Building Faith Community From Day One

The article, “Give Us this Day Our Daily Lesson”, is about the issues between two different schools, the Catholic schools and public schools, involving their distinctive ways of teachings and the privileges received from the government in term of funding. The article states the conflicts between both schools and provides solutions for minimizing these issues. Today’s society largely revolves around Catholic faith which explains the vast number of Catholic churches, and the enhanced support received from the government to Catholic schools. Catholic schools are programmed to be able to accommodate to non-Catholic students and compensate for their religious beliefs as well. For instance, students have the choice to take a religion course where

My desire to work in the Catholic School system stems primarily from the ability to share my faith openly in such an environment, however, the Catholic School’s focus on the growth of the whole person, spiritual and academic and its commitment to service in the community and the world are also very important to me.

With reference to Peta Goldburg’s (2012) Transforming religious education: Implications from the Second Vatican Council, the following discussion will review and critique the important religious education approaches that has had an impact on the Catholic schooling system for the past fifty years, and also help shape the contemporary classroom we teach in today.

possibly set the best example for Catholic school life is figures of the Church themselves. One

Prayer is an essential to any kind of religious faith. Over the years and years of believing in a higher power,

The world is not what it used to be, people do not surround their lives around religion anymore, especially youth. There are so many other pressing topics that are circulating the world today that religion is no longer in the spotlight. Therefore, since times are changing rapidly, education systems should follow. Realistically speaking, students are not as devoted Catholics as the Catholic school expects them to be. As someone who has been in a catholic school for my entire life, it is fair to say that my peers do not take the religious aspects of Catholic schools seriously. Mass has commonly become an excuse to skip and sleep in or do other assignments. Religion is considered a “joke class” that students do not care about. Prayers on the announcements have become a great way to waste class time or it is simply boring. Catholics who created the initial catholic schools would be rolling in their graves at the disrespect students give to catholic schools. It is evident that religion no longer fits into the norm of schools. There should be a time and place

For most of the 20th Century, America’s Faith Community enjoyed the luxury of reposeful sanctuary within their Houses of Worship. Such places were considered “off limits” for acts of crime and mayhem by most Americans. Reality often mirrored this anticipation. Even the criminal element looked with great disdain upon those victimizing churches and synagogues. However, immunity to the problems slowly began to deteriorate. The lawless began to view holy and sacred locations as merely wealthy soft targets overseen by the forgiving and the naive. The general respect that was once accustomed from American culture started to erode as well; only exasperating the situation. By 2001, the reality that world level terrorism could also

Catholic Schools are educational institutions that are devoted to teaching and developing young individuals under the faith and guidance of Jesus Christ (Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia, 2009). Central to the vision of Catholic schools is the belief that Jesus is in the heart of all young Catholic believers (CECWA, 2009). Therefore in order to fulfil the mission and proclaim the gospel students are required to learn about how to live out the life that God intended through the lessons of Jesus Christ (CECWA, 2009). This paper aims to outline unique features that distinguish Catholic education from that of other educational institutions through linking peer-reviewed sources to a school based analysis. The school that will be

As I reflect on my internship year and first year at St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas, I have only become more entrenched in what I believe the root beliefs, shared purpose, and core values of an ideal school should be. Especially for a school with similar demographics and culture as that of St. Rita.

According to the Brisbane Catholic Education the mission statement stated, “is to teach, challenge and transform through our service, support and leadership for Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Brisbane.” Parent, Rachael Bagley established the reason she sent her children to a faith school, was because she was “confident that her children will not only become closer to God, and would gain a quality education but also because she believed her children would discover themselves with the assistance of finding God.” Parents are the first establishers of a faith

I have truly come a long way from that first reconciliation in second grade. In this past year I have felt a calling from God to further dedicate myself to the Church and strengthen His will in my life. I have changed my decision-making to be more aligned with God’s, I have started to read the Bible every night, I learn new and unfamiliar prayers, I have worn a scapular wherever I go, and have tried hard to attend Church services more often and observe the precepts of the Church. I would like to follow this calling from God wherever it takes me. The Catholic education at the School of St. Mary’s has made a remarkable openness to God and a vast knowledge of God in my life that I truly believe that it is the best experience for children of all ages. If you are thinking about a Catholic education for your child, we hope you can come visit our school today during our open house from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at both

Faith+1 is an organization that creates family orientated Christian music. Faith+1 prides themselves in providing a work atmosphere grounded in family values. Faith+1 was founded on the principals set forth by the New Formation Church. Faith+1 donates 4% of their profits to various religious institutions. Faith+1 produces and edits Christian based music, and they collaborate with various mainstream music artists. Evee recently took six weeks of paid leave due to the birth of her child. Upon returning to work Faith+1 informed her that she must work part-time until her child reaches the age of 5, or until the child starts kindergarten. Faith+1 states,

The reading of the word of God should lead to contemplation and meditation, which should spur an internal dialogue. Following off of that, the reading of the word of God should lead us to a silent listening to the voice of God. To Nouwen, quiet time in the presence of God is essential. “The word of God draws us into silence; silence makes us attentive to God’s word” (Nouwen 11). Experiencing this silent time in the presence of God truly allows his words to permeate the heart and soul. To be good at prayer, these two aspects are essential. Finally, to be good at prayer Nouwen believes that we need a trusting obedience to a spiritual guide. Since we experience so many voices and internal conversation in our minds, it can be incredibly hard to separate our own will from that of God’s. It is far too easy for us to put our own desires before those of our God. The spiritual guide that Nouwen claims we need “helps us distinguish between the voice of God and all the other voices coming from our own confusion or from dark powers beyond our control”. (Nouwen 11) To reiterate, if all of these steps are taken I believe that Catholics can be good at prayer. If Catholics follow these steps their prayers truly come from the heart, so they carry a deep meaning and

Every day, I have the amazing privilege of attending St.Columbanus School. Having been able to receive such a wholesome and enriching education for the past 5 years has made me eager and expectant for my future. It is my hope that all students are able to receive such an influential education, one that I feel can only be fully realized in the caring, welcoming, and familial environment that Catholic schools provide. Since Catholic Schools Week is currently being celebrated in schools across the Archdiocese of New York, I feel this is the best time to try and share with everyone all the benefits of a Catholic education. The theme of Catholic Schools Week this year is “Faith, Knowledge, and Service,” which I felt would be a great way to help

Having been a Christian for many years I thought that I had a fair knowledge of what it meant to pray. I was amazed and humbled by the idea that through Jesus’ restorative act on the cross I am able to come into God’s presence - and not only come but be welcomed and even longed for. I believed that prayer is a powerful tool to petition God , a vehicle to praise Him , and an instrument to increase our intimacy with Him . I understood that people pray in a variety of ways, based on the teaching they have received, their experience, and even their personality. Most commonly, I engaged in prayer as a conversation with God.