Dr. Richard Meloche serves as the president of the Alcuin Institute for Catholic Culture, which is based in the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma. He earned his initial degrees in philosophy and theology from the University of Western Ontario, and his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida. When he is not studying or teaching the truths of the Catholic Faith, Prof. Meloche enjoys the ‘simple’ life on his small farmstead in rural Oklahoma with his wife and seven children.
CWR: Please tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to be the president of the Alcuin Institute.
Dr. Richard Meloche: I’m a native of Canada but moved to Florida in 2005 after being accepted into the new doctorate program at Ave Maria University. After I completed my degree in systematic theology, I began my teaching career at St. Gregory’s University—a small Benedictine liberal arts school—in rural Oklahoma. I taught and administrated at SGU until it’s closure in the fall of 2017.
St. Gregory’s was the only Catholic institute of higher learning in the state, and the bishops of the state conspired to establish a new kind of school to fill the void left by the closure of SGU. In January of 2018, Bishop David Konderla of the Diocese of Tulsa invited me to establish the Alcuin Institute of Catholic Culture, which would serve the Diocese and surrounding area by providing theological formation and practical training in the perennial truths of the Catholic faith.
CWR: What is the Alcuin Institute?
Dr. Richard Meloche: The Alcuin Institute is first and foremost a faculty of friends dedicated to the earnest (and often arduous) quest of discovering truth and living in accord with that discovery. The Alcuin Institute is, in this sense, a ‘school’—that is, a place of leisure (skole; schola). Since goodness tends to share itself (bonum est diffusivum sui), the Institute’s faculty is desirous to disseminate the fruits of their leisure to others.
Essential to this cultural retrieval is understanding that the seminal theological and philosophical principles of the West (the truth of our robust scientific heritage) can only take root, grow, and bear fruit in imaginative ground which has been saturated with song, narrative, and the arts (the beauty of our aesthetical and poetical heritage).
Avoiding the modern pitfall of separating the intellectual dimension of the faith (wisdom) from the practical experience of ‘elemental things’ (wonder), the Alcuin Institute hopes and prays, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, to become a true center of cultural restoration through the ongoing education of Catholic leaders throughout the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma.
CWR: The Alcuin Institute encourages the cultivation of authentic community and friendship. Postmodern life is defined by fragmentation of both the community and the self. How would you define an authentic community? How does one build an authentic community?
Dr. Richard Meloche: The model of authentic community is the Holy family. Thusly any attempt at building and establishing a healthy, vibrant Catholic community needs to be—as it was with the Holy family—founded upon and order to Christ.
CWR: The Alcuin Institute recently had its increasingly popular Charlemagne Ball. There was a strong emphasis on marriage and marital love at the ball. What was the inspiration for the Charlemagne Ball?
Dr. Richard Meloche: The Charlemagne Ball is one of the Alcuin Institute’s many cultural initiatives. We not only provide typical academic opportunities that perfect the intellect (lectures, classes, conferences, discussions, etc.) but also seek to cultivate “real living” by fostering a lively Catholic culture. The work of the Alcuin Institute extends especially to festal celebrations of the Catholic calendar, promoting a return to the wholesome music and dance which was once at the heart of culture. Specifically, the Charlamagne Ball—through live music, festive dancing, and strong drink—aims to rekindle the virtues and passions that are essential for good marriages and strong communities.
CWR: What is the key to a happy Catholic marriage?
Dr. Richard Meloche: I think St. Paul has some good advice: husbands cherish your wives and wives be docile to your husbands. This, of course, requires much effort and supernatural aid, especially today.
CWR: At your speech at the Charlemagne Ball, you used the term “Catholic mind.” What is the Catholic mind and how does one cultivate the Catholic mind?
Dr. Richard Meloche: The “Catholic mind” is a mind perfectly conformed to the Church. It is seeing the world as the Church sees the world. This requires diligent study, ardent prayer and an intimate familiarity with the things of the past.
CWR: You are a homesteader and some of those associated with the Alcuin Institute are also homesteaders. Why are people choosing to live off the land in the 21st century?
Dr. Richard Meloche: Modernity can be defined by its artificiality. The movement to embrace a more “rural” way of life is a response—I believe—to this perceived artificiality. Living as close as possible to reality heals the many and varied physical and spiritual ailments infecting us as moderns.
CWR: Alasdair MacIntyre has said that we need a “new but very different St. Benedict.” Rod Dreher has argued for the “Benedict Option.’ Is there an Alcuin or Charlemagne Option?
Dr. Richard Meloche: I agree with MacIntyre’s critique of modernity. If we are living in a period of neo-barbarism, how can we preserve the faith?
Blessed Alcuin of York provides a viable (and proven) strategy. His efforts—almost singlehandedly—pulled all of Europe out of the so-called dark ages and lead to unparalleled cultural flourishing and human happiness. It is my hope that the Alcuin Institute for Catholic Culture can do the same thing here in the Eastern half of Oklahoma and be a model of reform for others.
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A good example of what it means, in my mind, to be authentically Catholic. Here is a case where two bishops used their collective resources to fund an initiative in restoring Catholic culture led by a layman. It is an excellent response to what the author refers to as “living in a period of neo-barbarism.”
“If we are living in a period of neo-barbarism . . .”
If?
Refresher on Blessed Alcuin, please.