Human history is the story of salvation, with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ — God made man — at its apex. That was the vision outlined to principals and teachers from across the Diocese of Lansing who gathered at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor on March 23 to learn more about the diocese’s new history curriculum.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our ongoing journey — one that began a decade and a half ago — to renew and reclaim our true identity as Catholic schools across the Diocese of Lansing,” said Tom Maloney, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Lansing.
“Today, I am excited to share our new framework for teaching history in our schools. It represents a return to a true timeline-based, incarnational history curriculum — a move away from ‘social studies’ and back to ‘true history,’ if you will.”
The new framework will operate on a four-year cycle, beginning in pre-kindergarten and repeating through 12th grade. Catholic schools across the diocese will begin phasing in the new curriculum beginning in the fall of 2026. The themes for each year of the cycle are as follows:
• Year One: Ancient History, 2000 BC to 312 AD
• Year Two: History of Christendom, 313 AD to 1814 AD
• Year Three: American History and Government, 1491 AD to 1877 AD
• Year Four: 19th and 20th Century History and Modern Economics, 1815 AD to Present
The gathering at Father Gabriel Richard High School, entitled “Making History His Story,” began appropriately with Holy Mass offered by Father Mike Murray. The morning session then featured keynote speaker Dr. Brad Birzer, pictured above, Professor of History at Hillsdale College in Michigan. The afternoon was devoted to small-group sessions for teachers and principals.
“The new history framework looks fascinating from everything I’ve seen,” said Dr. Birzer. “It’s really about trying to understand how Christ fits into history — that is, how God enters into time, which is His creation. Because if we look at history, every great manifestation is, in some way, a revelation of God’s providence.”
* To find out more about Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lansing, go to: https://dolcatholicschools.org/
