The most beautiful Cathedrals at Christmas 🧵

1. Notre-Dame de Paris, France 2. Cologne Cathedral, Germany

Every year, from 1920 to 1943, the Tolkien children received letters from Father Christmas hilmself.

They came with tales and illustrations of Santa Claus and his helpers — each with a North Pole stamp designed by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Here’s the story behind them... (thread)🧵 In 1920, Tolkien’s first Father Christmas letter arrived at the Oxford home of his three-year-old son, John.

It was hand-painted and carried a whimsical North Pole stamp priced at "2 kisses."

Today, November 29th, is C. S. Lewis' birthday.

Here are 20 powerful lessons from the most quoted Christian author of the 20th century 🧵

1. "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." 2. Lewis viewed faith as a spiritual commitment.

In Mere Christianity, he wrote: "Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods."

True faith perseveres, even when emotions and circumstances waver.

The most beautiful monasteries on Earth 🧵

1. Abbey of San Galgano, Italy 2. The Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Greece

Completed in 1476, this Eastern Orthodox monastery in Greece rises 400 meters above the Peneas Valley near Kalambaka.

It is one of the 24 original Meteora monasteries, with "Meteora" meaning "suspended in the air" in Greek.

The most breathtaking cathedrals on Earth 🧵

1. Reims Cathedral, France. It’s twice the size of Notre Dame in Paris. 2. Florence Cathedral, Italy

The greatest wonders of Ancient Rome - a thread🧵

1. Nearly two millennia since its construction, the Pantheon’s dome remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome on Earth. 2. The Colosseum

Its construction began under Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD by Titus.

Built from travertine limestone, tuff, and brick-faced concrete, it could hold between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.

Until the 20th century, the purpose of education in the West was always the moral formation of students.

But if you ask students today about the purpose of education, most will respond, “to get a good job.”

How did the fundamental purpose of education change so completely? 🧵 In ancient Greece, education was seen as essential to civic life.

The Greeks believed in paideia, the development of the whole person — mind, body, and spirit.

This approach sought to shape young citizens into ideal members of the ancient Greek polis or state.

Bishop Conley’s goal in writing a letter on education was to provide a clear vision for his own diocese.

It did that.

It is also turning into a manifesto for Catholic education 🔥

10 quotes from the letter 🧵

1) “Every student is made for holiness, made to become a saint.” 2) "Education is the process of shaping us to fulfill the purpose of our lives; to know the happiness that comes from living in accord with our dignity and our nature."

Photographs of famous writers you've (probably) never seen before - a thread 🧵

1. Alexander Solzhenitsyn on the day of his liberation in 1953, after 8 years of hell in the communist Gulag 2. Mark Twain carries a cat on his shoulder

"When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction."

The most uncomfortable/courageous speech in history was given by a 4 ft 11 in Catholic nun at The National Prayer Breakfast in 1994.

The speaker, was Saint Mother Teresa. To her right were the Clinton’s. To her left the Gore’s.

Chilling quotes from her speech 🧵 “I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.” If we accept that a mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?”

Imagine how sad cities would look without their most iconic church - a thread🧵

1. Florence Cathedral, Italy 2. Sagrada Família, Barcelona

The handwriting of famous authors - thread🧵

1. J. R. R. Tolkien's letter from Aragorn to Sam Gamgee, in which the King of Gondor informs the hobbit of his future visit and expresses his desire to "greet all his friends." 2. Fyodor Dostoevsky's manuscript draft of The Brothers Karamazov

Thread of religious wonders so surreal you won't believe they exist 🧵

1. Sumela Monastery, Turkey (386 AD) 2. Abuna Yemata Guh, Ethiopia

Rising 8,460 feet above the ground, Abuna Yemata Guh (first picture) is arguably the most inaccessible place of worship on earth.

It features stunning wall paintings dating back to the 5th century.

An unprecedented number of churches have been destroyed since 2020.

This is what the world’s most famous cities would look like without their most iconic church. We must protect these beacons of light 🧵

1. Florence Cathedral, Italy 2. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Four levers control at least 90% of K-12 education.

- School accreditation
- Teacher certification
- Control of public funds
- Standardized Testing

Whoever controls these controls the education that shapes the next generation.

All four have fallen into the wrong hands 🧵 School accreditation - Who gets to decide what is a “school”?

The current accrediting bodies use their power to push conformity to secular progressive ideology. If a school doesn’t fall in line they can lose accreditation.

Top 20 Zuby quotes 🧵

1. We have officially reached the stage where pretending to be a good person is more important than actually being a good person. 2. The world is going crazy because of your silence.

Bishop Conley’s goal in writing a lengthy letter on education was to provide a clear vision for his own diocese in Lincoln, Nebraska.

It did that.

It is also turning into a manifesto for Catholic education that is circulating like wildfire 🔥

21 quotes from the letter 🧵 1) "Education is the process of shaping us to fulfill the purpose of our lives; to know the happiness that comes from living in accord with our dignity and our nature."

On Jan 20th, 1961 John F. Kennedy gave what has come to be the most quoted inaugural address in American History.

But the content of his speech would make him a political outcast today (in both parties).

10 quotes from JFK’s inaugural that would make him unelectable in 2024 🧵 1) “The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” - JFK

I often reference classical education without fully defining it.

To assist in understanding the difference between mainstream modern education and classical education, here are 5 key distinctions that serve as a starting point for comparison. 🧵 1) The goal of classical education is cultivating wonder and virtue in students (think of the 4 cardinal virtues and the 3 theological virtues). The goal of modern education is “College and Career Readiness”.

I am excited to head back to the most beautiful city in the world this week.

My top 5 must see places in Budapest 🧵 1) Saint Stephen's Basilica. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose right hand is housed in the reliquary.

Top 20 Thomas Sowell quotes 🧵

1. One of the most dangerous trends of our times is making the truth socially unacceptable, or even illegal, with "hate speech" laws. 2. Have you ever studied what happens when the government does something compared to what happens when they don't do anything?