Saints know: Human history is salvation history!
“The history of salvation is being accomplished in the midst of the history of the world,” wrote St. Pope Paul VI in March 1971.
In other words: human history is salvation history. St. Francis Xavier Catholic School students know.
From Kindergarten to the 5th Grade, our classes learn about special historical time periods. Students not only study the historically significant events that occurred during their time period, but they read pieces of literature from and about that time period, appreciate and examine its art, architecture, and music, consider the virtues and vices of its heroes and leaders, and follow its mathematical and scientific discoveries.
Most importantly, they study the period’s role in mankind’s story from our creation to our fall to our redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Cradle of Civilization
For instance, Kindergarten is our ancient civilization year. Kindergarteners at St. Francis Xavier learn about the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Egyptian pyramids and the Pharos, but they also learn about the Israelites: Noah and the Arc, Abraham and Isaac, Joseph and his Coat of Many Colors, Moses, Joshua, King David, King Solomon, the prophets, and Jonah and the Whale.
“The Old Testament stories are the foundation for faith formation which reveals God’s relationship with humanity, who God was, and provides great morals to be learned,” explained St. Francis Xavier Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Emily Holt. “The different stories inspire students to understand what God promised and how people in Ancient times encountered him. From Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors to Baby Moses, and the Good Shepherd, these stories and others that students learn in Ancient History and Religion, allow them to grow in their faith in God and to understand where Jesus came from.”
Kindergartners at St. Francis Xavier receive these stories on their level and in a way that captures their attention and inspires their imaginations.
“Listening to the stories we tell in class and seeing the students light up with understanding is amazing!” said Mrs. Kathleen Alonso, who also teaches kindergarten at St. Francis. “The students are able to hear ancient stories and connect them to Old Testament readings and even connect both to some of their real-life experiences!”
Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire
1st Graders in Mrs. Julie Cannova’s class spend all year learning about the Ancient Greeks. This gives them the opportunity to understand the time and place Jesus entered. Through the conquests of the young Macedonian king Alexander the Great, Greek culture was superimposed on the Mediterranean world, including Israel.
Greek myths, philosophy, language, and customs remained widely influential for millennia after Alexander’s death and would have been familiar to Apostles like St. Paul. In fact, the vast majority New Testament was written in Greek.
In 2nd Grade, our students learn about Rome, which became an empire approximately 60 years before the birth of Christ. During His crucifixion, Judea was a Roman province. For centuries after His resurrection, the Early Church spread throughout the empire.
Though Roman Emperors like Nero and Diocletian persecuted Christians for practicing their faith, Christianity eventually became decriminalized under Emperor Constantine. During the Roman Empire’s slow decline, Christians like St. Augustine of Hippo defended the faith from pagan attacks.
Mrs. Cannova’s students help the 2nd Graders in Mrs. Susan Testa’s class work all year to put together a salvation history timeline on the wall in the school’s annex. Students read, narrate, and discuss stories from The Great Adventure Catholic Children’s Bible Storybook, then color their own pictures of that Bible story and add them to the timeline.
The Middle Ages
Our 3rd Graders, guided by Ms. Erin Meadows, learn about the Middle Ages. During this time, monastic orders such as the Benedictines preserved religious, philosophic, scientific, and cultural texts in the ruins of the fallen empire. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church became preeminent in Western Europe and Christians battled Muslim forces in the Holy Land.
Saints like St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic started holy orders which still continue today while others like St. Thomas Aquinas accomplished tremendous feats in philosophy and theology, contributing significantly to the development of doctrine in the Church.
The Middle Ages also saw the construction of great Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, some of which still stand in Europe today.
The Modern Era
4th Graders in Ms. Nancy Rohling’s class learn about the Renaissance and Early Modern eras when many challenges faced the Catholic Church such as the Reformation and the Enlightenment.
During this time, artists like Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci made great strides in Christian art. Explorers took dangerous journeys across uncharted waters and missionaries such as our own St. Francis Xavier spread the faith to faraway lands.
Meanwhile, political, religious, and economic revolutions shook the foundations of the world. Brave saints like St. Thomas More stood firm in their faiths even when faced with death.
American History
Finally, 5th Graders in Mrs. Ann Bettis’s class learn about the history of the United States: its colonization, its War for Independence from Great Britain, the ratification of its Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the abolition of slavery, the Industrial Revolution, its participation in the two World Wars, and the struggle for Civil Rights and the many conflicts of the Cold War in the mid-20th Century.
This is special to St. Francis Xavier scholars because it’s the history of their home! Scholars learn to appreciate the many saints and heroes who have preceded them and overcame tremendous struggles.
Diving Deeper
In Middle School, St. Francis Xavier students get this story all over again, but in greater detail.
"Regardless of the time period being studied - ancient civilization, the Middle Ages, or the modern era - the pinnacle of our very existence as humans hinges on one event: the Incarnation,” said Middle School religion and history teacher Mr. Christian Peterson. “Religious study coincides with history not merely by exploring the ‘past,’ but by recognizing that every culture, in some shape or form, points to Jesus Christ, or the Logos.”
Let us tell you more!
History is not the only thing we learn at St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, and there are so many qualities that make this school special.
If you are interested in learning more about how we can provide your child with a Christ-centered education rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, please contact our office at 205-871-1687 or email me at wblakely@sfxcatholic.com. You can also click the link below to schedule a tour!
We can’t wait to hear from you!
St. Francis Xavier Catholic School is an accredited classical Catholic PreK-8 school in Birmingham’s Crestline neighborhood that uses the time-tested Catholic Intellectual Tradition to form students in virtue through the pursuit of academic excellence and service toward God and neighbor.
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