Religious Education and Faith Development
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Our motto at St Mary’s School is “In all things may God be glorified” in the tradition of the Good Samaritan Sisters who were some of the first educators at St Mary’s.
At St Mary’s we believe in the education of the whole child through a friendship with Jesus in a caring and pastoral environment. Religious education is woven into the daily life of the school through formal religion lessons. The integration of Christian attitudes and values are integrated into all Key Lerning Areas and the encouragment to live fully Christian lives is promoted. Opportunities for experiencing prayer and celebrating liturgy are regularly provided for the whole school community. Christian Meditation is now a whole school practice each morning.
The aim of the Religious Education Curriculum is to develop in each student the knowledge and understanding, skills and values and attitudes needed to lead informed, responsible, and socially fulfilling lives. In doing so, the curriculum will form the basis for students to adopt a responsible and productive role in society and contextualise our school’s vision and mission.
At St Mary’s, we adopt the Archdiocesan vision for Religious Education which emphasises the complementary nature of the two dimensions of Religious Education: Teaching and Learning of Religious Education and; the Religious Life of the school. In line with the Archdiocesan Vision, at St Mary’s we believe that teaching people Religion and teaching people to be Religious draws upon the Catholic tradition in ways that are mindful of our local context and the multi-faith reality of our community. We believe that the experiences for the learning and teaching of Religion and the Religious Life of the School are responsive to religious diversity, while being faithful to the Catholic identity of the school (Moran, 1991).
The content of the Religion Curriculum is organised into four interrelated strands: Sacred texts, Beliefs, Church and Christian life. Each strand has its own distinctive body of knowledge. (Religious Education Archdiocese of Brisbane).
Prayer Life
In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. (C.C.C. 2565). Through prayer we deepen our relationship with God therefore students are provided with every opportunity to encounter God through prayer.
At St Mary’s:
- Students will begin and end each day with a prayer.
- All classes will say a prayer before meals.
- Prayers used are a combination of traditional prayers and those written by students.
- Each classroom will have a prayer table/focus that reflects the importance placed on prayer.
- Knowledge of the traditional prayers of the Church is to be developed across the grades.
Christian meditation will be modelled and used daily in classrooms to foster a relationship with God and spiritual and mental wellbeing. In gathering for regular prayer, staff have the opportunity to share a ‘faith experience’. A faith perspective in staff relations helps people to acknowledge God’s saving presence moving among the diversity of personalities and situations. Teston, K. Transforming Catholic Schools
Whole School Liturgical Celebrations
Families are encouraged to be active members of their Church community through involvement in parish life and regular attendance at Mass. In addition, the school community celebrates special liturgical occasions with school Masses or Liturgy of the Word. Classes / grades are rostered to attend a Mass on a Friday with the parishioners throughout the term.
At St Mary’s, we celebrate as a school;
- All Sacramental Masses (as a Parish)
- Opening School Mass
- Ash Wednesday
- Combined School’s Mass
- Holy Week ~ Whole School Easter Production/ Stations of the Cross
- ANZAC Day ~ Remembrance Service / School Assembly
- St Vincent DePaul Winter Appeal Mass
- Feast of the Assumption
- Prayer Assembly to celebrate Mothers’ Day
- NAIDOC Week Mass
- Mary MacKillop August 8 ~Liturgy of the Word/Mass
- Prayer Assembly to celebrate Fathers’ Day
- Grandparents Day Mass
- Remembrance Day ~ Prayer / Reflection
- Year 6 Graduation Mass is a significant celebration for Year 6 students, their families and the school community.
- The final Mass for the year is the Giving Mass which supports the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal.
Sacramental Programmes
Sacramental programmes are coordinated by the REC in partnership with the Parish Priest and the Leadership Team. Parents and carers who wish their child/ren to receive a sacrament are invited to attend a meeting to register their interest. An information evening, led by the REC and Parish Priest follows. As part of our K-12 Pathways, students are engaged in a Retreat Day led by Carroll College CSYMA (Catholic Schools Youth Ministry Australia) students and teachers at Carroll College. In addition, families are invited to attend a Commitment Mass prior to the Sacrament, whereby children and their family are formally welcomed to the parish and take part in a commitment ceremony. The Sacrament is celebrated as a parish community at a weekend Mass.
The schedule for Sacraments is as follows;
Term 1 Reconciliation (Years 3 and above)
Term 2 Confirmation (Year 6 who have made their First Eucharist)
Term 3 First Eucharist (Year 4 and above who have made their Reconciliation)