Religious Education

ReligiousEducation

2020 has been an important year for the Faith and Mission Team with each team member trying new things in a year that demanded it. Year 12 RE Days this year have been presented via Zoom as well as the Staff Retreat. The Oblate Youth Ministry Team, with Anthony Bolling and Kevin Nguyen, helped to coordinate virtual trivia nights and Google Meet class retreats. In Social Justice, the Vinnies School Conference coordinated a letter writing project for residents in isolated aged care and hospitals. Major liturgies and Masses this year have been presented live on YouTube.

Each area of the team has found new ways to ‘Leave nothing undared for the Kingdom of God’. I would like to thank the members of the Faith and Charism Office, Tina Giacco, Jacinta Girolami, Joe Moore, and Joshua Rajasingam, along with the Oblate Youth Ministry Team of Anthony and Kevin, for their support and initiative this year. They helped to grow the Catholic ministries at Mazenod College and to bring our staff and students closer to the person of Jesus Christ.

Each year in the Religious Education faculty, there are a number of highlights from each year level that particularly impress me. In the Year 7 curriculum, there is an important focus on the life of St Eugene de Mazenod, which is the basis for our shared community charism. Students use this as the basis of their creative presentation of his life, with examples such as diary entries and creative letters. The Year 8 unit ‘The Early Church’ focuses on the growth of the Church in the first few years after the ascension of Jesus Christ and this year students were creative in their presentation of what they had learnt through a video screencast presentation about St Paul and his missionary journey. The Year 9 students learn about the way in which the Church responds to injustice through Catholic Social Teaching, culminating in their work where they research and create a project proposal to help combat injustice in the world. In Year 10, students study a unit on the beliefs of the Catholic Tradition, focusing on the belief in the Trinity and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as the foundational beliefs of our faith. Year 11 Religion and Society continues to be a highlight of the Religious Education curriculum and their deep study on issues such as ethics in the modern world and challenges the Church has faced in its history is productive and insightful. Finally, I would like to thank all the supporters of the Religious Education program at the school, teachers, staff, students, and parents, in helping to build a positive and life-affirming experience for all students at Mazenod College. God bless.

Kyle Hoad