2022 St. Michael Speaker Series
DEFEND US IN BATTLE: CLASSICAL EDUCATION & THE FUTURE OF AMERICA!
As in recent years, SMHS is bringing prominent speakers to Northern Michigan, presenting our community with the benefits of Classical education, especially within the current cultural landscape, as well as a primer on our own rigorous, faith-filled curriculum. This year’s speaker line-up features:
An Evening with Father Dwight Longenecker
“Classical Education in an Atheistic Age”
Thursday, March 17 at 6:30pm at SMHS (2225 Summit Park Drive, Petoskey)
Fr. Longenecker is a Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative and is regularly featured in many other magazines, papers, and journals.
Raised as an Evangelical Christian and later ordained as an Anglican priest, Fr. Longenecker and his family were received into the Catholic Church in 1995, and he became a Catholic priest a decade later. He is a prolific writer, with twenty books to his credit including his latest, “Beheading Hydra – A Radical Plan for Christians in an Atheistic Age”.
This event is free and open to the public. Freewill offerings are appreciated!
The St. Michael Spring Gala,
featuring keynote speaker Joseph Pearce!
“Classical Education and the Wisdom of G. K. Chesterton”
Saturday, April 23 at 5:30pm at Grand Unity Event Center (1106 Charlevoix Ave)
Mr. Pearce is a distinguished Catholic author and speaker, a regular guest on radio, television, podcasts, and webcasts, and a lecturer at literary events worldwide. He is Director of Book Publishing at the Augustine Institute, a senior instructor with Homeschool Connections, and a Senior Contributor at Crisis.
An acclaimed biographer and scholar, Mr. Pearce has authored dozens of best-selling books, including Tolkien: Man and Myth, C. S. Lewis and The Catholic Church, Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton, and Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile. His latest book is Benedict XVI: Defender of the Faith.
The St. Michael Gala is a fundraising event designed to highlight the school’s intrinsic “Truth, Goodness, and Beauty”, as well as its full integration into the Chesterton Schools Network. Tickets are $100 per person, with table sponsorships available by contacting Dr. Brake at drbrake@stmichaelchesterton.org or 231-489-3302.
St. Michael Commencement Ceremony,
featuring speaker Dr. Anthony Esolen!
“Rebuilding Culture through Classical Education”
Sunday, May 29 at 4:00pm at Grand Unity Event Center (1106 Charlevoix Ave)
A distinguished author, poet, and commentator, Dr. Esolen has authored more than 25 books, and has a special affinity for classical schooling and Christian apologetics. He and his wife led their state’s homeschooling organization for many years.
His book Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child has been described as “a worthy successor to C.S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man”, and its sequel, Life Under Compulsion, has been called “essential reading for parents, educators, and anyone who is concerned to rescue children from the tedious and vacuous thing childhood has become.”
Of particular interest to Christians are his two most recent works Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture, and its sequel, Nostalgia: Going Home in a Homeless World.
Dr. Esolen’s address will punctuate St. Michael Commencement exercises that will feature remarks by our Headmaster and Valedictorian, as well as the awarding of diplomas. He will address the students via Zoom.
St. Michael High School is High School with a Higher Purpose and a proud member of the Chesterton Schools Network, the largest and fastest-growing network of its kind in the country. SMHS welcomes all families who seek a better education and faith formation for their students and offers tuition assistance to qualifying families.
Established in 2013, the St. Michael mission is to nurture and elevate a new generation of joyful leaders educated in the Classical tradition and truth of the Catholic faith!