Institutes
Life
The greatest assault we face today is on the dignity of the human person. The resulting and pervasive de-valuation of life permeates society and furthers humanity’s distancing from God. Rejecting what God creates is at the root of sorrow and despair seen across all stages of life but especially so with our children and youth. The Institute of Life will therefore promote, defend and instruct our Church and country on all tenets of human life from conception to natural death.
Education
A Catholic classical education aims to be a complete education that engages students and tutors in every dimension of their life. Further, a Catholic classical education should put students and their families in touch with truth, goodness and beauty, uniting them in their shared humanity while enabling them to become more whole themselves. The Institute of Liberal Education will fulfill this need across the entire spectrum of education, from the youngest age up through collegiate undergrad and graduate programs.
Liberty
Civil liberties are freedoms guaranteed to us by the United States Constitution to protect us from tyranny. These liberties include freedom of conscience, freedom of press, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, the right to security and liberty, freedom of speech, the right to privacy, the right to equal treatment under the law and due process. The Institute of Liberty will empower citizens to exercise these liberties, granted by God and our Founding Fathers, to counter the assault against such freedoms and ensure our right to practice the faith God has given us is defended and preserved.
Human Rights
As Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen noted, the Western world generally has lost the concept of man as a creature made in the image and likeness of God and reduced him to a component part of the universe. This distortion of the true nature of man was due principally to the philosophy of historical liberalism, which saw man as endowed with no higher destiny than the economic. There is no word more “dangerous” than liberalism, because to oppose it is a new unforgivable sin. The Institute of Human Rights will translate the good of Veritatis Splendor into actionable works that impact all God’s people, especially those that are most in need.
Law
Law is the means to achieving the common good that man seeks. Absent the rule of law, man will seek his own good in confused and varied manners, leading to political chaos. A civil, just and moral society must therefore be anchored on the rule of law. Absent this, the shadows of anarchy will increasingly erode freedom and precipitate further societal decline. As the Old Testament and New Testament intersect and complete each other, the Institute of Law will recognize and merge the laws of Christ and our country into all aspects of our apostolic efforts, teaching future leaders how to defend Christ and His Church complementary to the laws of our land.
Media
The Institute of Media will have a dual mission — to promote and support the work of Veritatis Splendor across all its tenets and to instruct and train young people in media ordered towards the proper good so they can become the heralds and witnesses of hope for humanity. This will serve as the bridge between the sacred work of Veritatis Splendor and its secular understanding in the world, training future writers and editors, graphic designers, reporters, photographers and social media specialists to communicate truthfully and authentically on the issues and topics of the day.
Culture
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI described the work of artists, as custodial, as essentially the caretakers of beauty. VS must therefore be at the service of artists in all areas of culture: the arts, film, music, the sciences, literature and technology. The Institute of Culture will be dedicated to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty, to the promotion of creative works as an offering to the world in helping to build a culture of life, and to teach the essential service of good stewardship to truth and goodness in order to bring about a great renewal of humanity.