3. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

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1 3. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS What is Religious Education and what is its purpose in the Catholic School? Although this pamphlet deals primarily with Religious Education as a subject in Catholic schools, religious education is not only a school subject. It is a process of growth in spiritual awareness, in moral sensitivity, and for many people in explicit religious understanding and expression. This process happens formally and informally, in planned and unplanned ways, and it happens to everybody. Atheists or agnostics would, understandably, reject the term religious education as applying to their lives, yet with respect the term is broad enough to be perceived as applying to all people. Faith is a dimension of everyone s life. Explicitly religious for some, not at all for others, faith is a basic part of one s equipment as a human being, namely one s inner resources for making sense of the world and coping with life. Anything that develops these inner resources may be termed religious education. In fact, anything that makes a contribution to a person s spiritual, moral, personal, or faith growth may be broadly termed religious education. Religious Education, therefore, belongs to all. In Catholic schools, Religious Education is designed and delivered in such a way that it is inclusive. The life of a Catholic school is fused with the gospel message. That message is essentially one about true freedom, and in this freedom, the school offers a Religious Education programme that mirrors its identity. The purpose of Religious Education in the Catholic school is to develop the learner's inner resources, but, in order to do this, the school offers the Christian story in the Catholic tradition as its major resource. It does so, not to the exclusion of other faith traditions, nor in competition with them, but in a spirit of dialogue, recognising that the same Spirit of God is at the heart of every quest for the truth. All learners are thereby affirmed in their own tradition, and enriched by one another's. The special character of the Catholic school and the underlying reason for its existence is precisely the quality of the religious instruction integrated into the overall education of the students. - Catechesis in Our Time: Catechesi Tradendae, 69 promulgated by Pope John Paul II at the Synod of Bishops, October

2 The Religious Education Curriculum A multi-process curriculum Lifebound, the Religious Education Curriculum for Primary Schools Lifebound is the fruit of countrywide consultation and teacher-development workshops to gather ideas, to critique work in progress and to motivate the teaching of Religious Education from the new perspectives of a multireligious and multi-cultural society. Classroom materials and lesson guides were piloted in 56 schools. Lifebound comprises a Curriculum Guide and Teacher Handbooks for Grade R to Grade 7. Lessons are worked out in full. CORD, the Curriculum for Catholic High School Religious Education CORD was first published in As CORD did not include teacher and learner support materials, its implementation met with practical difficulties. A project was begun in 2003 to make the CORD Curriculum more accessible to teachers in Catholic schools. CORD Lesson Handbooks for each grade (Grades 8-12) have been produced, each with about 100 lessons with resources, covering the 15 CORD processes. The Lifebound and CORD Curricula consist of fifteen processes that, taken together, form the whole Religious Education programme. The first of these Education by Environment is a whole-school process, and the last Intensive RE is that part of RE which takes place outside the classroom. ed 2 to 14 are delivered through regular classroom teaching. 1: EDUCATION BY ENVIRONMENT The whole way in which a school runs has the power to teach without words. The values projected by the school have to be experienced before they can be assimilated. The environment in which growth takes place is a nurturing and caring community. This first section of the curriculum is concerned with the growth and pastoral care of all the people making up this community. This process takes place chiefly among the staff and spills over into the whole school community. THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION SPIRITUAL EDUCATION PRAYER EDUCATION WORSHIP EDUCATION EDUCATION BY ART EDUCATION BY STORY SCRIPTURAL EDUCATION EDUCATION BY MODELS PHILOSOPHICAL EDUCATION PERSONAL MORAL EDUCATION EDUCATION IN STRUCTURAL MORALITY EDUCATION FOR PERSONAL GROWTH AND RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION FOR RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY : INTENSIVE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION This final process involves concentrated periods of time which are not part of the regular classroom Religious Education. It takes various forms - class and group retreats, school missions, days of recollection, weekend experiences and growth camps are some examples. 2

3 Aims and outcomes of Religious Education To teach ABOUT religion, so that learners understand and value the religious dimension of life Familiarise learners with the scriptures, those inspired writings which reveal to us, in the story of Israel, God's nature and way of working with humankind. Familiarise learners with the life story of Jesus the Anointed One to whom the scriptures point. Develop in the learners a foundational knowledge of the Christian faith, and an understanding of the Catholic Church within this tradition. Extend learners in their knowledge and understanding of Catholic practices, teachings, and traditions, and of the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church. Develop in the learners a basic knowledge of other faiths, especially those found in their community, so that different religious experiences, beliefs and practices may be understood and appreciated To educate THROUGH religion, so that the riches of religious experience and tradition are brought to bear on the learners development as whole human beings Help learners investigate and realise the meaning and purpose of their lives, with the guidance of the Scriptures and the Tradition of the Catholic Church. Guide learners to discover, cherish and develop a set of values that embody a sense of responsibility towards self and others, especially the marginalised, and shows respect for all creation. Form and inform the consciences of learners, and help them develop the skills and attitudes that will enable them to make sound moral choices. Lead the learners to an understanding of their sexuality and help them build healthy relationships. To ready learners FOR religion, so that they are able to live their religious tradition in a committed and meaningful way Foster in the learners an awareness of God's presence in our world, and to develop this awareness through reflection and prayer. Help learners grow in the practical knowledge and understanding of prayer so as to build a personal relationship with the One who loves each person unconditionally. Encourage and nurture the faith of learners so that it becomes a practical guide, and an integral part of daily living, made evident in their ability to face life's challenges and problems and in actively serving others through good works. Help them grow in the knowledge and love of God, and a desire to serve the One who is the origin, sustainer and final destiny of all creation. Invite learners to a personal relationship with Jesus, and to hear and live the Good News that he taught by his words and deeds. Foster respect for different religious traditions among learners, and to develop in them sensitivity towards others with beliefs different from their own. 3

4 General outcomes Religious and personal development are lifelong tasks. These general outcomes may therefore be seen as paths that the RE curriculum desires to lead the learners along. Through opportunities for learning provided in each grade, and in ways appropriate to age, maturity and faith development, learners: show an awareness and understanding of the spiritual dimension of human life, and how religion tries to answer our deeper questions and needs. have a knowledge and understanding of the sacred writings, the beliefs, the teachings, the traditions and the practices of their faith community, and are able to express them coherently. are able to reflect on their own tradition in the light of others, and to make sense of others through a knowledge of their own. see a purpose in life and have hope for the future. develop a personal faith and prayer life through knowledge, experience and reflection, and become aware of God's presence in all dimensions of creation. experience the dimension of public worship in the life of the school community by regular participation in the liturgy, and come to understand its meaning. gain the knowledge and skills to make appropriate personal religious and moral decisions. develop, and live out, a value system that respects the dignity of themselves and others, and encourages them to reach out to others in compassionate service. develop a positive personal identity through relationships at home and school and in the faith community. make a personal choice for their faith community with a fair knowledge of other communities and traditions. acknowledge the authority and norms of their faith community. experience a sense of belonging in their faith community and demonstrate responsibility as a member of that community. A multi-religious classroom Catholic schools welcome students from all faith traditions. Therefore, while all students participate in the Religious Education programme, Religious Education is not for Catholics only and the religious freedom and the personal conscience of individual students and their families are respected. Catholic School Religious Education aims to help all learners, no matter what their persuasion, to understand and live out their religious heritage to the full. This is an activity which is pursued together in a sharing of all that is true and holy in the world s religions. Dialogue, conducted in a spirit of freedom, develops an understanding of difference, fosters respect for one another s religious traditions, and reduces the likelihood of friction in religious matters in the school. It does not aim to convert students to Catholicism. 4

5 A multi-cultural classroom Catholic School Religious Education is sensitive also to differences of culture. It seeks meeting points with the cultures of those it serves. In this country, for instance, it seeks to make tangible links between African cultural beliefs and practices, and Christian theology, worship, and ways of living. Christianity has to date, and to a large extent, been communicated in Western European ways. The persons we are educating are central to the approach we adopt. Each one of these persons has a religious potential and has received a religious inheritance not of their own choosing. Love, acceptance, patience and kindness underlie all we do in Religious Education. While the dialogue of religions must find its place in Religious Education, it must be understood that the Catholic School shares in the mission of Jesus which is continued in the Church. This means that the school openly and honestly offers the Good News of Christ in the Catholic tradition, together with its teaching and practice, while being open to receive enrichment from other traditions Our modern context Religious Education is presented to children and teenagers amidst an environment where they are exposed to all sorts of ideas, opinions, pressures and influences. The explosion of knowledge (it is said that every three years all known knowledge in civilisation doubles itself), the shaping of people s consciousness by media, their cultural perspective, relativism, the tendency towards selfism in much of modern psychology, the popularity of spirituality (often nebulous and undefined), technology, materialism and consumerism are some of these. To be relevant and credible, Religious Education reads the signs of the times: it is in conversation with current philosophies and popular culture, affirming the meeting points, and challenging those worldviews which present an impoverished view of the human person or which diminish the dignity of the human person. Formation of a social conscience Catholic education tries not to turn out people concerned only with their own personal salvation, who confine practice of their faith to a private affair between God and the individual with no connection to the world. An authentic Catholic education seeks qualitatively different ways of being a 5

6 person in order to achieve an ever more total and complete fulfilment of the person in solidarity with all others and with God. Religious Education helps develop children s capacity for thoughtful and critical questioning, rooted in Christian faith, with a view to responsible world citizenship. This capacity requires the formation of a social conscience. Catholic education tries to inspire people to strive to eliminate oppressive human ideas, relations, structures and social systems; ultimately, to free persons from sin and bring them to solidarity with God. Through the examination of contentious issues treatment of minorities, globalisation of the world economy, the gap between the rich and the poor, destruction and exploitation of the environment, global warming, regional conflicts, the arms trade, bio-ethical issues such human embryonic stem cell research students are challenged to develop keener consciences. The RE classroom is a good place to start making this type of generous, critical and questioning faith the norm for students in a Catholic school. Outreach and solidarity with the poor For those blessed with education, skills and resources, outreach programmes and community service are ways of responding to the poverty, deprivation and suffering of the excluded in our society. Outreach in Catholic schools is about more than simply feeling sorry for others and collecting food and clothes for them. Solidarity flows from our spirituality. Outreach creates the spirit and experience of being with the excluded in the struggle to realise the common good for all. Outreach to others is the way we live a key principle in Catholic social teaching, namely Solidarity. It is also necessary for students to understand the causes behind the needs that the poor experience. In the Religious Education programme, they thus become informed about social justice issues and more sensitive to the struggles of others. Such learning can be very formative for young people, and hopefully leaves a lasting mark of compassion, causing them to orientate their adult lives as people who are connected to others in the transformation of the world. Religious education in a Catholic school is the comprehensive and systematic study of the mystery of God, of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the teachings of his Church, the central beliefs that Catholics hold, the basis for them and the relationship between faith and life; in a manner which encourages investigation and reflection by the pupils, develops the appropriate skills and attitudes and promotes free, informed and full response to God s call in everyday life. The outcome of Catholic religious education is religiously literate young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to their age and capacity to think spiritually, ethically and theologically, and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life. Statement on Religious Education in Catholic Schools, paragraph 5, Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, May 2000 This pamphlet is part of a series on aspects of Catholic education for teachers, parents and board members, produced by the Ethos Committee of the Catholic Schools Board of the Archdioceses of Pretoria and Johannesburg The Haven St Vincent School for the Deaf Jellicoe Avenue Melrose PO Box 2635 Saxonwold 2132 Tel +27 (0) /9211 Fax +27 (0) info@cso.za.or 6