Virtues Program

In a world that can be confusing to young people, the Virtues Program used by Saint Mary School, allows students to understand and to cultivate Christian Virtues. Approximately once a month a new virtue is chosen upon which our staff and students focus.  Living a virtuous life in Christ helps ensure that our students understand right from wrong, learn the habits of doing good, and live a Christ-like life.

Education in Virtue is a program for students to grow in virtues and see them as concrete expressions of their Catholic faith. It is an interactive program and curriculum structured on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas regarding the virtue and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The program was developed by the Dominican Sisters of Mary.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines virtue as “a habitual and firm disposition to do the good.” Virtues are essentially those habits of doing good that lead us to Christ.  The three theological virtues are faith, hope, and charity. The Cardinal virtues are justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance. Flowing from these 7 core virtues are countless other virtues that help us to be in a relationship with God. Everyone is born with a capacity for virtue, but we need education and practice to become truly virtuous people. 

Each 6 to 8 weeks, our school community will focus on a particular virtue. Students will learn the definition as well as what the living the virtue would look like in our actions and sound like in our speech.  Middle School students prepare skits to help younger students visualize the virtues in action.  It will take several years to complete the entire program.  

These virutes include affability, courtesy, generosity, gratitude, kindness, loyalty, obedience, patriotism, prayerfulness, religion, respect, responsibility, sincerity, trustworthiness, circumspection, docility, foresight, industriousness, magnanimity, magnificence, patience, perseverance, honesty, humility, meekness, moderation, modesty, orderliness, and self-control.