RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Sydney Catholic Schools is committed to Religious Education as a scholastic discipline with the same rigour and expectations as other subjects within the curriculum.

Our team of K-12 Religious Education Coordinators drive the curriculum and ensure the highest standard in contemporary teaching practices across our schools.

The primary Religious Education curriculum encourages students to develop a deep understanding of the teaching and person of Jesus and the call to discipleship.

It acknowledges that religious education is a partnership of home, parish and school and nurtures the natural capacity of young children for curiosity, imagination and wonder.

Developed with a focus on the ways young children learn, the curriculum uses a storytelling approach of ‘Godly Play and The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd’ to help our young students engage with faith.

Throughout their primary years, children are invited to use and interpret Sacred Scripture, to understand more fully their role in the mission of the Church, discover the beauty of God’s creation, participate in Prayer, Liturgy and the Sacraments, and to critically think and reflect using Catholic moral and social teaching.

Above all else, this is the time when young people come to know how much God loves them, and when they are drawn into a love of God and others.

Secondary Religious Education includes a high-quality curriculum that draws on our rich Catholic Intellectual tradition.

Students in Years 7–12 are invited into a deeper and more intimate relationship with God through their exploration of the Scriptures, their participation in personal and communal prayer and their living out of Catholic social and moral teachings.

In response to Jesus’ great commandment of love, the secondary Religious Education curriculum provides opportunities for young people to ‘See, Judge and Act’, mindful that Jesus came so that everyone might have “life in all its fullness”.

YOUTH MINISTRY

Our Youth Ministry programs provide students with opportunities to develop and express their faith, and to explore more deeply the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

We develop strong partnerships that allow young people opportunities for service, leadership development, prayer and worship.

Retreats, pilgrimages and immersion experiences, evangelisation events, Masses and Eucharistic Adoration, concerts, music ministry and service award programs cultivate faith and a sense of belonging to parishes and the wider community.

The 10:10 project gives Year 10 students at Sydney Catholic Schools a forum to discuss and learn about life and relationship topics in a safe, positive and affirming environment. It includes a series of school and parish based workshops, as well as conferences and retreats.

The Pope Francis Award is an annual faith-based volunteering program for students in Years 6, 7 and 9 in Sydney Catholic Schools.

The unique program supports students to develop their leadership skills and be a powerful witness of the Catholic faith within the nurturing environment of their school and parish community.

Participants volunteer before and after school for community service projects tailored to their own strengths and causes they are passionate about.

Each year, thousands of participating students receive a medal and certificate acknowledging their commitment to become compassionate, open-hearted leaders who develop a mindset of ‘giving back’ through active service to others.

Sydney Catholic Schools’ Family and Faith program is pivotal to building welcoming and vibrant school communities.

Led by family educators, the program provides opportunities for connection including a variety of invitational events, information sessions and activities.

These aim to:

  • strengthen the faith of parents,
  • connect families with the religious life of the school and the parish,
  • strengthen the relationships between the school, families and parish, and
  • provide further energy and support to families in the development of their child – spiritually, socially and educationally.

The example of Jesus Christ, who came among us ‘as one who serves’ (Luke 22.27), is central to the religious life of our schools.

Our staff and students embrace Catholic social teaching and are deeply committed to supporting charitable organisations and people in need.

We also employ community liaison officers and bilingual learning support officers who connect families with external services, including for youth and refugee support.