catholic convert, G.K. Chesterton (1874- 1936), and the 16th century Italian priest and Second Apostle of Rome, St. Philip Neri. Chesterton and Neri are models for our school because they exemplified the Catholic Faith through a life filled with joy, wonder, and gratitude.
G.K. Chesterton
Chesterton was considered one of the world’s most outstanding men of letters in the early 20th century. An accomplished essayist, novelist, and poet, he wrote hundreds of books, poems, and essays on all different topics. In 1922, he shocked the literary establishment by converting to Catholicism. He was later eulogized by Pope Pius XI as “a gifted defender of the faith,” and there is presently a popular movement to have him canonized. The school has chosen him for its patron because he not only represents the fullness of Faith and reason, but also Catholic joy and common sense.
St. Philip Neri
St. Philip Neri embodied holy humor and the responsiveness to his times which was rare during the Counter Reformation period. He was “a sign of contradiction, combining popularity with piety against the background of a corrupt Rome and a disinterested clergy: the whole post-Renaissance malaise.” His fearlessness combined with a joyful “practical commonplaceness” make him the perfect companion to Chesterton for our work of raising up joyful, well-rounded, young Catholic adults. As St. Philip was wont to say, "let me get through today, and I shall not fear tomorrow."
The Chesterton Schools Network
Chesterton Academy of St. Philip Neri is part of the Chesterton Schools Network based in Minneapolis. A collaborative venture of the American Chesterton Society and Chesterton Academy, the Chesterton Schools Network aims to inspire and encourage parent-led Catholic schools across the nation. The Network offers consulting services; templates for evaluating interest and operating a school; and the Chesterton Academy curriculum framework. By the fall of 2022, there will be 50 Chesterton Academies throughout the USA and overseas, with that count jumping to 70 by the fall of 2023.
Discover Chesterton Series
