I was asked to write an essay about the book that had most changed my life. This book was my answer. Relating the account of Denton’s ordeal as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for nearly eight years, it is clear that his struggle to practice his faith and keep his sanity during this time were beyond heroic.

My father, an accomplished carpenter, always seemed to be building “one more bookcase” to meet the literary demands of his wife. For all the things that our large Catholic family did not have, we had a treasury of books. My mother’s consummate genius in homeschooling pedagogy reached its zenith with a simple rule for her children: you can stay up as late as you want as long as you are reading.

According to proverbial wisdom, “When you do succeed, the chances are that you were not trying too hard in the first place.” This observation appears to contradict the idea of ...

Your books have arrived, the kids are eager to begin, the family energy level is high and prayers for the help of all the educator saints have been fervently said. Ready, set…hold on just a minute! Take a deep breath and remember one word: ORGANIZATION!

In Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s classic Gift from the Sea the author, using the leisure and recollection of a summer vacation at the ocean, reflects on the art of living a ...

September 1st marks the beginning of the liturgical year for Byzantine Christians. This important day is celebrated as the feast day for Saint Symeon the Stylite, who lived atop a ...

It’s often lamented that babies don’t come with manuals.  Of course, this isn’t true—babies do come with manuals.  They are called “parenting books.” There are books that tell you how ...

The ancient Greeks identified the sign of fruitfulness as proof of the art of living well, as the true mark of civilization. On the shield of Achilles in the Iliad ...

A recent Seton graduate informed us that he had chosen Moses for his Confirmation patron. No, not THAT Moses! There was, in fact, another Moses from the same Egyptian locality who was as colorful a character as the great Patriarch. August 28th could well be termed the feast day for bad boys gone good...

When I was growing up in the 1970’s, many Catholic parents took turns going to Mass: Mom might go to an early Mass while Dad stayed home with the kids; ...

This is primarily written toward teenagers who are currently working on high school, but will—before they know it—be going on to college or the working world. As you grow up, ...

To be human is to think of the future, to imagine the unknown, and to fear the unpredictable. So many things are not in the control of human beings who ...

I was home schooled for the last three years of high school, grades 10 through 12. I feel that I learned much more being home schooled for those three years ...

In O. Henry’s short story “The Social Triangle,”  Ikey Snigglefritz, a simple tailor’s apprentice, receives his week’s wages and on his way home enters the Café Maginnis. There he accidentally ...

Readin’, writin’, ‘rithmetic and religion are, of course, vital and irreplaceable components of any educational system. As any Seton student can attest, a great deal of effort is involved in ...

At the beginning of every school year, I make a little personal checklist as to how I can improve homeschooling in the upcoming year.  I don’t always stick to the ...

I recall once going to my aunt’s house to baby sit for her three daughters. While in the kitchen, I was amused to see that she had a picture of a swimsuit model on her refrigerator. Before pulling anything out of the refrigerator to eat, my aunt had to look at the picture. This was clearly meant to dissuade her from eating, in hopes of having a figure like the woman in the picture. While the idea was amusing to me, it made some sense. Although my aunt had a general intention to lose weight, the picture gave her direct motivation at the time it was most needed.

Suddenly it hits you:  within a very few weeks, for the first time in your life, you are going to be more or less on your own, away from your ...

In his fairy tale “The Goblin at the Provision Dealer’s” or in some editions entitled “The Pixy at the Grocer’s,” Hans Andersen depicts the life of a goblin who enjoys ...

A critic of Jane Austen’s novels facetiously coined this phrase to illustrate one of the virtues of civility. Characters with the most refined and elegant manners exemplify this virtue that ...