Some people in our local area had been dreaming what seemed an impossible dream—to create a Catholic liberal arts college. Though the dream seemed impossible, that word does not apply to God. As they say on their website, "After all, what do you need to teach the truth? A few good books, a few good men and women willing to teach and be taught, and perhaps a building (at least when the weather gets cold and wet!)."

They began really small, in the year 2000, with nine students, four teachers, and a one-year course.

Their purpose: "To form students intellectually and spiritually by providing a university-level education in the liberal arts in the light of the teaching of the Catholic Church and so renew modern culture."

Now in their eighth year, they offer one, two, and three-year programs to 85 students (18 of them part-time). Though they are not yet accredited, which is why they call themselves an academy rather than a university or college, a few universities and colleges in both the United States and Canada are now accepting their credits.

In 2007, they were one of only 21 Catholic post-secondary institutions, and the only one in Canada, to be listed in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. The fruit of much painstaking research, the Guide presents Catholic parents and students with detailed information about a core group of colleges that are truly Catholic according to the standards set out by Pope John Paul II’s Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

Guide editor Joseph Esposito said, "Although our publication focuses on U.S. institutions, we were so impressed by Our Lady Seat of Wisdom that we felt compelled to include it as well. The academy has accomplished much in a short period of time, and we look forward to it being an influential force in Catholic higher education."

For more information about Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, see www.seatofwisdom.org