ABOUT: 

Our Lady of the Sun Academy is a private school established in 2010. It is located in El Mirage, Arizona, (a suburb of Phoenix), at the same beautiful location as Our Lady of the Sun Catholic Church. This school of 1st through 12th grade is staffed by Father Gronenthal and the Religious Sisters of the Congregation of the Mother of God (CMD). This Traditional Catholic School offers an educational alternative for Catholic Parents to provide their children with a true Catholic education as outlined in the pastoral letter issued by the American hierarchy in 1919.  This academy teaches only the traditional, pre-Vatican II, Roman Catholic Faith, as it has been taught for centuries. The Religious Faculty strives to provide an atmosphere where the students will develop a deep understanding and love for the Catholic Faith, as well as obtain a well rounded education, with high academic standards. Therefore the school day begins with Daily Mass, where the students are given the opportunity for the frequent reception of Confession and Communion. Afterwards, the children are taught their Catholic Faith, and solid academic skills in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics etc.. (please see outline of the school curriculum). They are also taught to develop an appreciation of the fine arts.

For any further information on Our Lady of the Sun Academy please contact Sister Maria Jacinta CMD at: 623-213-5478 or by email at: olsacademy1917@gmail.com. 

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THE CODE OF CANON LAW

The official position of the Catholic Church on education is summarized in the Code of Canon Law:

“Parents are bound by a most grave obligation to provide to the best of their ability for the religious and moral, as well as for the physical and civil education of their children, and for their temporal well-being” (Canon 1113).

PASTORAL LETTER OF 1919

The pastoral letter issued by the American hierarchy in 1919 stated five principles as the basis of Catholic education:

First:  The right of the child to receive education and the correlative duty of providing it are established on the fact that man has a soul created by God and endowed with capacities which need to be developed, for the good of the individual and the good of the society . . .

Second:  Since the child is endowed with physical, intellectual and moral capacities, all these must be developed harmoniously . . .   

Third:  Since the duties we owe our Creator take precedence over all other duties, moral training must accord the first place to religion, that is, to the knowledge of God and His Law, and must cultivate a spirit of obedience to His commands . . .     

Fourth:  Moral and religious training is most efficacious when it is joined with instruction in other kinds of knowledge . . .  

 Fifth:  An education that unites intellectual, moral and religious elements is the best training for citizenship.