HOLY INFANT PAIDEIA
"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding."
Proverbs 2:6
Our Beginnings...
A few years ago, we felt there was an important missing piece to our family's educational pursuits. We needed more accountability, more support, and a better balance of our home life and our school life. In His mercy, the Lord provided us the path to create a community to meet this need for ourselves and many others:
The Holy Infant Paideia.
Gloria Tibi Domine!
A Catholic Paideia (ππΌππΏππΜπΌ)
"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction (paideia) of the Lord."
Ephesians 6:4
"Paideia" is an Ancient Greek concept concerning the holistic upbringing, or training, of a child to have a well formed mind, morals, and body, and ensure a love of the Greek country and culture. The term was adopted by early Christians and expressed by St. Paul in Ephesians 6:4, to encourage parents to train their children in the Lord – to think like Christ, to act like Christ, to love what Christ loves, to disdain what Christ disdains.
The Holy Infant Paideia fully partners with parents in working toward bringing up the next generation of saints, all for the Glory of Christ.
In Support of the Domestic Church
In our own time, in a world often alien and even hostile to faith, believing families are of primary importance as centers of living, radiant faith. For this reason the Second Vatican Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the Ecclesia domestica (the domestic church). It is in the bosom of the family that parents are ‘by word and example... the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children...’ It is here that the father of the family, the mother, children, and all members of the family exercise the priesthood of the baptized in a privileged way ‘by the reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, and self-denial and active charity.’ Thus the home is the first school of Christian life and ‘a school for human enrichment.’ Here one learns endurance and the joy of work, fraternal love, generous - even repeated - forgiveness, and above all divine worship in prayer and the offering of one's life.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
1656-1657
Inspired by the timeless wisdom and bottomless treasury of the Catholic Church, the Paideia seeks to support our community in knowing, loving, and serving God in this world, so we can joyfully dwell in His presence for all of eternity.
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Weekly Mass
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Daily prayer
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Virtue based memory work
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Faith based copy work
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Studying the lives of the Saints
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Curricula with a Christian perspective
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School wide celebrations and activities aligned with the Liturgical year
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Invitations to participate in community-wide prayers and novenas
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Participate in Mass: worshiping , lectoring, cantoring, altar serving
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School calendar honors the Liturgical celebrations of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.
“The Last Supper”, Jaume Huguet, c. 1470
About our Patron
Our community is especially devoted to Our Lord and Savior in His Childhood, as emphasized through the tradition of the veneration of the Holy Infant of Prague. It is beautiful to meditate on Our Lord as an infant, a toddler, and a youth, and recall His perfect modeling of the virtues of obedience, humility, simplicity, poverty, and charity.
Upon looking at an artistic depiction or statue of the Holy Infant of Prague, we offer Adoration to Jesus, King of the Universe (even in infancy!). His Kingship is exemplified in the depiction of His hand holding the world. His right hand is raised in blessing, with two fingers bent to reflect Christ's divine and human nature, and the other three fingers are raised to symbolize the unity of the Trinity. The devotion of the Holy Infant of Prague has a rich and inspiring history, and we invite everyone to take time to become familiar with this beautiful devotion.
“Have Mercy On Me And I Will Have Mercy On You. Give Me Hands And I Will Give You Peace. The More You Honor Me, The More I Will Bless You.”
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-Holy Infant of Prague to St. Cyril
Holy Infant of Prague, bless and protect us!
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