William Michael's response can be read on the public part of the CLAA forum; you do not need to register to read it or request it to be sent by email. http://wmchmichael.site.aplus.net/cgi-bin/smf/index.php?topic=1125.0

I was not referring to your post. I did not even see it though I thought I read through the entire thread. I was referring to real life people I have either seen or talked to by phone. I was referring to no one on this thread when I said hearsay. laylambcb, I joined yesterday because I have a pet peeve about the canon law issue. I find it misleading to the uninformed and I wanted to clarify. And now I'm really done. I'm obviously not communicating clearly here and I'm spending way too much time trying to figure out all the emoticoms. Best wishes to all :001_smile:

Kolbe lists "theology" for all 4 high school years. Kolbe does not advertise canonical approval nor list any priest on its faculty. I am not picking on Kolbe - I use Kolbe for one of my children. I am just pointing out it is not a requirement for a Catholic homeschool provider to have canonical approval. As I pointed out before, the CLAA has a very close working relationship with the Missionaries of the Poor. I am sure you are aware of that, but for some reason it is never mentioned in any critcism of the CLAA. Father Richard Ho Lung is well known in the orthodox, "EWTN Catholic" world for his work with the poor around the world . He has asked William Michael to be directly involved in the teaching of the brothers in formation. Surely Father Ho Lung, educated and formed by the Jesuits, has sense enough to provide some oversight to the formation of his order. As I stated, I agree Mr. Michael's dismissal of other Catholic homeschool programs is not charitable. Even if he disagrees with their method, curriculum, people or programs, he could provide a more humble critique. As far as the hearsay mentioned on the other post, the comments have been "Mr. Michael is mean" and the sample lessons shown for 5 and 7 year olds on the website are unachievable for their children. None of the issues discussed here have been mentioned. While the criticisms of those here have made the internet rounds in a few circles, they weren't what I was referring to in my post. Obviously, William Michael and the CLAA are a divisive issue and while it is valuable and constructive discuss them, I believe the point has come for me to bow out of the conversation. It's becoming a tit for tat and I really should not be spending my time responding. I have too many other duties calling.

happygrrl, I did not take your post to be anti-me:001_smile: I understand and respect your stepping up to bat so to speak for your friends. Yes, I did just join the forum yesterday ( but, and I will date myself here, I was a poster on the old WTM board and actually had a few conversations with SWB and her mother many years ago right after the first edition on TWTM was published. They are both gracious, lovely ladies and provided me with valuable insight on the National Merit paperwork) , and only because of the CLAA discussion. I don't really have a lot at stake in this discussion. I have very recently enrolled children in the CLAA, and even did so after the LCC Yahoo group discussion. So far, I have been pleased. I have read the criticisms of CLAA from several of the posters on this thread before, and I truly appreciate their viewpoint. I think some issues raised are valid and I believe others are not. I originally posted because I believe it is misleading to imply that having canonical approval is required for a Catholic homeschool program. The majority of providers do not have it and one of the reasons many Catholics are homeschooling is because the canonically approved schools in their diocese do NOT teach the Faith. I apologize if I slighted anyone by implying that their criticisms were based on hearsay. I should have clarified that many of those posting here do have direct experience. I was lumping them in with the many remarks I have heard recently from people who have formed an opinion on the CLAA from information that they "heard it from a friend , who heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend ... ' OOPS - dating myself again:001_smile:

I was pointing out that the Catechism lessons were word for word from the Baltimore Catechism, and therefore not faulty. I was not commenting on whether the BC No. 4 used by the CLAA is an appropriate text for a specific age group. As an aside to your recommendations for other options for Catechism, I would add the Living My Religion series.

The Catechism course is word for word from the Baltimore Catechism.

Can someone point me to where Mr. Michael claims to be restoring the Ratio? I do not question the influence of the Jesuit method of education on the CLAA, but I am missing where it claims to be the restoration of the Ratio Studiorum. I have read through many articles on the website, the course descriptions and many threads in the family forum and I just don't see where he makes this statement. If he is restoring the Ratio, then why does he use the Baltimore Catechism of 1885 for the catechism course? According to the Ratio "Christian doctrine was studied mainly from the catechism of St. Peter Canisius in Germany or that of St. Robert Bellarmine, both of which had been translated into many languages." I don't deny that Mr. Michael should be more charitable and humble in his criticism of other Catholic programs. The long time providers like Seton, Kolbe and MODG have been of undeniable service to countless families through the years. To make a blanket criticism and the harsh dismissal of them and the good they have done and continue to do, is unkind and I believe unfair. I do not agree with Mr. Michael on this point, but I also think it is unfair to accuse him of claims he has not made and make blanket assumptions about the CLAA based on snippets of forum discussions or on hearsay from various forums and blogs.

I am not aware that a Catholic homeschool program must obtain permission from the ordinary to operate as Catholic homeschool program. I am sure that not all the ones currently in operation have such a designation. I also don't believe that the CLAA calls itself "Jesuit". Yes, the Ratio is certainly an influence, but the curriculum is not a replica. And as a whole, the Jesuit order has sadly fallen far from their glorious past, and I would definitely not entrust my child's education to a Jesuit institution today. The CLAA does work closely with the Missionaries of the Poor and Mr. Michael is involved in teaching and developing programs for the brothers, as well as developing a school program for missionary children that will be available free of charge to children served by the Missionaries of the Poor all over the world. Father Richard Ho Lung, the founder of the MOP, is himself a former Jesuit, and I can't imagine he would allow someone who was teaching things contrary to the Faith to play such a large role in developing educational programs for his order. The CLAA also has two professors from the highly regarded St. Charles Borromeo Seminary writing courses for program. Again, I find it difficult that they would associate themselves with a program that was counter to the Faith. Certainly, Mr. Michael is a polarizing figure and the CLAA is not for everyone. He has strong beliefs and challenges you to think about many things in an entirely different way. The discipline thread which is so controversial needs to be read in its entirety and understood in the context of the greater discussion. There have been many comments by Mr. Michael which taken by themselves would be troubling, but then looked at in the light of the whole conversation or conversations, make sense. Do I agree with everything he says, no. There aren't many people I agree with completely, but I don't disregard everything else they say. Do you have to agree with everything Mr. Michael says or believes to use the CLAA? No. Is it a perfect program? No. But neither is anything else I've used in my 15 plus years of homeschooling. I encourage those who are interested in the CLAA to go to the website and explore it for yourself. Mr. Michael is upfront about what he is doing and if you don't agree with him or his program, that's fine, it's not for everyone. But if you are searching for a truly classical program, you may be surprised to see what the CLAA offers.