Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1911-07-01
Schools Date Back to the Time
of Our Divine
Lord.
Apostles and Disciples Were
Pupils in Original
College.
Able Essay From Pen OF Editor
of the Southern
Guardian.
CHURCH WAS REAL EDUCATOR

The Right Rev. Father ]. NJ
Lucey, V. c., of Little Rock, Ark,
editor of the Southern Guardian, in
his issue of June II published very
| able editorial on the origin and his
tory of Christian schools. 1t is worth
reading, needing and remembering.
It is seldom that a matter of this
kind is so lucidly explained, and for
that reason the Kentucky Irish
American publishes the article in its
entirety and as a matter of news.
Father Lucey writes:
The first Christian school may be
said to have been founded by Christ
our Saviour when He gathered the
apostles into his household for in
struction in the principles of his re-
ligion. As the Bible relates. they
lived with Him as one family for the
space of three years. At length He
was able to say to them, "All things
which my heavenly Father hath
given to me / have made known to
you," and "as my heavenly Father
hath sent me l now send you, AS
commissioned you, so do you like
wise, that thus my church may be
perpetuated to the end of time. AL
though these words strictly speaking
applied more to the doctrine of
Christ than to the mode of education
Of the clergy, the example of the
Saviour was followed, and the
Bishops house became an eccle-
siastical seminary. st. Peter took as
pupils Clement, Mark, Evodius and
Linus, who be became his successor.
st. John had Polycarp, Papias and
others. st. Paul had Luke, Timothy,
Titus and others. AS a rule in the
first centuries wherever there were
number of Christians Bishop re-
sided, and besides the ecclesiastical
students, the priests who were sub
ject to him, dwelt in the same house
with him. The Bishops house was
frequently styled a monastery, on ac-
count of the regularity of life OBJ
served. Rural parish priests are first
mentioned by the Council of Watson,
held in 528. But it was not until the
twelfth century that the office of
parish priest was regularly instituted
and he was given parochial indie
pendence. The first Christian school
was thus the Bishops school for tue
of priests; and natural
enough as the first pressing want was
clergy to spread the religion of
Christ. Toward the fourth century
these Bishops schools or episcopal
had a regular course of
profane as we'll as ecclesiastical |
study, and were frequently expanded |
In the reception of students to re-
ceive those who might not enter the |
ranks of the clergy.
1t was not very many years. how
ever, after the Ascension of Christ
that another kind of school called |
arose. 1t was the usual |
custom in the first centuries of the |
,hurch to require candidates for ad-
mission to go through a two years
course, of instruction each day in the
yestibule of the church, where a
PRIEST or an authorized layman
would explain the principles of the
Christian religion. The honor of es-
ablishing the first regular school of
his kind is generally accorded to st.
Mark, the evangelist, who twenty
even years after the ascension of
christ, or in the year so, established
uch school in Alexandria, Egypt,
me of the most remarkable cities of
he world, where Ptolemy Softer had
ounded the magnificent library of
100000 volumes.
The course of study in the cate
hetical schools of Jerusalem under
Il. Cyril. its Bishop, very fairly rep
esents what was pursued in the
'ther portions of the Christian
World. 1t consisted of twenty-three
ARTS. The first eighteen was a sum
nary of the Christian religion as set
orth in the Apostles Creed, and was
Intended for the first class. The re-
five parts We're intended
or the second class. to prepare them
or the sacraments of penance, con-
irmation and the eucharist. For
more than a century nothing beyond
instruction was thought of.
however, secular
were introduced. About
he year $50 Pantaenus, very
earned olOlc philosopher, became
onyert to the Christian faith. In
he school which he was authorized
o establish he received permission
o teach the various secular
and was perhaps the first
,reat teacher to add this useful ele-
nent 10 Christian education. After
i'm came the celebrated genius OF
arly times, Origen, who when ne
eecived authority from the Bishops
4 Caesarea to teach disposed of his
forldly goods and limited his sup
'ort to four oboli. or about fifteen
ents a day. Although sacred scrip
ures was his chief study. branch
fter branch OF secular learning was
peedily introduced. About 200 years
fter Christ every branch of human
insofar as II had been
cultivated anywhere at the time, was n
aught In the Christian catechetical
chools. In the beginning OF the
bird century Christians were expect
d TO teach and to study the liberal
rts. profane literature, philosophy
nd the Biblical languages, Hebrew.
.raaL aud DIaIAato i.