Religious Education
Guided by Gospel values, we provide an education community within which students have the opportunity to learn about prayer and how to pray, about Jesus, his life and his teachings, various Bible stories and their authors, and the history of the Catholic Church tradition and its place in our modern world.
Religious Education is an integral part of the curriculum at St Benedict's and is, indeed, a focus that permeates the life and culture of our school.
Core Curriculum
Our school follows the Archdiocesan Brisbane Religious Education Curriculum.
Teaching and Learning Opportunities
Religious Education is taught through a Conceptual Inquiry approach which strives to develop and empower our students to be contemporary theological inquirers, encouraging them to respond to concepts in a variety of contexts. Various resources are provided to help engage students in ‘finding out’ rather than being ‘told’ what the learning is. In this way, teachers at St Benedict’s endeavour to promote wonder and curiosity in the students.
Scripture is an important part of the learning process in Religious Education and learning about the Bible and its stories can sometimes be challenging for students. At St Benedict’s Primary School, we use the Three Worlds of the Text as a way to break open Scripture.
This strategy consists of the world Behind the Text, where students learn about the historical and cultural context of the author, their audience and purpose of the text; the world Of the Text, where students look at language features of the text and begin to decipher what message the author wants to portray through the type of text written and the words used; and the world In Front of the Text, where students apply the message to their own lives and the situation of the modern world.
Overall, through Religious Education at St Benedict’s Primary School, the teachers propose the Catholic Christian tradition to students rather than impose it. We acknowledge the faith and religious backgrounds of may St Benedict's students are not Catholic or Christian and we value them as creations of God.
In fostering the holistic development of our students, we recognise that our school community does not function in isolation but as part of the wider Church community, nurturing the faith that parents pass on to their children. At St Benedict's we value the vital contributions that the home, school and parish make to the faith education of our students. We acknowledge that all three communities are called to an active partnership based on a common mission. We contribute to this life long faith journey by providing students with opportunities to share their faith through Masses, liturgies, regular prayer, Sacramental preparation, community service programs and classroom Religious Education.
Sacramental Program
Our school works with the St Benedict's Parish to prepare students for receiving Sacraments. Whilst parents can consult with the Parish Priest about receiving Sacraments at any time the school offers a program of Sacramental Preparation for:
- Reconciliation - Year 2
- First Eucharist - Year 3
- Confirmation - Years 5/6 (every alternate year)
Parents are asked to enrol their child for sacramental preparation during Term 1 so that appropriate plans can be made.
For further questions please contact the Parish or school Religious Education Coordinator.