Renaissance, Exploration & ReformationLentWeek 22 of 32

The Catholic Reformation

Essential Question

How did the Catholic Church renew herself from within and carry the faith to the ends of the earth?

This week the student sees the Catholic Church's vigorous response to the Reformation: the reforming Council of Trent (1545-1563), the new religious orders (especially the Jesuits under St. Ignatius of Loyola), the Carmelite mystical reform of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, and the explosion of worldwide missions reaching Asia and the Americas. The student learns that the Church did not merely react against Protestantism but renewed herself from within and carried the faith to the ends of the earth. A multi-week research project launches.

Liturgical note: Lent — the Church's season of conversion and renewal. This week's theme of the Church reforming herself mirrors the Lenten call to personal conversion. The Carmelite mystics and the Jesuit Spiritual Exercises model the interior renewal Lent invites.

Threads at a Glance

What Each Thread Covers This Week

World History

The Council of Trent and Catholic renewal; new orders (the Jesuits and St. Ignatius); the Carmelite reform (Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross); worldwide missions (Francis Xavier in Asia)

US History

Secession and the War Begins

Historical Figure

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Geography

The global reach of Catholic missions; draw the mission fields — Asia (Xavier), the Americas, and the sea routes

Art History

Mannerism into the early Baroque — El Greco; how the Council of Trent shaped sacred art

Music History

Counter-Reformation sacred music — Tomas Luis de Victoria and the Roman school; Palestrina revisited

Saint

St. Teresa of Avila (mystic, reformer, and Doctor of the Church)

Virtue

Penance and Conversion (the heart of Lent)

Catechism

YOUCAT — the 7th, 8th, and 10th Commandments: justice, truth, and detachment

Grammar

Common usage errors II — pronoun-antecedent agreement; who vs. whom

Writing

RESEARCH PROJECT launch — choose a topic, form a question, gather sources (multi-week)

Weekly Writing Assignment

Research Project (Part 1 of 3): Topic, Question, and Sources

Begin a multi-week research project (continuing in Weeks 23 and 24) on a person, event, or development from the unit 'Renaissance, Exploration & Reformation' (Weeks 17-24). For example: the Council of Trent, St. Ignatius and the Jesuits, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis Xavier's mission, the Catholic missions of New Spain, or the Galileo affair (Week 24). THIS WEEK: (1) choose and narrow your topic, (2) write a single focused research question, (3) find and record at least FOUR reliable sources with full citations, evaluating each for reliability.

Skill: Launching a research project — narrowing a topic, forming a focused research question, and gathering and evaluating reliable sources.Length: This week: a one-paragraph topic proposal, a focused research question, and an annotated source list of 4+ sources (the final paper, due Week 24, will be 900-1200 words).

Show rubric ▾

Topic is narrow enough to cover well (not 'the whole Reformation')
Research question is specific, answerable, and genuinely interesting
At least four reliable sources, each with a full citation
Each source has one sentence evaluating WHY it is reliable
Sources include at least one scholarly/reference source and avoid unreliable web pages

The Week