Religious Education must be at heart of Catholic schools

Religious Education in Catholic schools can help build social justice, writes GILLIAN STUBBS.

Learners from St Theresa Mercy School in Johannesburg pass on the archdiocese’s pilgrim cross to their counterparts at Brescia House. The cross travels from one Catholic school to another before their Grade 11s come together for the annual Catholic Schools Mass in the cathedral of Christ the King.

At the core of religious education in South African Catholic schools is the 2005 guiding document, Fostering Hope. Its foreword sets the scene.

Those committed to Catholic schools believe that Religious Education (RE) lies at the heart of a school’s curriculum which should reflect clearly the special character of the school and be part of the Church’s evangelising mission. They would desire that this mission include the whole school community and go beyond the classroom by becoming the concern of all.

The vision outlined in this document is in harmony with the national curriculum and the Constitution. RE is necessarily outcomes-based and it finds a natural place in Life Orientation.

It is therefore hoped that this vision will do much to bring about the desired outcomes in this particular area of the curriculum, especially in the light of the religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution as a fundamental human right.

Examining Fostering Hope as a Catholic educator, I’m humbled by the responsibility invested in me to give witness to the Gospel. I am challenged, however, by the disconnect between building a rich faith community at school and living in the midst of an extremely consumer-driven society and a generally narcissistic culture.

We live in a country, too, which challenges us to experience the social teachings of the Church in a very meaningful and authentic way. The RE curriculum  allows a responsibility of compassion, to work within the landscape of deep pain, anger, and disparity assailing us on so many levels; yet myriad stories of hope bring consolation and grace.

Living through the growing pains of our young democracy, we are challenged more than ever to experience our faith through honest and real dialogue.

The preamble of the Constitution encapsulates our mission with its injunctions to recognise the injustices of our past; honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and to believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.

Pope Francis  also gives us something to ponder. “Education cannot be neutral. It is either positive or negative; either it enriches or it impoverishes; either it enables a person to grow or it lessens, even corrupts him,” he says.

“The mission of schools is to develop a sense of truth, of what is good and beautiful. And this occurs through a rich path made up of many ingredients. This is why there are so many subjects—because development is the result of different elements that act together and stimulate intelligence, knowledge, the emotions, the body, and so on,” according to the pope.

Teaching RE within both junior and senior schools certainly provides ample opportunity to experience the beauty of faith on many different levels. From the spontaneity, openness and positivity of an almost “blind faith” in the junior school students towards a more discerning/questioning maturity of the teens.

Teaching RE within both schools thus affords me the wonderful opportunity to engage with a variety of ages, levels of spiritual maturity and stages of development.

It is, I  humbly acknowledge, a rare privilege. Due to the range of ages, the planning involves a great deal of insight, intuition and passion.

The scope to engage students on relevant issues is phenomenal. Despite a well-planned curriculum, the broad arena of RE demands that we remain focused on a purpose-driven life, and that teachers remain deeply rooted in that philosophy.

Through RE, relationships are nurtured, opinions respected/challenged, faith deepened/explored and a sense of balance created/restored.

Catholic schools have a hugely rich tradition to draw from, irrespective of our founding charism.

Ethos is celebrated in a tangible way through liturgies, activities, building school communities, outreach, pastoral care, the hopeful energy prevalent, presence of committed staff and pupils and so much more.

Gillian Stubbs is the head of RE/Ethos at Springfield Convent School in Cape Town.