4.6 Schools for encounter with Jesus
and discipleship
Opportunities for encountering Jesus and living as a disciple
The Catholic school offers staff and students opportunities for encountering Jesus and living as a disciple. Students' spirituality reflects a developmental pattern and is shaped by factors such as their family’s participation in their parish community. The Catholic school aims to provide students with a total learning environment in which they experience what discipleship of Jesus means to those who are committed to the Catholic faith. The Catholic school invites students to live out the Diocesan Mission Statement as young members of the local church of Broken Bay. Every teacher has responsibility for the sense of community, the symbols, prayer and liturgy, the positive relationships, the religious dimension of all learning and action for justice that contribute to the religious formation of students. |
Consistent with this is the call for religious education in the classroom to
... appear as a scholastic discipline with the same systematic demands and the same rigour as other disciplines. It must present the Christian message and the Christian event with the same seriousness and the same depth with which other disciplines present their knowledge.” (GDC n73) |
Religious Education in Broken Bay, therefore, has a syllabus containing stage outcomes, stage statements and mandatory content to aid continuity of teaching and learning throughout the diocese.
Integration of Catholic Worldview across the curriculum
In a school where such a Catholic worldview operates, Religious Education is multi-dimensional:
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Ritualising every day life
Ritualising everyday life involves words, actions and symbols that make meaning of the mystery of life in the light of the gospel. Christians believe that all creation is good and is infused with the presence of God. School communities affirm the sacredness of everyday life by recognising and celebrating God in the created world, in relationships with others and in events and experiences. |
Prayer
Prayer, as a presence and communication with God, contributes to the faith growth of individuals and the building of Christian community. Schools draw on the richness of the Catholic tradition, the wider Christian tradition and their own particular charism to nurture the prayer life of the school. Liturgy and sacraments
The celebration of liturgy and sacraments are part of the formal, public prayer and worship of the Church. The Church encourages full, conscious and active participation in liturgy. Schools celebrate the Liturgy of the Church through celebration of the sacraments and liturgies inspired by the Word of God. |
Justice in the School Community
The school practises justice within its own community through policies, structures and practices that are consistent with the themes of Catholic social teaching. Respect for the dignity of the human person underlies Catholic social justice themes. |
Action for justice
Action for justice is integral to the Christian vocation. Action for justice, peace and ecological sustainability is based on the dream of Jesus to establish the Kingdom of God. School communities act for justice when they demonstrate a commitment to the poor and marginalised, actively work for peace and practise stewardship of the earth. |
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Broken Bay prioritise fundraising for Catholic organisations such as Caritas, St Vincent de Paul and Catholic Mission who provide educational resources for use across the curriculum.
Reflection on action for justice requires critical reflection and prayerful discernment based upon the scriptures and Catholic social teaching. School communities consciously plan for and implement these reflective elements into their justice initiatives through an action reflection processes such as 'See - Judge - Act'. |
Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry Coordinators appointed in Broken Bay systemic Catholic secondary schools focus on providing opportunities for spiritual formation including prayer, retreats, Bible study, social justice experiences and pilgrimages. Students in schools also minister to younger students and students in State schools. |
Whilst there is a spiritual dimension to camps, retreats seek to provide opportunities for students to grow in relationship with Jesus and each other in a natural setting conducive to reflection.
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