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FAITHFUL SCHOLARS A Catholic tradition and classical curriculum draw students to Mariamante Academy
Mariamante Academy finds new home in Fredericksburg. The private school offers a Catholic tradition and class curriculum. By Kelly Hannon
Date published: 10/22/2005 By KELLY HANNON OUISE DESILETS, the head of Fredericksburg's Mariamante Academy, has two pictures on her desk. One is of Mother Teresa, and the second is Desilet's daughter, Julia, a Roman Catholic nun in Rome. The photographs are framed reminders of the school's Catholic mission--even though Mariamante is not a parochial Catholic school affiliated with the church's Diocese of Arlington. Mariamante, which means "They love Mary" in Latin, was started by lay members of the Catholic church in Springfield, Mass., including Desilets, in 1995. Two years ago, facing declining enrollments in Massachusetts due to what Desilets described as a crisis in the priest-hood, Mariamante started to research new locations. "Large numbers of people were questioning our Catholic faith and our Catholic identity and were not applying to Mariamante," Desilets said. After consideration of sites in Virginia, North Carolina and western New York, the school was moved to Fredericksburg. Desilets was drawn to the area's potential for growth and proximity to battlefields and presidential homes. It's now located at Fredericksburg's First Christian Church on Washington Avenue. "This is the heart of history," Desilets said. Mariamante educates students in grades seven to 12, and is attempting to do something slightly different from other area private schools. It has a classical curriculum, including three mandatory years of Latin and religious classes in Catholicism. Teachers focus on grammar, logic and rhetoric. Students attend Mass once a week at St. Mary Catholic Church. Most classes begin with prayers, and there's a dress code. Teachers use the Ignatian method of education, developed by St. Ignatius Loyola, which recognizes the importance of developing students spiritually and intellectually. In essence, the school's mission is to "develop students intellectually first, spiritually second, emotionally third," Desilets said. And, so far, Mariamante is the only Fredericksburg-area high school that offers an education in the Catholic tradition. Catholic business leaders in Stafford County are planning to open another, St. Michael the Archangel High School, in fall 2006 west of the Stafford County courthouse.
Date published: 10/22/2005
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