The Religious Life of the School P-12 is focused on the second dimension of Religious Education, commonly referred to as “teaching people to be religious in a particular way” (Moran, 1991). The Religious Life of the School P-12 provides a lens through which a school may audit and further develop its religious life.
The Religious Life of the School P-12 comprises four interrelated components:
Religious Identity & Culture
From the first moment that a student sets foot in a Catholic school, he or she ought to have the impression of entering a new environment, one illumined by the light of faith, and having its own unique characteristics. The inspiration of Jesus must be translated from the ideal into the real. The Gospel spirit should be evident in a Christian way of thought and life which permeates all facets of the educational climate.
for, C. (1988). The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School. Hyperion Books.
Jesus Christ is central to understanding Christianity. Catholic schools introduce students to a view of the world founded on scripture and the ongoing tradition of the Church and embedded in the religious identity and culture of the school. This worldview is expressed through its beliefs, values and practices, quality relationships, the aesthetic, social and physical environment and its organisational structures and procedures. These expressions are shaped and developed in such a way as to maximise their positive impact upon the religious and spiritual formation of all members of the St Joseph’s School community. Knowledge and skills of staff and students in dance, drama, digital technologies, music and visual arts are utilised to effectively communicate and promote elements of the religious identity and culture of the school. Our school derives its identity and culture from its Catholic Christian character and is called to be a real and living expression of the Church’s pastoral mission in the world.
Evangelisation & Faith Formation
Evangelisation means bringing the Good News to all strata of humanity, and through its influence, transforming humanity from within and making it new.
To evangelise is first of all to bear witness, in a simple and direct way, to God revealed by Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit; to bear witness that in his Son God has loved the world - that in his Incarnate Word he has given being to all things and has called every man and woman to eternal life
VI, P. (1976). On Evangelization in the Modern World.
Catholic schools invite people to move towards commitment to, and involvement in, a Christian community. This occurs through the process of evangelisation. People are invited to share in a more conscious and deepened way the Christian community’s experience of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Within the context of the Catholic school, faith formation describes how its members are immersed in the shared beliefs, language, symbols, liturgy and activities of the Catholic Christian tradition. While schools recognise that they make a contribution to the faith formation of individuals, faith formation is a lifelong process. The role of the Catholic school in faith formation is to nurture both those who are already actively engaged with a faith tradition and those who are yet to engage in a journey of explicit, active faith.
Evangelisation and faith formation are focused in an explicit way on the call to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, to respond to it in daily life and to deepen personal understanding and faith.
Prayer & Worship
Prayer cannot be reduced to the spontaneous outpouring of interior impulse: in order to pray, one must have the will to pray. Nor is it enough to know what the Scriptures reveal about prayer: one must also learn how to pray. Through a living transmission within the believing and praying Church, the Holy Spirit teaches the children of God how to pray.
Catholic Church. (1994). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Liguori Publications
Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. To pray is to respond to the wonder and mystery of life. In the Christian tradition prayer fosters a personal and living relationship with God as Trinity.
Worship is described as the adoration of God that may be expressed through praise, thanksgiving, self-offering, sorrow and petition. Worship of God is described as private when it occurs anywhere and at any time. Liturgy is public worship centred on Christ. Worship can be expressed through bodily gestures or postures, in rites and ceremonies
Redemptorist Pastoral Publications. (2004). The Essential Catholic Handbook. Redemptorist Pastoral Publicat.
Prayer and worship are integral to the life of all Catholic schools and have the potential to nourish the spiritual growth of all members of the school community. Prayer and worship provide the context and the resources for individuals and groups to celebrate their life and identity as members of the school and to nurture their relationship in faith with God and with one another. Prayer and worship create a sense of purpose and identity within the school community by drawing its members into an understanding of their shared humanity, linking them with the Church throughout the world and sending them out to share the good news.
Social Action & Justice
What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God
(Micah 6:8)
Three major themes run through scripture and Catholic social teaching. A core theme is that each human person is made in the image and likeness of God and has an inalienable human dignity and worth. Derived from this core theme are two further themes. These are the rights and duties that are proper to human persons and the freedom and responsibility that underpin these rights and duties. In more recent times there is growing awareness of the application of these three themes to both human persons and the whole of God’s creation.
Ten themes of Social Justice give expression to the human worth and dignity of each individual made in the image and likeness of God. These are:
Respect for the human person
Preferential option for the poor
Political and economic rights
Promotion of the common good
Subsidiarity
Political participation
Economic justice
Stewardship
Global solidarity
Promotion of peace
Social action brings into sharp focus Jesus’ vision for the coming of the Kingdom of God where sinfulness, brokenness and injustice are transformed and peace and harmony are restored. For Catholics, social action finds its foundation in the scriptures, particularly the Gospels and in the Church’s Social Teaching.
Applying social action and justice requires two important dispositions: empathy (the capacity to stand in the shoes of another) and solidarity (the capacity to walk with another). Catholic schools work to build these dispositions in students through programs for service learning, social justice programs and outreach experiences. Social action and justice in schools have a particular connection with knowledge and skills from the social sciences. Foundational to the social sciences are: notions of continuity and change; democratic process; participation; stewardship; sustainability; peace; justice; cultural diversity; inclusion; power; resources and social systems. Schools plan, implement and reflect upon experiences of social action and justice, drawing on the social sciences, scripture and Catholic social teaching.


© BCE, St Joseph's Primary School (2020)