Domain - Religious Education

In Religious Education (RE) at Mater Christi College, we see the differing religious backgrounds and experiences of our students every day in classes and provide opportunities for them to make personal meaning and to develop a deeper understanding of the beliefs and values of our Catholic Christian tradition. This year, we discovered new ways of providing learning experiences in which we can share and explore our faith.

Year 7s virtually explored a variety of Catholic churches and created their own altar, tabernacle, baptismal font, lectern and stained-glass window as part of their church design portfolio.

Year 8s as part of their unit on St Benedict and his values, found time and space at home for sessions of quiet prayer and reflection which they balanced with work thereby benefitting their home ‘community’ through cooking dinner or gardening - our adaptation of St Benedict’s principle of Ora et Labora (Prayer and Work).

Year 9s explored Catholic beliefs through contemporary and traditional art. They gained knowledge and appreciation of how artists use symbols and colour to convey beliefs in the Incarnation, Jesus - Death and Resurrection and the Trinity. In their unit on forgiveness, students were able to use group chats to share their ideas and learn new skills in better relationships.

Year 10 Core RE gave students a range of units which helped them to connect religious belief with their experience of the world. An introduction to world religions required them to look more deeply at the assumptions about Islam and terrorism. They explored the nature of good, evil and suffering - particularly relevant in the age of Covid-19 and used the goals and principles of Catholic Social Justice, to reflect on what they wanted the world to look like in the future and to connect with current social justice issues, such as #indigenouslivesmatter.

Year 10 Youth Ministry students explored how to connect with primary school students preparing for their sacraments by creating online sacramental resource packs. Youth Ministry students also planned and led elements of year level Zoom Reflection Days.

Years 11 and 12 used videos, breakout room chats, and a range of online resources to research topics which explored the nature of religion and ethical issues, such as commercial surrogacy. The Year 11/12 Catholic Action Program was able to provide practical assistance for people in the community between lockdowns, but rose to the challenge of working from home by sending letters and messages of hope and embarking on a major project focusing on the experiences of First Nations peoples, race relations and the need to address racism head on by planning to set up a small community garden of edible and medicinal plants.

Lisa McLean RE Domain Leader

RAISE AWARENESS Raising awareness of the work that the Good Samaritan Sisters do through media and within our school community, will allow more people to be educated on the issues faced by those in the Phillipines. DONATE The Sisters of the Good Samaritan need our donations of money and goods in order to help the people of the Phillipines.

SUPPORT The support from the community for the Sisters of the Good Samaritan is vital in the organisation continuing the great work that they do. OFFERING ASSISTANCE Although now is not the time to travel, giving your time to going to the schools and communities in the Phillipines that are struggling provides them with their much needed supplies and also a sense of hope.

The Sisters of the Good Samaritan