Welcome to Religious Education in the Catholic Schools of Ontario EDST 456

1. Welcome to Religious Education in the Catholic Schools of Ontario EDST 456

2. Radiating Christ Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly, that our lives may only be a radiance of yours. Shine through us, and be so in us, that every soul we come in contact with may feel your presence in our soul. Let them look up and see no longer us but only Jesus! Stay with us, and then we shall begin to shine as you shine; so to shine as to be a light to others; the light, O Jesus will be all from you, none of it will be ours; it will be you, shining on others through us. Let us thus praise you in the way you love best by shining on those around us. Let us preach you without preaching, not by words but by our example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you. Amen.

13. A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a humanbecause even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.

14. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; itwas physically impossible.The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"The little girl replied, "Then you ask him. "

15. stjohnsgananoque.ca fathershawnhughes @sympatico.ca

16. What are the advantages of Catholic education?

17. What are the challenges of Catholic education?

18. In your opinion what are the most admirable qualities of Jesus?

19. “Modern man no longer listens to teachers, he only listens to witnesses; and he only listens to teachers when they are witnesses.” Pope Paul VI (Pope from 1963-1978)

20. A retired teacher-principal, 30 years experience. “Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Catholic school Catholic education rises from the belief in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. His life is a model for living. His teaching is a guide for growing to the fullness of human potential. Catholic education embraces three interlocking dimensions: the message revealed by God which the Church proclaims; fellowship in the life of the Holy Spirit; and service to the Christian community and to the entire human community There is a two-fold purpose in a Catholic school: learning and believing. Neither should be neglected.”

21. “The Catholic school – to be authentically Catholic – needs teachers who know the talk, own it, believe it, talk it, and walk it! So much depends on each individual teacher’s commitment: to his or her own faith and the responsibility to participate in the Catholic education students ought to be receiving in every classroom and in every activity and the quality of interpersonal relationships they experience. The teacher in the Catholic school needs to own a sense of their own personal call – of their sin history and grace history; a sense that teaching in the Catholic school is a vocation that does not depend on measurable worthiness or moral superiority.

22. At the same time our awareness, our response, our working at our own call – our attempts to accept it gratefully and with trust – our attempts to work at it with integrity – or our failure or indifference – have an inextricable impact on the students’ sense of their call, their faith journey. At the heart of Catholic teaching is: to pass on the Catholic faith. To help the students discover their vocation To help them sort through the din of secular noise and start them on the road to a deep relationship with God. Therefore it is incumbent on the Catholic Teacher to KNOW THE FAITH, But not only know it but to understand it so that it can be passed on.”

23. THE SACRED CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION LAY CATHOLICS IN SCHOOLS: WITNESSES TO FAITH http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_19821015_lay-catholics_en.html

24. Called to personal holiness and to apostolic mission is common to all believers.

25. KEY POINT • The teacher is not simply a professional person who systematically transmits a body of knowledge in the context of a school; “teacher” is to be understood as “educator” – one who helps to form human persons. (#16)

26. KEY!!!!!!!!!!! EDUCATORS CAN BE CERTAIN THAT THEY MAKE HUMAN BEINGS MORE HUMAN. (#18)

27. Lay teachers must be profoundly convinced that they share in the sanctifying, and therefore educational mission of the Church; they cannot regard themselves as cut off from the ecclesial complex.

28. 19. The vocation of every Catholic educator includes the work of ongoing social development: to form men and women who will be ready to take their place in society, preparing them in such a way that they will make the kind of social commitment which will enable them to work for the improvement of social structures, making these structures more conformed to the principles of the Gospel. Thus, they will form human beings who will make human society more peaceful, fraternal, and communitarian. Today's world has tremendous problems: hunger, illiteracy and human exploitation; sharp contrasts in the standard of living of individuals and of countries; agression and violence, a growing drug problem, legalization of abortion, along with many other examples of the degredation of human life. All of this demands that Catholic educators develop in themselves, and cultivate in their students, a keen social awareness and a profound sense of civic and political responsibility. The Catholic educator, in other words, must be committed to the task of forming men and women who will make the " civilization of love "(23) a reality. 

29. Conduct is always much more important than speech. (#32) • e.g. St. Francis • e.g. Mother Teresa’s prayer which we prayed at the beginning of class

30. “Modern man no longer listens to teachers, he only listens to witnesses; and he only listens to teachers when they are witnesses.” Pope Paul VI

31. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL POINTS IN THE DOCUMENT: A Personal Relationship (i.e. with a student) is always a dialogue rather than a monologue, and the teacher must be convinced that the enrichment in the relationship is mutual. (#33)

32. Vocation rather than profession ( #37)

33. ESSENTIAL It is important that lay Catholics who work in a Catholic school participate simply and actively in the liturgical and sacramental life of the school. Students will share in this life more readily when they have concrete examples: when they see the importance that this life has for believers. (#40)

34. “Modern man no longer listens to teachers, he only listens to witnesses; and he only listens to teachers when they are witnesses.” Pope Paul VI

35. Lay Catholics must have a religious formation that is equal to their general, cultural and most especially professional formation. (#60) -The point of this course.

36. Patience and Wisdom

37. Reflection Paper • Usually to take the topic of that class and write a 200-250 word reflection on how you would apply it to your particular division-level. (i.e. primary, junior, intermediate or senior.) This is not a full blown lesson plan but the initial thoughts of how the concepts could be tailored to your division level. • Should take you no more than an hour or two to prepare. Not meant to be a major paper. • Pass/Fail grade will be assigned.

38. FAITH REFERENCE PORFOLIO FOR TEACHERS 1. Applicants for teaching positions with the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board are asked to submit the following pieces of information: a) Pre-service credit course in Religious Education OR Pre-service certificate in Religious Education or equivalency (University Courses in Theology or Religious Studies) Faith Reference Portfolio with its reflection component. 2. Candidates who do not possess either of these, must commit to obtaining Religious Education Part I during their probationary period. As well, applicants must provide a pastoral letter of reference from their Parish Priest and may use the attached Priest Reference form for this purpose.

39. FAITH REFERENCE PORTFOLIO FOR TEACHERS PERSONAL ASSESSMENT 1. I promise the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board that I will strive to be a person of good moral character consistent with the life of the Catholic Church. As a member of the Catholic teaching community, I will strive i) to provide religious instruction in the CatholicFaith using the curriculum approved by the school board and as requested by the principal; ii) to seek to infuse gospel values across the curriculum; iii) to influence and strengthen the spiritual growth of the students and act as an appropriate role model within the Catholicschool community.

40. 2. My contribution and participation in the life of the broader community and the Catholic Parish includes: (Your reflection here should include service to the common good of society as well as to your faith community.) 3. This involvement has contributed to my growth in faith by:

41. P. 4FAITH REFERENCE PORTFOLIO FOR TEACHERS: REFLECTION PAPER (Please respond to the following statement in 200-250 words, double-spaced.) It is my desire to teach in a Catholic School because: (THIS IS YOUR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH’s CLASS)

42. Pastoral reference: make a connection with a priest if you don’t already have someone in mind to write your reference for you. • Faith Portfolio.

43. For Thursday, September 10th Sources of Catholic Teaching Introduction to Scripture and Tradition Introduction to the Magisterium and the Catechism of the Catholic Church Please read paragraphs 1 to 141 of the Catechism. Good site with indexing of the Catechism scborromeo.org/ccc/ccc_toc2.