We have several famous namesakes, who inspire us and inform the spirit of the Project.

Catherine of Alexandria (287-305 CE) is the patron saint of philosophers. She is said to have confronted the Roman emperor Maxentius for his cruelty and in a single debate converted fifty of the best pagan philosophers summoned to refute her.

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) received no formal education whatsoever. Nonetheless, she became not only a feared advocate against corruption but one of the great mystical writers of Europe, dictating thousands of letters as well as a spiritual masterpiece, the Dialogues. 

Catherine Doherty (1896-1985), founder of Madonna House, started the first national lending library in Canada, before the public library system took root. Readers in remote locations would write to her with requests. She would find the books they requested from her collection of donated books and mail them out, one by one.

Our Core Seminars, reading groups and intensive reading groups are seminars that are conducted by open-ended conversation. Readers are not directed toward particular conclusions, but are encouraged to bring their own live questions. Some courses have a writing component.

The format of our subject tutorials can vary, depending on the subject being studied and the preferences of the tutor.

Every year, in the spring and fall, we have two Community Seminar events, open to all. These are one-off seminars on a short text, and they are great opportunities for trying out our seminar-style learning.

Additionally, general enrollment for our longer-term courses happens three times a year. View our Community Calendar to see when the next enrollment period will occur. 

The are no prerequisites for studying in our reading groups, intensive reading groups and Life of the Mind Seminars. Segments of our Core Program must be completed sequentially, starting with our Life of the Mind Seminar. Our intermediate and advanced subject tutorials require that one have previous experience studying the given subject (usually a language).

Our Core Program is available during our Spring and Fall terms, and goes on break during the summer. We endeavor to offer each of the segments concurrently. 

For more about our Core Program, please see its dedicated webpage.

While the majority of our courses are conducted in English, we do occasionally offer courses in other languages (especially Spanish).

Courses conducted in a language other than English will be identified in the term’s catalog of offerings, as well as on the registration form.

It depends on the course. When we email you to confirm placement in a course, we will identify any edition requirements the leader has communicated to us. Otherwise, your course’s leader is responsible for sharing this information.

We keep our focus on what we read or study, rather than who we are studying with. Accordingly, readers do not choose leaders, leaders do not choose readers, and members of reading groups do not choose one another.

Each individual who would like to participate in our courses must submit their own application. Readers may request in their application to be placed in a group with a friend, relative, spouse, etc., but we can’t guarantee that the request will be granted. Please let us know if you are unwilling to participate in a course if we cannot place your friend in it.

Readers may not participate in more than one Core Program course or intensive reading group per term.

While it is otherwise possible for readers to participate in multiple courses in a given term, we prioritize finding a home for each reader in at least one course.

Enrollment decisions are usually made within three weeks after the application deadline. See our Calendar page for more specific dates. 

If we are unable to place you in any of the courses you identified interest in, we will email you to confirm this and to offer some resources for study. 

Readers who wish to participate in multiple courses simultaneously will be sent a separate email for each course they were placed in.

Course leaders are copied on all placement emails and readers are encouraged to write directly to them with questions about the course. 

If you have tried writing to your leader and haven’t heard from them at least one week before the course’s first meeting, first check your spam folder and then email us: study@catherineproject.org

Yes! You can do so here.

Upcoming events and important dates are listed on our Calendar page. We also encourage you to sign up for our mailing list.