Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Matt EmersonDecember 17, 2013
Jerry Brown's official picture as Attorney General and as Governor. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

"Jerry Brown: Latin Scholar and One-Time Almost Priest." This is the headline for an Atlantic article that summarizes the highlights from an interview that Brown, governor of California, gave to The Atlantic. Readers might not know about Brown's Jesuit past. The article notes:

His religious schooling seemed to make Brown a big fan of "traditional" educational experiences. "Human contact is very important. I went to Jesuit schools: Santa Clara for a year, St. Ignatius for four years. And I went into the Jesuit order, not because of reading a book, but because of the experience, the relationship with all the different teachers I encountered. Something that I'd always heard about in Jesuit schools is the ratio studiorum, which is the methodology of Jesuit education," he said.

At an event full of conversations about MOOCs [massive open online courses] and the technical skills gap in STEM fields, it was almost jarring to hear a reference to a humanities-heavy, Catholic educational philosophy forged in 1599--fitting, perhaps, only for a one-time Jesuit novice. But just as Brown eventually left the order and went to Berkeley to finish his degree, so has he shifted his views on what kinds of educational investments California will be making in the coming years.

See the full article here.

 

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Beth Cioffoletti
11 years 1 month ago
I agree. In so many ways, I can't separate what I learned in certain classes (English, theology, even biology and organic chemistry) from the teacher. They conveyed something to me through their person that never could have been carried over an internet connection.

The latest from america

The Eucharist is not simply a cultural legacy. It is more than a moving performance or a beautiful ritual symbolizing transcendence. And liturgy is more than aesthetics.
Thomas P. RauschJanuary 31, 2025
Madison Lawlor as Jenny in ‘Green and Gold.’ (Childe Productions)
The new film ‘Green and Gold’ credits prolific Christian writer and farmer Wendell Berry as its biggest influence. It’s easy to see why.
John DoughertyJanuary 31, 2025
This special deep dive episode recaps the 2024 Vatican meeting of the Synod on Synodality, featuring interviews with five synod delegates about the tensions and unexpected breakthroughs in the Synod hall—and outside it.
Inside the VaticanJanuary 30, 2025
Syrians hold a copy of the Quran next to a Christian cross during a demonstration in support of unity among minorities and the ousting of the Bashar Assad government in Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
The rapid victory of the Sunni opposition fighters over regular army units loyal to Mr. al-Assad has left many wondering how Syria’s minority faith groups—Alawites, Christians, Shiites and others—will fare as H.T.S. consolidates its control.
Clotilde BigotJanuary 30, 2025