Medieval Guilds
Thomas More College has established a series of medieval-style Catholic guilds that enable students to gain skills and experience from master craftsmen in areas such as woodworking, sacred art, music, and baking. Thomas More College’s guilds take their spirit from the associations of men and women who advanced their trades and responded to the needs of their local communities in the Medieval Age.
Catholic guilds flourished during medieval Europe, but by the Nineteenth Century they had all but disappeared. Guilds in its earliest form were developed out of man’s natural spirit of association. The Catholic Church took medieval guilds under its tutelage and infused into them the vivifying spirit of Christian charity.
Through these guilds, students will learn skills they can use throughout their lives while helping the local community. The College’s guilds bake bread for the homeless, produce icons for local churches, create chairs and other projects for the poor and needy in the local community community, and bring music to nursing homes and hospitals.
Each guild meets weekly and is taught by a master craftsman who has spent his life perfecting the skills of his trade. Students will be required to meet a series of benchmarks throughout the year so their performance can be measured. Thomas More College’s guilds include the following:
- St. Joseph Woodworking Guild – Master carpenter Frank Jenkins explores the properties of the major kinds of wood used in fine woodworking, the use and care of hand tools, the preparation of rough lumber for finish work, joinery, project conception and design, and finishing. The class culminates in the completion of a small project of the student’s choice, such as a bookcase.
St. Luke Sacred Art Guild – Artist David Clayton teaches the Catholic traditions in art as well as the theological principles behind them. Students also learn about the principles of harmony and proportion that are infused in the work of the old Masters, and will be taught the entire iconographic painting process.- St. Francis and Isidore Guild– This guild is an excellent outlet for young people determined to reap the rewards of a studious life, but with too much energy to sit still for long! Apprentices learn a wide range of priceless life skills: how to bake sour dough bread from century old starters, keep bees, transform tree sap into maple syrup, make a fire in the woods, track animals, and clean fish and fowl.
- St. Gregory Music Guild – Mark Schwerdt teaches students liturgical chant as well as folk music. In addition to vocal lessons, students learn how to play the banjo, guitar, or piano. The St. Gregory music guild enables students to play music and add to celebrations on campus.
