OUR MISSION

The mission of Chesterton Academy of Rochester is to partner with parents to raise a generation of joyful leaders and saints educated in the classical, liberal arts tradition and the truths of the Catholic faith. Students will abound in the skills and character requisite for success in college and professional life, in order to build up the kingdom of God, promote a culture of life, and excel in service of family, country, and Christ our Lord.

To that end we seek to form our students:

Intellectually, by teaching them not only the great classics of Western thought from Plato to calculus, but the interrelationship of the great ideas, to learn not what to think but how to think;

In character, especially in the four cardinal virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice which we believe are the foundations of leadership in professional life, the family, the nation, and in the service of Christ;

Spiritually, so that they may use the skills they acquire at Chesterton Academy in Faith, Hope, and Charity, to build up the Kingdom of God in this life and be with Him in everlasting happiness in the next.

In the words of G.K. Chesterton, we seek to teach our students that “there is a whole truth of things and that in knowing and speaking it we are happy.”

We are preparing our children for both temporal life and eternal life: to be good citizens and to be saints.

Our Model of Education

the three pillars

Inspired by Saint Pope John Paul II, we take as our motto Cultura Vitae, the culture of life. We make it our mission to prepare our students to triumph over the materialism and despair that pervade our culture and to accept our Lord's offer to have life and have it abundantly. Our classical curriculum combines a broad, liberal arts education with a strong emphasis on the development of Christian virtues and an appreciation of beauty. Through our Three Pillars Model, we form our students in:

Intellect

We teach the classics of Western thought from physics to philosophy, and the interrelationship of the great ideas; teaching students not merely what to think but how to think.

Character

We help students grow in the four cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice, which we believe are the foundation of leadership.

Spirituality

Our students come to understand and embrace the truth of why they exist: to know God, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and be happy with Him forever in the next.

The Chesterton Schools Network

Chesterton Academy of Rochester is part of the Chesterton Schools Network based in Minneapolis, founded by Dale Ahlquist and Tom Bengtson. A collaborative venture of the American Chesterton Society and Chesterton Academy, the Chesterton Schools Network aims to inspire and encourage parent-led Catholic schools across the nation. The Network offers consulting services; templates for evaluating interest and operating a school; and the Chesterton Academy curriculum framework.

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Our Patron: G.K. Chesterton

Chesterton Academy is named for the great English writer and Catholic convert, G.K. Chesterton (1874- 1936). Chesterton is a model for our school because he exemplified the Catholic faith through a life filled with joy, wonder, and gratitude.

Chesterton was considered one of the world’s most outstanding men of letters in the early 20th century. An accomplished essayist, novelist, and poet, he wrote a hundred books on all different subjects. In 1922, he shocked the literary establishment by converting to Catholicism. He was later eulogized by Pope Pius XI as “a gifted defender of the faith,” and there is presently a popular movement to have him canonized. The school has chosen him for its patron because he not only represents the fullness of faith and reason, but also Catholic joy and common sense.