Catholic Culture

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

To foster an environment in which all can grow in their knowledge, understanding and commitment to the Catholic faith, and that of the wider Christian community.

There is no right religion to follow in the world. People have their own opinion on what religion they want to follow. Most religions have some type of background that is similar to another religion. Although, each religion has a specific standard that people follow to be accepted into that belief. These standard beliefs are what makes them religious compared to philosophical. Catholicism is the belief of following one god and the history of the religion, but there are many aspects that leaves one wondering the truth.

I am a Christian who grew up in a loose sense of a Catholic household. But more recently I have been able to become stronger in my faith and build a community who shares similar beliefs and love for others. This very much aligns with Parks Faith Development Theory that focuses on young adulthood when a person starts to reflect on life in a sub conscious manner. She defines faith as “the activity of seeking and discovering meaning in the most comprehensive dimensions of our experience” (Parks, 2000, p.7). Parks (2000) also stated that it was important that faith was to be validated through “lived experience, making "itself" public in everyday acts of decision, obedience, and courage” (p. 26). Parks theory differed from Fowlers theory in that it focused on the connections between the structure and content of faith, the role of imagination in that, and incorporated young adulthood. Her model includes three forms of development which are Cognition, Dependence, and Community and this development happens over four periods of time: conventional, young adult, tested adult, and mature adult.

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.

At my parish school, I am surrounded by people that share the same faith as me and help me grow in my faith. A benefit found at my school is that I am allowed to pray whenever I want and I have group prayer before class to be with God and receive the right direction for the day. At my school we pray together before school, before each class, and at the end of the school day. I have a class each day just for learning about my Catholic faith. Therefore my Catholic school is important to me because in my religion class I can ask my teacher any question about my faith. We attend Mass at least once a month at my school, we pray the rosary in school once a month, and we go to reconciliation every other month. I can participate in leading Catholic events in my school such as the rosary, morning prayer, readings at Mass, and stations of the cross. My parish school teaches us to act in the manner of true Christians such as believing Jesus died for us to go to heaven, being active in my church, praying every day, receiving religious training, and treating my neighbor as myself. Learning at school to help others, we raise money for great causes by having out of uniform days if we bring a dollar. Our fundraising has gone to local shelters and to a family that lost their home to a fire. Out of uniform day reminds me that wearing uniforms at my school, we look nice and no one judges

Pope Francis once said, “An education in the fullness of humanity should be the defining feature of Catholic schools.” To me, this sentiment sums up why a Catholic education is so important for many reasons. I have attended many different types of schools: public, private, Catholic and homeschool as a result of my father’s career in the military. However, only my experiences at Catholic schools provide me with a truly well-rounded education because, at Catholic schools, I receive the opportunity to learn about the amazing gift of God’s love every day during school hours. I love studying Scripture and seeing ways in which God is present in our lives. It is such a special experience to be able to do that in a school environment where you can really learn the fundamentals of our faith, as well as experiencing many different aspects of our Catholic faith, from prayer to Mass as a part of

Living in Christian community is a necessity for the everyday life of a Christian. Without community, the Christian has no one else to “sharpen” them, no one else to understand the everyday struggle of living in the world, sharing the Gospel, but not partaking in the sinful ways of the world. In “Life Together”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer explores Christian community, and presents not only the benefits of Christian community, but also the toxins that can destroy the community. Living in Christian community brings incomparable joy and community in and through Jesus Christ, but can be easily lost due to humanistic ideals, or “dreams”.

In a world that does not know the Gospel anymore, we must indulge in it, and love our fellow community though they may not share similar values, but find balancing in still remaining in our own values. Though many of times we find ourselves in opposition of the majority of the world, we must exude Christ love onto others as He does to us unconditionally. The author addresses ways in which we are able to live out our faith and still find a place within our community though they may not share similar values.

I believe that the religious atmosphere, or culture, of a learning environment is crucial for the success of the learners. “The atmosphere and relationships in the school are as much the focus of the Catholic school as is the formal religious education.” (Church Document Quotes) The importance of my root belief, Make God known, loved and served, encompasses so many aspects of the culture for learning. If we, as school leaders, along with our teachers and students are always making God known, loved and served, it means that we are being respectful of one another. By having the foundation set for loving and respecting self, others and the world, we ensure that

Nashville-based group LifeWay Research gathered 2,000 Protestant and non-denominational church attendees for a research sponsored by LifeWay Kids for the book “Nothing Less: Engaging Kids in a Lifetime of Faith.” All of the respondents go to church at least once a month and have children ages 18 to 30.

This religion consists of the belief in one God and one God only as well as purity of the soul of its members. Although some may believe the Catholic Church does not have a unique culture, the religion has shown a very active role in society as it is easily the largest religion internationally and is often associated with education. During the residential school era, the Catholic Church was as active in youth education as it ever had been and believed this association with education could strengthen the faith. The system of education used was “strict and efficient” (Hanson) and similar to the native ways, practiced worship, prayer, charity, and tradition. Overall the mentality and history of this religion may be different to that of native ways, however, when analyzed well enough it is difficult to not see the many hidden

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

Education: noun the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university

Lohfink, Gerhard. Jesus and Community: The Social Dimension of Christian Faith. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984. Kindle.