Core Virtues
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
—Aristotle
CORE VIRTUES
Faith
Believing in God and all He has revealed, because He is truth itself.
Hope
Trusting in God’s promises and looking forward to eternal life with Him.
Charity (Love)
Loving God above all and loving our neighbor for God’s sake.
Prudence
Knowing what is right and choosing the best way to do it.
Justice
Giving to God and others what is rightfully due to them.
Fortitude
Being brave and strong in doing what is right, even when it’s hard.
Temperance
Using self-control to enjoy good things in the right way and at the right time.
Virtue Programming at St. Josephs
List of Services
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Words of Wisdom Weekly ReflectionList Item 1
Each week students participate in Mission Monday where they recite the morning prayer, the mission of the school, and recite words of wisdom that encourage thoughtful reflection as they begon their week.
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Virtue Project (Virtue of the Month)List Item 2
As part of the Archdiocese of the Detroit's Virtue Project Initiative, students at St. Joseph Catholic School enjoy a deep dive into seven core virtues based upon the Theological and Cardinal Virtues. Each month students will define and look for examples of what a given virtue looks like, sounds like, and feels like. Students who exhibit the Virtue of the Month with fidelity are recognized at the Virtue of the Month Assembly.
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Home Connection Table TalkList Item 3
Table Talks are a great way for students to connect what they are learning at school with home. Students are given situation ethics cards and take them home to discuss questions that inspire wonder with their families. This fosters a beautiful partnership between school and home involving parents as primary educators in the moral development of students.
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Virtue in Sacred ScriptureList Item 4
As Catholics, we believe in sacred tradition and sacred scripture. Part of the virtue programming at St. Josephs incorporates scriptural passages and references to readings, psalms, and the Gospel where virtue can be observed and analyzed.
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Lives of the Saints as Models of Virtue
Exploring and studying the lives of the saints are a fun and motivating way to explore the virtues through the lens of story telling. Looking to the example of ordinary people who did extraordinary things is a great reminder that we can strive for sainthood too.
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Elements of Virtue Found in Rich Literature and History
Reading great works of literature and History that contain elements of character profiles, virtues, and vice reinforces cross-curricular conenctions to cultivating good habits. Examining man's fallen nature and how humans exercise freewill provides a road map for how we can pursue the trascendental qualities of the good, true, and beautiful that lead us to live the good life.
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Virtue Based School and Classroom Culture
As teachers we strive to model the virtues we wish to instill in our students. Ways that we incorporate expectations that contribute to a positive school culture include fidelity to uniform school culture initiatives, virtue bulletin boards, jobs, rules, and the like.