Religious Education and Moral Development

Religion Education and Faith Development

This year the College celebrated three major liturgies: Founder’s Day Mass, Social Justice Mass and the Year 12 Valedictory Mass. Ash Wednesday, the ANZAC and Remembrance Day Memorial Liturgy and our Lenten Liturgy once again reminded us of the fragility of human life and the love of a forgiving God. The end-of-year Masses for each year level and the Staff Mass marked the beginning of Advent; the time in the Church year when Christians worldwide prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ. The Year 9, 10 and 11 students attended retreats at the Syndal Baptist Conference Centre. The Lasallian ministry team facilitated each retreat and provided a context for the boys to reflect on their faith journey and the ministry of our Founder, St John Baptist de La Salle. Today we live in a world where we often meet indifference towards God. It is unfortunate, but realistic nonetheless, to understand this is true with some of our students. I think that in the depths of those students who are distant from God for whatever reason, there is a grappling for a deeper truth; a kind of longing for the infinite. Why are we here, and what is our purpose in life? Our hope in providing the students and staff with a greater access to the mystery of the Eucharist will help offer them a sense of wonder; an experience where our temporal world intersects with the divine. Whilst Australia is still considered a ‘Christian’ country, I think it is fair to say: gone are the days where our religious faith was the context where adherence to God was part of everyday life. It wasn’t that long ago when it was the unbeliever who had to justify their disbelief. Now, it is the believer who must give account of their faith, especially since Christians are faced with the onset of a new atheism, indifference, the past sins of our Church and a deeply ingrained secularism. Pope Francis calls for a “pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are” (Evangelii Gaudium). As teachers and parents, we are called to evangelise our students so that they can be radical in their practise of the Gospel message. This means actively showing love, forgiveness, compassion and tolerance to others. Our Church is still coming to terms with the vision and teachings of the Second Vatican Council, so I think it valuable to reflect on the Councils’ thoughts about what our relationship with God should be. They wrote: “The root reason for human dignity lies in man's call to communion with God. From the very circumstance of his origin man is already invited to converse with God. For man would not exist were he not created by God's love and constantly preserved by it; and he cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and devotes himself to his Creator” (Gaudium et spes, 19). As teachers of your sons, we need to be constantly trying to foster a more realistic understanding of what God is like. God should not be seen as ‘a bully in the sky’; rather, our students should regard the essence of God as the condition for the possibility for human flourishing. Therefore when we reflect on the God of the ‘burning bush’ who appeared to Moses in the Old Testament story, we should see this revelation as the development of a divine relationship that becomes more radiant and beautiful as one gets closer to God. When we evangelise our students, their experience of the ‘Kingdom of God’ ought to become more alive. I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank and acknowledge those who take on the challenge of teaching Religious Education. The vast majority of the teachers do so because they want too. If they taught the subject without the gift of faith and mission, they would not be teaching the subject very long at all. Theirs is a ministry of great necessity and courage and warrants our admiration and gratitude. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the work of our College Chaplain, Mrs Joan Ferguson; especially her guidance, advice and assistance in the planning of our Liturgies, Masses and particularly her coordination of the College’s Sacramental Program.

Mr Graeme Pender Director of Religious and Moral Education