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Religion

Introduction 

The religious education, social sciences and humanities department offers students an opportunity to explore dozens of the most important questions students have, including these dozen questions:  

  • “Does life have meaning and purpose?”  
  • “Will living a good life bring happiness?”  
  • “What is friendship?”  
  • “What does friendship with God look like?”  
  • “How does one live well in community?”   
  • “What does it mean to be a member of a family?”   
  • “What do the world’s religions have in common and how can they cooperate in the pursuit of goodness?”  
  • “Why does God allow temporary difficulties in our lives?”  
  • “Is there a connection between prayer and happiness?”  

Exploring these questions with peers in a classroom setting can be a wonderful and transformative experience. Our courses allow students to deepen their thinking with all these questions and more. Students go beyond just remembering and understanding facts.

Students apply, analyze, and evaluate their learning, striving through well designed tasks to reach that highest level of cognitive activity – creating new connections and thoughts. We use a cognitive model called Blooms Revised Taxonomy to help students navigate through these levels of thinking.  

In our courses, the expectations that Catholic secondary schools have for their graduates are explored and pursued. We want our students to become graduates who, filled with God’s light and love, are great contributors to the lives of many people in Canadian society and beyond. Our courses will help each student become:  

  • A discerning believer formed in the Catholic Faith community who celebrates the signs and sacred mystery of God’s presence through word, sacrament, prayer, forgiveness, reflection and moral living.  
  • An effective communicator, who speaks, writes and listens honestly and sensitively, responding critically in light of gospel values.  
  • A reflective, creative and holistic thinker who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.  
  • A self-directed, responsible, lifelong learner who develops and demonstrates their God-given potential.  
  • A collaborative contributor who finds meaning, dignity and vocation in work, which respects the rights of all and contributes to the common good.  
  • A caring family member who attends to family, school, parish and the wider community.  
  • A responsible citizen who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life. 

Course Description

Religion, Grade 9, Open (HRE1O1)  

This course engages students in the examination of the Christian narrative as revealed in Sacred Scripture. Students are invited to a deeper understanding of both the joy and the demands of living out the call to discipleship as it is described in the Scriptures. Students explore discipleship as encountered in the Sacred Tradition of the Church (Sacraments, Liturgical Year and Church Teaching and Law), as part of their ongoing personal growth and faith understanding. Students explore Catholic rituals, teaching, practice, morals and values, and virtues to facilitate a healthy and covenantal relationship with self, God and with others. Using theological reflection, they are challenged to explore the connections and disconnections of ethical concepts (euthanasia, abortion, sexuality, etc.) between the Church and contemporary culture. The course focuses on encouraging students to know and love by following in the footsteps of Jesus. As they learn of his words and deeds, they discover the importance of prayerfully serving the community to bring about the Reign of God. 

In this course students will: 

  • Ask big questions about faith in God and meaning in life 
  • Engage in higher order thinking around the major themes of prayer, discipleship, morality, covenant, and love 
  • Improve writing and communication skills through rich tasks including verbal presentations 
  • Apply their learning to daily life 

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