Our beloved mentor, Brother Francis, used to remind us often of the importance of purpose. One way he did this was to tell the story, related in various ascetical treatises on the religious life, of the monk who used to … Continue reading
Category: Philosophy
Maurice Baring Presents Xantippe
This short essay proposes to consider, not only the above-mentioned Major B.K. and General de Castelnau, but also Maurice Baring himself, as “one of God’s gentlemen,” as one whose own generous and chivalrous character is marked by a sincere, deep, … Continue reading
The Five Wounds and Five Joys of the Modern Church
First he was found faultless in his five senses, and then failed never the knight in his five fingers, and all his trust in the field was in the five wounds that Christ caught on the cross, as the creed … Continue reading
Plato and Liberal Education
[Note: This article was originally published in From the Housetops in 1946.] I. What is Education Plato conceived education as an art of perfecting man. According to this view, education is possible because man is a perfectible being. Nobody ever … Continue reading
Near Occasions of Sanctity
On a dreary New Hampshire winter afternoon, as I was preparing myself for a philosophy discussion on the subject of Ontology by attentively taking in a recorded lecture by Brother Francis, I was given one of those moments of joy … Continue reading
Calling All Lovers of Wisdom!
A philosopher is a lover of wisdom, as contrasted with a sophist, who takes himself to be already wise. If you are a lover of wisdom, boy do we have an idea for you! Beginning Wednesday, February 8, we will begin … Continue reading
The Wisdom of Good Mentors
More than once down the years I have been told by wise men that a good leader knows how to praise you not so much for what you have done nor for what you are, but, rather, for what he … Continue reading
Introduction to the Saint Augustine Institute of Wisdom
The Saint Augustine Institute of Wisdom* (SAI) is the educational division of Saint Benedict Center. The Institute provides well-rounded and conveniently simple courses of instruction in Catholic thought. The classes available through SAI are a continuation of the studies which … Continue reading
Brother Francis’ Cosmology Notes
These notes go with Brother Francis Maluf’s course in Cosmology, the second of eight courses in Philosophia Perennis. The lectures can be procured here, where more can be learned about them. Cosmology is a philosophic science which begins in the examination … Continue reading
An Interview with Mike Church
A SiriusXM Radio Personality Discovers Catholic Tradition and Perennial Philosophy This is an intense and inspiring interview between two friends of Saint Benedict Center, Mike Church, the one interviewed, and David Simpson, the interviewer. Mike Church is a radio talk … Continue reading
An Itty Bitty Presentation of the Syllogism
The following is in no way intended to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject of the syllogism. (Get Brother Francis’ Logic Course for that.) It is a lopsided little introduction, being comprised of two excerpts from “It’s All or Nothing,” an apologetics … Continue reading