Religion in Catholic Schools

'the Catholic school should be able to offer young people the means to acquire the knowledge they need in order to find a place in a society which is strongly characterized by technical and scientific skill. But at the same time it should be able, above all, to impart a solid Christian formation."

The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium n.8 - Congregation for Catholic Education (1998)

The 189 primary and 48 secondary Catholic integrated schools in Aotearoa New Zealand strive to fulfil their obligations to young people and their parents, to the wider society and to the Church. The 'solid Christian formation' mentioned above has many aspects. Pre-eminent among these is classroom religious education.

For many years the Bishops and their agents have, in cooperation with schools, devoted significant time and resources to providing formation for religious education teachers and developing religious education curricula. In particular NCRS has been responsible for coordinating the development of educationally and theologically sound classroom resources.

Primary Programme

The official Religious Education programme for Primary Catholic Schools in Aotearoa New Zealand is a dynamic, practical classroom resource for children aged 5 - 13 years. The programme helps children to develop an understanding about how Catholics celebrate, live and pray in ways that are relevant to the new millennium.

It was developed by teachers for teachers and seeks to enhance the collaborative relationship between the Home, the School and he Parish as they work together to educate their children in faith.

The Programme Structure

The programme has 6 Learning Strands for each of the 8 years of primary school: - God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Church, Sacrament, Communion of Saints

There are also 3 Learning Modules for each year level: - Liturgical Year, Prayer and Sacramental Celebrations, Myself and Others. more...

Secondary Programme

The officially approved national programme of Religious Education in Catholic secondary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand is entitled Understanding Faith. This name gives an indication of the purpose of the curriculum, which is to help students gain knowledge, understanding and appreciation of what it means to be Catholic.

The programme was developed and introduced in the 1980's and 1990's and is currently being revised and updated.

Components

The programme covers 5 years of secondary school (ages 13-17) and includes:

- One Curriculum Statement 49 pp

- A Student Resource Book for each of the 38 Topics 36 pp

- One Teacher Guide for each Topic 60 pp more...