RELIGIOUS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REPORT

LEISA RADLEY | DIRECTOR OF FORMATION AND COLLEGE CULTURE

As always, it has been a busy year for the Religious Education department!

Last year, I wrote about being in 'somewhat of a holding pattern' as we await changes Religious Education in 2023. And now, we are so close! We are excited to see re-contextualisation of religion in action next year as our College, in consultation with Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office, takes on the Illuminate project.

Despite awaiting the changes which Illuminate will bring next year, Religious Education in Year 7 to 12 was business as usual in 2022.

Our Year 7s commenced the year by completing a Mary MacKillop project which addressed the 6Ps of our College's Josephite Charism; in doing so, they aimed to answer the fertile question: What Does it Mean to Belong to the Mary MacKillop community? Notably, the Year 8 cohort, after spending most of Term 1 to 3 focussing on Covenant and continuing the mission of Jesus in the modern world, rounded out the year by creating a boardgame about initiation rituals in Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Our Year 9s aimed to 'Be More' (see below) and our Year 10 Religion and Ethics students delved more deeply into world religions, ethics and peace and conflict. Completing their final units of Religion and Ethics before commencing the Praxis program, our Year 11 RE students focussed on meaning and purpose, social justice and religion in contemporary culture.

Living Waters—Praxis Program

As providers of Catholic education, one of our aims is to ensure our Senior students are armed with the values of a Josephite education. We speak endlessly in Religious Education classes about serving others, following in the footsteps of Jesus, Catholic Social Teachings and modelling the values of Mary MacKillop. The Living Waters–Praxis program was once again completed by our Year 12 Religion and Ethics students this year. By the completion of the course, students are expected to accrue a minimum of 110 hours (across a variety of areas), 40 of which are compiled via service experiences.

At the beginning of Term 4, prior to heading into their External Exams, this small group of students presented their Praxis reflections and challenges to incoming Religion and Ethics students, and members of the College's Leadership Team.

It was a privilege to listen to the experiences of these students at the conclusion of the program and to gain insight into how Praxis has impacted them. Many students stated that Praxis opened their eyes to the realities of injustice in their local community; others discussed the deeper sense of gratitude they now have for their own families and an appreciation for the opportunities they have been afforded.

While the list below is not exhaustive, it is witness to the variety of service learning, advocacy and awareness initiatives these Year 12s have undertaken throughout 2022:

• Serving with Rosie's - Friends on the Street on a Wednesday evening

• Working with Vinnies Youth to provide sporting and camping experiences for underprivileged children

• Participating in the World's Greatest Shave by waxing or shaving in solidarity

• Facilitating activities during the Junior College and Senior College Formation Days

• Serving in the Prep classrooms

• Assisting Prep students from their cars to their classrooms as they transitioned into the Junior College in Term 1

• Assisting Junior staff and students with Mac Mates at lunchbreaks

• Organising and facilitating whole-school liturgies and Masses such as Anzac Day, St. Patrick's Day and Mother's Day

• Attending their own Year 12 Retreat; and

• Advocating for mental health awareness by organising R U OK Day across the College.

It is timely as well to thank the staff who have worked with the Praxis students this year, including: their teachers, Mrs Jen Langerak (currently on maternity leave); Mr Ashley Jones; Mrs Paula O'Rourke who spent many hours with students organising liturgies and Masses; and Mr Sean Albion who worked with students on the organisation of Formation Days. A huge thank you as well to Junior College teachers who opened their classrooms to the Year 12s who came to assist the Junior students. 2023 will see our third Praxis class complete the Living Waters program. We look forward to working with these students as they put their faith into practice.

Year 11 and 12 Study of Religion

Study of Religion, a General subject which contributes to a student's ATAR, is a unique subject. While some try to liken it to the skills you need in History, or even English, the reality is that SOR is like Religion, History, English and Philosophy all rolled into one.

The topics covered throughout the two-year course include: sacred texts and religious writings; lifecycle and calendrical rituals; social ethics and ethical relationships; religion-state relationships and human rights and religion.

All of these are studied from the perspective of the 'big five' world religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.

This year, our Year 12 SOR class comprised 15 students and our Year 11 SOR group numbered 28–evidence of our growing Senior cohorts! Special mention must go to graduating student, Katelyn Haddow, who achieved Top of Subject, achieving straight 25/25 results for every internal assessment this year.

Students in the Year 12 Study of Religion class have been a dedicated bunch with the majority of the class having achieved an A or a B standard this year. They have certainly epitomised the calibre of students a teacher of SOR hopes for: opinionated, curious, organised and motivated. As the Senior College grows, we look forward to welcoming more students into the Study of Religion course!

Year 9 Students Aimed to 'Be More'

In Term 3, the Year 9 cohort learned that actions speak louder than words and that the best way to make a difference in the world is to challenge ourselves and raise awareness for others. Their Religion assessment in Term 3 was to take up the challenge of social action by completing the Be More Challenge.

Students in Mrs Puhakka's and Mr Jones' classes researched a variety of issues they were passionate about. Some of these included: gender equality; poverty; racism; money distribution; refugees and asylum seekers; and inequality for the disabled and the elderly.

By firstly applying the See, Judge, Act framework and Catholic Social Teachings, the Year 9s then worked collaboratively to create a plan of action for how to promote awareness of these injustices both at MMCC and in the wider community.

Well, that's a wrap for Senior Religious Education in 2022. A heartfelt thank you must go to the amazing Religious Education Department in the Senior College:

Mrs Jennifer Langerak (currently on maternity leave)

Mrs Megan Puhakka

Mr Ashley Jones

Mr Ryan Cavanough and Mr Christopher Bracken

- who have all brought a wealth of knowledge to Religious Education across Year 7 to 12. These staff have worked tirelessly to make Religion at MMCC contemporary, meaningful and relatable for our students.