By Mrs Carol Sharp, APRE

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to participate in two professional development courses, these centered around the purpose of the Catholic school and how we maintain our distinct identity in a world (and a school) that includes people from a wide variety of faith traditions and with many different worldviews.

Of course, this is not the first time we have looked at our Catholic identity. The Diocese in general, and ACW in particular, have been heavily invested in developing distinct Catholic identity for over four years with our participation in the Enhancing Catholic Schools Identity (ECSI) project. However, its fair to say that this is an issue that schools have been addressing since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

Three things that have really stood out for me over the course of these professional developments have been the following:

1. Secularisation

While it's certainly true that society is becoming more secular in that there is a clearer separation between religious institutions and secular institutions, this does not mean that students are without belief. The data is showing, even in our adolescents, that those who profess ‘no religion’ are speaking more about a lack of belief in the institution rather than a lack of belief in a higher power or spiritual being.

2. Detraditionalisation

Yes, I know, it’s a very long word. Essentially it means that society in general is struggling to hand tradition on from one generation to another. In the Catholic context, this concept takes on a unique form as we consider the Tradition (capital T), of the Church. How can we ensure that the living reality of faith is transmitted from generation to generation?

3. Dialogue

And this is how we do it; Dialogue. This is how we ensure we are open and inclusive while maintaining our distinctive Catholic identity. As teachers, we need to ensure we are not simply providing answers, but we are asking questions. We want classrooms where students feel they can respond to the issue being discussed using critical analysis and evaluation skills, where their worldview or faith perspective is respected. We want to present the Catholic Tradition and allow students to respond authentically and creatively and to come to a greater understanding of how that teaching might be relevant in their lives.

Praxis – Years 7 - 9

As part of their study of Catholic Social Teaching in Religious Education, students in Years 7 – 9 have been asked to complete a few hours of community service and reflect on how this links to the Catholic worldview. This has been occurring throughout the year, but some students are still yet to complete these service hours. All Year 7 – 9 teachers will be addressing, once again, some options for how these service hours might be completed by students over the next two weeks. Please chat with your student and ask them how they are going with their Praxis. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact your student’s RE teacher directly.

Vinnies Christmas Appeal

Our annual Christmas Appeal is continuing over the next few weeks. In the true spirit of Christmas, we are encouraging all students to bring in appropriate donations for a Christmas meal, personal toiletries or presents for under the tree. Any money donated will be used to buy a fruit and veg or meat vouchers. Some of our Christmas hampers are starting to take shape while some are a bit bare. It is around about this time of the term that donations start to roll in at a good rate and I would strongly encourage every family to think about what they can donate and why it is important to donate. The Christmas appeal runs until November 22^nd – Monday, Week 8.

Prayer - Reflection

“Preach the gospel always, if necessary, use words.”

This famous quote by St. Francis of Assisi challenges us to live our faith in practical ways. The words of the Gospel are important but if we don’t walk the talk, the words are empty, they are not the living word of God. Of course, the question then becomes what is the Gospel and how do we live it in our world today?

One of the two pillars of the mission of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools’ Office is to ‘make Jesus known.’ When students have a greater understanding of the deep love Jesus demonstrated for all people, they can begin to understand what the Gospel is asking of them. Here is where they have a choice; how will they respond to this call?

The TCSO mission is about making Jesus known not about ensuring students accept. When students know Jesus, they are invited into a relationship with Him. Here they bring their own beliefs, values and experiences and they begin to better understand their own spirituality. In short, they know the Gospel and are invited to respond with their actions. The call to respond to the world around us with that deep love that Jesus demonstrated is one that can be answered by all, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. How will you respond?