As we begin the new year of 2013—a year in which scores of Catholic organizations are suing the federal government simply to secure basic religious freedom—we can easily be anxious about the state of the world. Rather than look around us, perhaps we should look within ourselves and meditate upon our own spiritual life and that of our family…

How important is it that I stay on the Seton schedule?

The Seton lesson plans set a schedule based on what we believe is realistic for the student to accomplish each day. In addition, the schedule is planned so that the student finishes the course in about nine months. However, a great advantage in homeschooling is for the parent to adjust the schedule according to the abilities of the individual child. If a child can do two days of math assignments in one day, let him do it. On the other hand, the same child may need to take two days to do one assignment in English.

In Lucretius’s famous words, “Nothing can come from nothing.” A hundred or a thousand or a million times zero equals zero. No person can think with nothing in his mind. A person cannot think with an empty mind that is not filled with substance. A mind requires food for thought. The purpose of a bona fide education is to fill the mind with the wholesome, nutritious food for thought that will allow the mind to think, to see the light of truth, and to possess wisdom—a wisdom that will protect a person from the craftiness of the world. Wisdom illuminates the unchanging truths about human nature and the human condition (“the way things are”), the first principles that underlie the structure of reality, the laws of Mother Nature, and divine truth…

May we mail in just some of the subjects which my 5th grader has finished, or do I need to wait until the tests for all the subjects have been taken?

If you are mailing in the tests, we suggest that you send the tests for all the subjects for the quarter at the same time. Sending all the tests at once allows you to check off every item for the quarter and make sure you have everything together. That tends to be easier and saves on mailing costs both for your family and for Seton…

This 100th anniversary edition of Chesterton’s poetic version of King Alfred’s heroic defense of Christian England from the pagan Danes is an exquisite publication. It embellishes the famous narrative and provides it with the historical background of the event, explains the poetic elements of the ballad structure of the story, and offers maps and illustrations that bring history to life. The footnotes on each page explain every quaint or archaic word like “shaws” (thicket) and “hod” (container for carrying stones), explicate the allusions to philosophical references like “nihilism” and “existentialism,” and incorporate valuable pieces of historical detail (“The laws of Alfred were famous for their equable treatment of all of Alfred’s subjects”). In short, this edition makes Chesterton’s classic as lucid, graphic, concrete, and appealing as possible for readers…

On the fourth Sunday of November, only three weeks after the national elections, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. It is a time to remind ourselves that we have a Divine King, Jesus Christ, and He is the One on Whom we rely for our happiness on this Earth and for Eternity…

The National Assessment Governing Board reported that only 24 percent of America’s 8th and 12th graders have “solid writing skills.” What can we parents do to help our children improve their writing skills. Is the computer helping or hindering?

It is important for our children to be writing every day. Seton includes several paragraph writing assignments within each English quarter, some almost weekly. At least one book report or book analysis is written each quarter. Beyond this items, writing skills can improve if whole sentences are written instead of one-word answers for the usual questions at the end of a chapter (for history and science especially) as well as for the reading assignments.

The month of October is called the Month of the Holy Rosary. On October 13, 1917, thousands of people saw the colorful miraculous display of the “falling” of the sun in Fatima, Portugal. The Blessed Mother had appeared to the three children, Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, for several months previously, always encouraging them to pray the daily Rosary…

What is the best advice you can give to start off the new school year?

Daily family prayer is essential for success in Catholic homeschooling. Start the day with prayer, pray the Rosary at some time during the day, and pray frequent short prayers throughout the day. Daily Mass is important so everyone has a chance to receive Jesus Christ. If you cannot attend daily Mass, perhaps you and your children can join in the prayers at the daily Mass on EWTN…

On the 29th of September, we celebrate the Feast of three archangels: Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. Archangels are God’s messengers who guide and protect the people of God through ongoing inspiration, grace, and private revelation…