San Damiano College for the Trades

08/03/2026

https://www.sandamianotrades.org/rebuild-my-church/not-cut-out-for-a-bachelors-degree

“Flutter, flutter, Thump!” That’s the sound we heard all throughout May, when a sparrow continually attempted to fly through our basement window. Every hour or so, the same reverberations punctuated the laughter or squalls of children playing at Legos. The image of this sparrow frequently come...

06/26/2026

San Damiano College recently hosted the first annual Opus Manus, a week-long immersive experience in the ancient trades for high school students. This year's trades experience focused on blacksmithing and hand tooling. Students also participated in daily Mass and compline, as well as intellectual discussion and poetry. Lest we not forget, plenty of recreation was also in order, with a BBQ shared with our current San Damiano students, as well as a jugger tournament and other sports throughout the week.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Clayville Historic Site for the use of their blacksmith shop, as well as to Shane Hill, Dave Kervin and Rick Hand, blacksmiths, and Thaddeus Hughes, hand tool instructor.

06/26/2026

https://www.sandamianotrades.org/rebuild-my-church/ideas-arent-enough

“Measure twice, cut once, but don’t measure at all if you can avoid it!” Counter-intuitive words to say the least, but when master Carpenter Norm Abram gives this counsel, he’s both offering sound building advice and pointing us to a profound philosophical, theological truth.

06/23/2026

In case you missed it, this episode of Pro-Life Weekly from EWTN on masculinity has the full interview with San Damiano College for the Trades.

A “Men’s Special” aimed at young men, fathers and grandfathers includes a look at a Catholic school in Illinois whose graduates leave with zero college debt and ready to enter the workforce having learned a trade. San Damiano College for the Trades balances craftsmanship with a Great Books cur...

06/19/2026

We hosted our last dance of the 2025-2026 academic year on May 30. Where did that year go? This was a dance open to the public. A great time was had by all! As always, a huge thank you to One Dance At A Time for your time and talent!

06/03/2026

More reasons our San Damiano is so crucial!

Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a continuing and troubling trend: The labor force of American men continues to decline.

06/01/2026

www.sandamianotrades.org/rebuild-my-church/ambivalent-imitation-ai

The first of San Damiano College for the Trades' thoughts on AI.

Last week, our good friends’ dangerously cute 2-year-old daughter saw me preparing lunch and cheerfully chirped, “I want a burger!” How could I resist? The only problem…I was making butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

06/01/2026

https://www.sandamianotrades.org/rebuild-my-church/ambivalent-imitation-ai

Last week, our good friends’ dangerously cute 2-year-old daughter saw me preparing lunch and cheerfully chirped, “I want a burger!” How could I resist? The only problem…I was making butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

05/29/2026

Just a reminder: Spring Dance tomorrow!

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/4zwszpq/lp/d4204d18-4b73-4551-a633-0a38ba288896

We are happy to invite you to our Spring Dance! Registration is required, and can be done through the link. Please call Joanne at 217-572-9202 with questions.

Adults (18+) please join us for a fun filled evening of dancing, no prior experience needed. Babysitting will be available. Teens 15-17 may attend in the company of their parent(s). Please see event landing page for important details. Please register to attend the dance. Registrations will be accept...

05/14/2026

Guess who can now apply for Mike Rowe's Work Ethic Scholarship?

San Damiano men!

Ready to get to work? Learn more about the mikeroweWORKS Foundation Work Ethic Scholarship Program.