Labor

We adore you, oh Christ, and we praise you, for by the wood you worked we have been saved.

Our Savior worked in a woodshop, not a cubicle.

Christ worked for 18 years on the wood by which he would redeem the world. Every nail Christ drove was a meditation on the ones that would pierce his hands. Our Savior, the Son of God, was a homeschooled carpenter who pounded nails, not a computer keyboard.

In our age of digital distraction, San Damiano College for the Trades aims at restoring the trades to man so that he may support himself and his family through the honest work of his hands while contributing tangible goods to society.

What We Offer:

3-year Certificate Program in the construction trades:

a. intensive first semester—becoming a Catholic MAN

—rigorous, monastic-style daily life of prayer and work

—trades instruction (450 hours)

—daily, weekly, and monthly spiritual formation,

—practice in virtue through community life

—daily intellectual formation in the great books and Catholic theology

b. Remaining 2 and a half years—becoming a Catholic CRAFTS-man

—fulltime employment in the trades

—additional trades instruction on nights and weekends (300 hours)

—intellectual formation on nights

—daily, weekly, monthly spiritual formation

—annual pilgrimage and retreat

—and intellectual formation on nights and weekends,

—practice in virtue through community life

Technical Instruction:

Year 1

First semester: Students take multiple 3-5 week modules in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing, masonry, and ecclesial restoration. (339 hours)

Second semester: one technical instruction course in the evenings (60 hrs) and whatever technical instruction is offered by apprenticeship.

Year 2

First Semester: one technical instruction course (60 hrs) in the evenings and full apprenticeship training.

Second Semester: one technical instruction course (60 hrs) in the evenings and full apprenticeship training.

Year 3

First Semester: one technical instruction course (60 hrs) in the evenings and full apprenticeship training.

Second Semester: one technical instruction course (60 hrs) in the evenings and full apprenticeship training.

On-the-job Training:

Year 1

First semester: Students prepare 6-days per week for eventual fulltime employment. Integrity, zeal, and a willingness to learn are tested, and at the end of this first semester, students apply for an apprenticeship or fulltime work in one of the trades.

Second semester: Students work 40 hrs/wk in a trade and continue seeking apprenticeships.

Summer: Students continue working fulltime in a trade and continue or seek apprenticeship.

Year 2

Students continue working at least 40 hrs/wk during the academic year and seeking apprenticeship if necessary.

Year 3

Students continue working at least 40 hrs/wk and working through their apprenticeship.

Trades Offered

Carpentry

Traditionally understood to be Jesus’ trade of choice, our carpenters will learn everything from basic house framing to cabinetry. Wood types, finishes, various types of joinery, and other topics will be explored in class and executed in on-site projects.

Person sawing a piece of wood in a woodworking shop.

Ecclesial Restoration

From stone work to stained glass and wood preservation, this multi-disciplinary track focuses on restoration techniques and the various materials likely to be encountered there.

Sunlight filtering through a colorful stained glass window, casting vibrant light onto the wall.

Electrical

With a focus on domestic electrical work, students will learn both repair and installation, applying their technical knowledge to projects with local contractors and their fellow classmates in other tracks.

A man in work clothes and gloves installing an electrical outlet in a wall, with tools and wires nearby.
Black and white image of a large industrial ventilation duct system on a ceiling with curved and straight sections.

HVAC

Students encounter the creativity of airflow and the skill of building out venting to move air in residential applications. Students learn about compressors and air handlers, as well as controls.

Masonry

Plumbing

Among the most durable of trades, plumbing requires skill and some grit. Students learn techniques for harnessing and managing water in residential settings, from copper, to PVC and Pex.

Black and white photo of two men working together on a pipe inside a wooden structure labeled 'Plumbers'. One man is wearing a tank top and a cowboy hat, while the other is dressed in a shirt and slacks, both focused on the pipe on a stand.

Roofing

Covering multiple roof systems, this track will also include restoration and repair work. Students will become knowledgeable and useful members of building teams as they complete roofing work on local and/or national projects.

Two construction workers installing a rubber roof on a building, both wearing safety helmets and safety harnesses.
“Through work man must earn his daily bread and contribute to the continual advance of science and technology and, above all, to elevating unceasingly the cultural and moral level of the society within which he lives in community with those who belong to the same family.”
— Laborem Exercens
Black and white photo of Pope John Paul II wearing white papal robes and a cross necklace.

What we offer

Useful Goods

  • A certificate in construction trades

  • A durable, employable profession

  • No debt

  • Basic experience in a variety of trades

  • 450 hours of technical instruction in a trade

  • Up to 2000 hours of on-the-job training in a trade

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Things Good in Themselves

  • The 4 cardinal virtues—courage, justice, temperance, and prudence

  • The 3 theological virtues—faith, hope, and love

  • The 5 intellectual virtues—craftsmanship, prudence, intuition, knowledge, and wisdom

  • Preparedness to pursue marriage and fatherhood, the ordained ministry, or consecrated religious life

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