THE ACADEMY OF HIGHER LEARNING
Very simply:
*The Academy of Higher Learning (The Academy) is the name of an institute to promote the New Evangelization through catechesis. The institution can take different forms. The first and by far the most important activity of the institute is both communal and individual prayer. This is the way taught to us first by Our Lord, Jesus Christ, the scripture given to us through His bride, the Church and the living tradition and teaching (Magisterium) of the one holy catholic and apostolic church.
*The current format of the Academy consists of traditional classes loosely based on the Socratic method, lectures, writings, biblical exegesis, blog posts and liturgies. We are primarily Roman Catholic seekers and sojourners. We also welcome other faith denominations to participate with us and those who claim no religious denomination altogether including "non-believers".
*The Academy seeks to bring us in union with the Trinitarian God. We simply call this "communio". He whom has revealed Himself as The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit through the Incarnation and Paschal Mystery of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, who will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. He who chose a poor, simple woman, Mary of Nazareth, to enter into salvation history to save us. He whom has elevated Mary as Queen of Angels and Saints, making her the highest creature in all of eternity in His wonder of creation.
Therein lies the explanation for the purpose of the Academy, to teach us to yearn for learning from above, grounded in Truth (Jn 14:6). Saint Augustine of Hippo, the 4th Century Roman Catholic Bishop, teaches us that our hearts (being- body and soul together) are restless until they rest in God (Confessions, Book I, Chapter I). We prefer to use the present tense when referring to the "teaching" of those like Augustine. Those who have citizenship among the Communion of the Saints, who rest in Heaven above with our Triune God and the Angels and Saints with The Theotokos (God-bearer), Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
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The Academy is currently based in a Roman Catholic Parish, so sometimes you may see the prefix SSCM's Academy used in it's nomenclature (like the "blog" address above).
*SSCM is an abbreviation for the Parish of Saints Cyril and Methodius which services the villages of Deer Park and North Babylon, New York. We are one of one hundred thirty three parishes within the Diocese of Rockville Centre which is one of the largest per capita (1.6 million registered Catholics) dioceses in the United States. Rockville Centre or DRVC, is geographically aligned with New York State's suburban Nassau and Suffolk counties which were settled by the English in the early 17th Century.
*Our Pastor is the Reverend Monsignor Robert J. Clerkin.
*Our Ordinary (Diocesan Bishop) is the Most Reverend William F. Murphy.
*Our Parochial School is "principaled" by Sister Susan Snyder, S.S.J.
*Our Parish contains about nine thousand Catholics who are registered with us, and many others who stop in for liturgy, prayer and activities.
We also are blessed to have with us nearly every weekend a Vietnamese-American community which is led by our own retired priest in residence, Father Francis Sang. We lovingly refer to Fr. Sang as "Doctor" Sang, he receiving a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) whilst studying in Rome in the 1970s. Dr. Sang was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest on January 6, 1973 by The Servant of God, Pope Paul VI in the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican.
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| "Alright then. Move along, son, move along..." |
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