Religious Formation
The secondary Religious Education Program seeks to form the whole Christian person in an integrated faith life within the Church community by interweaving the four components of catechesis: word, worship, community, and service.
First, young people develop their understanding of the Catholic tradition through the study of content of the Church’s faith.
Second, the Secondary Religious Education Program acknowledges the tremendous need for the accompanying spiritual development of the teen. Students integrate the knowledge gained about the Church’s faith with their own lived religious experience. They are invited to participate in various forms of prayer and worship that are essential to the life of a believer. Young people encounter the Scriptures not simply as a textual object for study but as the living word.
Third, the young person’s commitment to God in faith finds expression in a corresponding commitment to the community of the church. In the Church’s ministry to young people in the Religious Education Program, the students may recognize their own vital place within the community of disciples. They are welcomed, valued, supported, and guided.
Finally, young people are initiated into the gospel mandate of service to others. Teachers present love of neighbor not so much as a command, but as a way of life. The communion with God overflows into action in the service of others, particularly those most in need. Secondary students engage in service hours as a necessary component of their progress in the program.