Religious Education Resource Package - Article Example

Resource Package for the Sacrament of Penance for K-2 Children Aged 8 RESOURCE PACKAGE FOR THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE FOR K-2 CHILDREN AGED 8 The following resource package is meant to teach Catholic Secondary School students K-2 students aged 8. It seeks to open up the Church’s treasures to young Catholics who seek peace and healing with the Church community and God. Link: http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/Parents/Religion/Documents/20120312-broc-PenanceReconciliationResource2012.pdf Teacher Background knowledge on the Sacrament of Conversion The sacrament of conversion is also referred to as the sacrament of penance, confession, penance, forgiveness, or reconciliation (Ellis, 2008). RE is vital as a component of a Catholic education. It is essential for a teacher to be aware of what to teach during RE classes and why to teach it. In most Catholic schools, RE is accounted for in timetables and programs for teaching for over two hours every week. For the time spent in RE classes, the students will learn about the life of Jesus Christ and about Catholic traditions. Learning about the seven sacraments and practicing them will aid the students in exploration of the traditions of the Catholic Church and the way it works in their lives. Christian life should be about the seven sacraments (Holy Spirit Interactive, 2009). For this reason, the seven sacraments have a vital place in all Christians’ lives, which necessitates teaching them to young Christians. In the Christian journey of faith, the seven sacraments act as the signs of the presence of God (Bausch, 2003). Therefore, the community, parents, and teachers of Catholic communities must play their role and be responsible for the provision of opportunities to learn and engage in these sacraments to Catholic High School students. Sacrament of Conversion allows Catholic Christians to renew their baptism and follow Jesus Christ’s example. The Sacrament is a fundamental aspect of every Catholic Christian’s life and it highlights the essential nature or renewing and restoring individual relationships and relationships of individuals with God (Dwyer, 2005). Definition of a Sacrament The Catholic Church’s Catechism defines sacraments as efficacious signs of grace that were instituted by Jesus Christ, which he then entrusted to his Holy Church. Through the Sacraments, Jesus Christ dispenses divine life to man through the Holy Ghost’s work (Fosarelli, 2012). Sacraments are Jesus Christ’s extensions because they are symbolic of Jesus’ actions and extensions of the actions of God. These actions are an oath via which Catholic Christians seek witnessing and verification from God. Catholics ask for verification and witnessing that all they do is good and true, which is what the Sacraments call Christians to do (Crowe, 2005). Every Sacrament is a dispensation of life in the comprehension that we are born, or renew our Christian beliefs and life through the Sacrament (Fosarelli, 2012). The Sacrament of Conversion’s importance comes through the effect that it has on individuals. According to the Catholic Church’s Catechism, the Sacrament of Penance has several effects including (Williams, 2008); Reconciliation with the Catholic Church Reconciliation with God Increasing of spiritual strength required in the battle of Christianity Spiritual consolation and serenity and peace of conscience Reconciliation with God’s Church Partial remission of temporal punishment that comes from sin Remission of God’s eternal punishment because of mortal sin Resources for Background Knowledge Books William J. Bausch (1993). A New Look at the Sacraments The author combines her active life as a politician serving the Vatican and her country as ambassador. She offers a profound insight of how important human rights and dignity are in today’s politics and the role of the Sacraments. The book explains the political and religious history of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the confession of sins. The author takes a journey into the importance of the Sacrament and the way it relates to other Sacraments, tracing the history of the Sacraments through the centuries. Fosarelli, P. (2012). Celebrating your childs First Reconciliation This book is refreshing read for parents whose children are about to receive the Sacrament of Conversion for the first time. It has detailed explanations and practical advice for what they should prepare their children for before, during, and following reception of the sacrament. The author explains the Sacrament of Conversion with detailed steps for the sacrament. It is valuable for High School teachers to teach about different faiths and cater for various student requirements. Williams, W. (2003): Moral Theology of the Sacrament of Penance This book takes a confessor through moral theology and is intended as a book for clergymen as they exercise the reconciliation ministry. It will aid teachers in grasping a better understanding of confession, penance, and sin and, in turn, prepare them to teach children about it. Several concepts introduced in the book that will help teachers relate what they learn to the students. Texts for Students The Life of Grace, Grade 7 3rd Edition Student Book: This book will help the young catholic Christian to treasure the seven sacraments as fundamental aspects of a full Christian existence of truth and love. Websites: http://www.op.org/en/content/sacraments-christs-gift-spirit-0 This website is run by the Hexham and Newcastle Catholic Diocese and primes the reader in Sacramental doctrine, while it also touches on each Sacrament and the role it plays in a Christian’s life. http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/p6.html The website breaks down each Sacrament and supports the concepts of each with selections from the Catholic Church’s Catechism. http://www.americancatholic.org/features/special/default.aspx?id=32 This is a website that links the visitor to numerous articles dealing with different aspects of the Sacrament of Conversion. http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/ The website offers history of each sacrament accompanied by a description, symbols and meanings, and a link to appropriate sections of the Catholic Church’s Catechism. Justification about the Relevance of these Materials to the Unit The Catholic Church holds the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a fundamental element of its teachings and so should the curriculum of the religious Catholic education. The content of the material and resources that are contained in this package has the objective of improving the knowledge of the teacher to teach his/her students. This will help in development, interpretation, and implementation of what the curriculum requires (Brady & Kennedy, 2010). Religious Education in Australian Catholic Schools for a long time has been based on teaching the catechism (Buchanan, 2003). Teachers are required to be conversant with the catechism of the Catholic Church for which the Sacrament of Penance is a fundamental part of. Within the context of the school and broader parish, the Sacrament of Penance will have a significant impact. Religious teachers must acknowledge that religious education has diverse facets and that it is suitable to cater for a diverse array of students. One crucial aspect of teaching about the sacraments in the curriculum for religious education is that its content relates to the students’ experiences. This package has material of various types that are geared towards improving the teacher’s comprehension of what sacraments entail, especially as they are a major part of the Catholic Catechism (Ryan, 2006). As well as the impact it can potentially have on a student of the Catholic faith. Finally, the resources, as well as the material they carry, will enable the educator to support students enjoy being Catholics as they pursue broader comprehension and knowledge of the seven sacraments. Specific Reference to Local Religious Education Curriculum Documentation Unit 2.6 Reconciliation Link: http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/Parents/Religion/RE/recurr/tres-curr-2.6.doc http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/Parents/Religion/Documents/Resource Summary/guide-reresource-2.doc Students, by the completion of the first stage of the second year, should understand the following aspects related to the Sacrament of Conversion: Demonstrate a familiarity with several formal Catholic prayers Pray and compose single prayers on sorrow, praise, and thanks Show basic and practical comprehension of the Sacrament of Conversion Show an understanding of Jesus and God as forgiving and loving Reconciliation in the curriculum of religious education is fundamental and portends a significant impact on the wider school and parish community. It will allow the students have wider comprehension of confession and penance in their everyday lives, while allowing students to reflect the attitudes and Behaviors of Christ as they find their way in the journey of faith. Idea/Resource for Teaching this Unit The unit will involve the story of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7, which will use visual props like a presentation chart and 2D material. The lost sheep in the parable is depictive of the love that God has for his people on earth (Cooke & Macy, 2005). Through study and exploration of the parable, the educator should encourage students to think of God as a Caring God and as a protector. The students will also be given the chance to reflect on the meaning and experience of being lost, as well as spiritually taken away from their loved ones; be it family, friends, or classmates. This will provide him/her with the chance and ability to reflect on the various instances when they have inflicted pain or caused harm to other people. This resource also seeks to encourage the students to reflect in silence about themselves and about the instances in which it has felt necessary to ask for an apology and to say they were sorry. This parable gives encouragement to the class to view the world in the context that all persons must reconcile with others and with themselves as well (Ryan, 2012). It will also help the religious study students to come to the understanding that, however heinous or unspeakable their crimes are, God is a welcoming God, and that he will always take them back. In addition, after taking them back, the students will be expected to understand that God is always willing to offer them his forgiveness (The Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, 2010). The religious education students will also be reminded that God’s love does not fade away or end since it is everlasting and must be sought in order to get it. By telling the parable in a quiet room with several students reading each verse alone, it is expected that the RE students will engage the parables meaning and imagine it as if from their own personal perspective. This will also allow the RE students to personally connect to the parable and its characters and wonder what they would do and feel if they were in that situation along their personal journey in the Catholic faith. This approach is intentionally personal in its encouragement of the students to understand the Sacrament of Conversion, as well as to allow them to comprehend how God and Christ are present everyday in their lives. In addition, it enables the RE students to reflect spiritually concerning issues about Christianity and being a good, true, and forgiving Christian. References Bausch, W. J. (2003). A new look at the sacraments. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications. Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. J. (2010): Curriculum construction. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W: Pearson Australia. Retrieved from: http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/instr/d/o/894935_document_6.pdf Buchanan, M. (2003). Survey of current writing on trends in religious education. . Journal of Religious Education , 51 (4), 22-30. Retrieved From: http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/instr/d/o/894935_document_8.pdf Cooke, B. J., & Macy, G. (2005): Christian symbol and ritual: An introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Crowe, N. (2012). Sacraments: Christs Gift of the Spirit . Retrieved October 9, 2013, from Order of Preachers: http://www.op.org/en/content/sacraments-christs-gift-spirit-0 Dwyer, E.J. (2005). Rite of penance: Rite of reception of baptized Christians into full communion with the Catholic Church: English translation. (n.d.). Sydney: E.J. Dwyer Ellis, C. (2008). The life of grace: San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press. Fosarelli, P. (2012). Celebrating Your Childs First Reconciliation. Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, Holy Spirit Interactive. (2013, October 09). Sacraments . Retrieved October 9, 2013, from http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/ Ryan, M. (2006). Catholic Tradition and the Classroom Religious Program. In M. Ryan, Religious Education in Catholic Schools (pp. 170-186). Ringwood: David Lowell Publishing. Retrieved From: http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/instr/d/o/894935_document_2.pdf Ryan, M. (2012): Learning links to the sacraments of healing: Teacher resources for the religion classroom. Hamilton, Qld: Lumino Press. The Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. (2010). The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church . Retrieved October 9, 2013, from http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/p6.html Williams, W. W. (2008). Moral Theology of the Sacrament of Penance. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing, . Read More