Catholic Education Matters
Catholic Education Matters
Podcast Description
Welcome to Catholic Education Matters the podcast that celebrates the beauty of Catholic education, highlighting excellence in academics, athletics, and the transformative power of faith. Join us as we share the stories of those making a lasting impact on Catholic education.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers themes centered on excellence in Catholic education, including academic success, faith-based values, and community impact. Noteworthy episodes feature discussions on the importance of building faith foundations, addressing teacher shortages, and inspiring stories of student baptisms and parent conversions. Specific focus areas include cultural shifts in Catholic education and the transformative power of faith as it relates to school identity.
Welcome to Catholic Education Matters the podcast that celebrates the beauty of Catholic education, highlighting excellence in academics, athletics, and the transformative power of faith. Join us as we share the stories of those making a lasting impact on Catholic education.
In this episode of Catholic Education Matters, host Troy Van Vliet is joined by businessman and philanthropist Andy Szocs and Dr. Andrew Abela, Dean of the School of Business at The Catholic University of America for a compelling conversation centered on the power and purpose of virtue in education and leadership. Dr. Abela discusses his book Super Habits, which reintroduces the classical concept of virtue—not as outdated moralizing, but as deeply relevant habits of excellence essential for human flourishing. Drawing from both ancient wisdom and modern research, he explains how virtues such as courage, temperance, self-discipline, and orderliness are foundational to character formation and ethical leadership. The episode explores how these virtues can and should be deliberately taught and practiced—not just assumed—within schools, universities, and organizations. Dr. Abela shares how his team is incorporating virtue development into curriculum at the university level and introduces the Grow Virtue app, a tool that helps users identify strengths and areas for growth through self-assessment and intentional daily practices. The discussion reinforces that true education must go beyond academic achievement to shape morally grounded individuals capable of making principled decisions in complex, real-world situations.
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- (00:00) – Intro
- (06:10) – What Are Super Habits?
- (10:26) – Virtues by Any Other Name
- (14:49) – Why Character Formation Matters in Schools
- (18:22) – How to Teach and Practice Virtue
- (25:09) – Measuring Growth in Virtue: The Grow Virtue App
- (33:56) – Creating Safe, Values-Based Education in a Confused World
- (35:04) – Deliberate Character Formation: Teaching Virtue with Purpose
- (36:22) – Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science: The Virtue of Diligence
- (40:00) – Virtue as Human Excellence: Activating the Muscles of Character
- (46:48) – St. Thomas Aquinas’ Taxonomy of Virtues Explained
- (53:32) – The Vision and Mission of St. John Paul II Academy
- (01:02:08) – Capitalism, Socialism, and Virtue: A Catholic Perspective
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