In this lesson, Headmaster William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy leads students through the first of Cicero’s Familiar Epistles, a letter written to his wife, Terentia. Students examine the structure of Roman correspondence—its greeting, health inquiry, message, and closing—while analyzing every word grammatically and syntactically. The lesson provides both literal and idiomatic translations, illustrating how Cicero’s refined Latin expresses affection, duty, and moral virtue within the order of family life. Through this study, students gain mastery of epistolary Latin, deepen their understanding of classical culture, and see how natural virtue prepares the soul for divine grace in Catholic philosophy.

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Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy

In this lecture, William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy leads students through Chapter 3 of Book I of Aristotle’s Rhetoric, one of the foundational texts of classical education. In this chapter, Aristotle distinguishes between common and proper arguments, defines the three genera of rhetoric—deliberative, judicial, and demonstrative—and explains their corresponding ends: the advantageous, the just, and the honorable. Students learn how rhetorical reasoning (enthymeme) differs from scientific reasoning, how audience and purpose determine the form of speech, and why Aristotle’s principles have guided Catholic educators and Scholastic philosophers for centuries.

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Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy

In this lesson, Headmaster William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy guides students through Genesis Chapter 3, which records the fall of Adam and Eve and the beginning of salvation history. Students study the serpent’s temptation, humanity’s disobedience, the immediate effects of sin, and God’s just yet merciful response. The lesson highlights the Protoevangelium (Genesis 3:15)—the first promise of a Redeemer—and explains how this chapter forms the foundation for Catholic teaching on original sin, human suffering, and redemption through Christ.

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Mr. William C. Michel, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy

In this lecture, Headmaster William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy guides students through Chapter 3 of Porphyry’s Introduction—a cornerstone of classical logic and medieval philosophy. This chapter examines the concept of Difference, one of the five predicables, explaining how we distinguish one kind of being from another. Students explore Porphyry’s distinctions between common, peculiar, and specific differences, between separable and inseparable, and between essential and accidental features. By studying these principles, students learn how philosophers and theologians—especially St. Thomas Aquinas—used the notion of Difference to understand classification, definition, and the order of creation itself.

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Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy

In this foundational lesson of Arnold’s English Grammar for Classical Schools, Headmaster William C. Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy introduces students to the very first elements of language: the letters. This study explores the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet, the distinction between vowels and consonants, and the special cases of Y and W. Students learn how letters form syllables, words, and sentences—and how words serve as signs of our thoughts, connecting language to reality itself. This lesson lays the groundwork for all future study in grammar, logic, and classical languages.

Learn more or enroll in the course at classicalliberalarts.com. Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy

In this lesson from the Sacred Scripture I course, Headmaster William C. Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy leads students through a detailed study of Genesis Chapter 2. This chapter reveals the completion of creation, God’s sanctification of the seventh day, the formation of man from the earth, the creation of woman, and the establishment of marriage. Students explore the nature of human life as both body and soul, the meaning of work and rest, and the harmony of man and woman in the state of original innocence. The lesson lays the theological foundation for Catholic teachings on human dignity, vocation, and the sacrament of matrimony.

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In this opening lesson of Harvey’s Elementary Grammar and Composition, students explore the foundation of all language and thought — the idea of the object. Guided by Headmaster William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, this lecture introduces how we come to know the world through our senses and consciousness, and how words allow us to express our thoughts about the things we know. Students learn to distinguish between perception and consciousness, define key terms like object and word, and see how grammar begins with understanding reality itself.

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Welcome to the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. This lecture is part of the Academy’s Latin Vocabulary course and introduces Lesson 01 from Johann Amos Comenius’ Orbis Sensualium Pictus (“The World of Things Obvious to the Senses Drawn in Pictures”), titled The Master and the Boy.

In this first lesson, students study the foundational dialogue between the teacher and the student that sets the tone for all later learning. Written in the 17th century, Comenius’ text presents education as a sacred and rational activity guided by both human instruction and divine grace. This dialogue captures the essence of Catholic education: the pursuit of wisdom through understanding, right action, and right speech under the guidance of God.

The lecture follows the traditional Studium Method and includes:

• Praelectio: Introduction to Comenius’ work and philosophy of learning

• Oratio: Prayer before study

• Lectio: Reading the Latin text aloud

• Divisio: Analysis of the lesson’s structure and themes

• Interpretatio: Explanation of the meaning of each phrase

• Comprehensio: Key points, memory work, and study suggestions

• Demonstratio: Methods for assessing mastery and understanding

Students will learn to:

• Understand Comenius’ view of wisdom as right thinking, acting, and speaking

• Recognize the dependence of all true learning on both teacher and God

• Appreciate the Thomistic principle that learning begins from the senses and proceeds to higher understanding

• Translate, pronounce, and explain the Latin dialogue with comprehension and reverence

This lecture is taught by William Michael, Headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. To join the Academy for self-paced studies in Latin and other classical Catholic subjects, visit https://classicalliberalarts.com.

For course assistance or support, visit https://classicalliberalarts.com/support.