Religion Curriculum

Philosophy

Religion is taught at Saint David's by precept and example. Our students learn religion, they learn about religion, and they learn from religion.The basic philosophy of the program accords with the view that we learn by doing. While religious education is essential to the program, the experience of membership in a community of faith is at its heart.

Our religion program is implemented through chapel, classroom religious instruction, liturgical/sacramental preparation, social action, moral instruction and guidance. While the framework for religious studies is provided by the teachings of the Catholic Church, students of all faiths are encouraged to draw from their own religious traditions for class discussions and research. Teachers give personal witness, communicating essential information, prayers, and ideas across grade levels.

Religious education is a life-long process of nurturing and outreach, in which the religious educator is called upon not only to teach about religion, but also to be a sympathetic listener, a spur to thought, spiritual reflection, and action, and a companion for the journey. The aim of religious education is to meet individuals in their human dimension as it develops over time, to validate their religious impulses and experiences, and relate these to the insights and experiences of the particular religious traditions they belong to, to those of other faith communities, and ultimately to the universal experiences of humankind. Growth along the way should be intellectual, social, and spiritual, and implies making reflective choices that become transforming actions so that doing good becomes the real meaning of being good.

Goals

• To value religious faith and engage in moral and spiritual reflection.
• To maintain a communal and private prayer life.
• To know the history and teachings of the Catholic religion, and be familiar with its prayers and rituals.
• To know the Creed, the Ten Commandments and key stories from the Old and New Testaments, especially the Gospel accounts of Jesus.
• To engage in activities of Christian service and social justice.
• To model ethical behavior to others and resolve conflicts peaceably.
• To value and seek to understand other religious traditions.
• To respect themselves and the world as precious gifts of God.