All our students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 receive instruction in Religion and Family Life education.
Elementary School
Religious education in our elementary schools supplements family and parish-based catechesis. Our main goal is the awareness of the human person in both their material and spiritual needs. It helps students understand the teachings of Jesus and how they relate to their own lives. The program used in our schools is developed by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. It focuses on the following six areas:
- Believing - focuses on the knowledge of the Catholic faith, especially the self-revelation of God through Jesus, Scripture and Tradition, the Creed and the Church.
- Celebrating - focuses on worship and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, as well as the celebrations, rituals and symbols of the liturgical year.
- Living a Moral Life - promotes the universal call to holiness and provides Virtues Education and the foundations of Christian morality reflected in critical thinking and decision makings rooted in faith.
- Living in Communion - focuses on belonging and participating in the Church and the local community through one's call to vocation
- Living in Solidarity - focuses on understanding Catholic Social Teachings and one's commitment to justice that witnesses the reign of God to the world.
- Praying - focuses on knowing, experiencing, and reflecting on the various types and forms of prayers that are used to express the faith of the Catholic Church.
Family Life Education
Family Life Education is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family. Its goal is to supplement the efforts of families and to support what parents are teaching at home. The Family Life program, Fully Alive, encourages students in Grades 1 to 8 to become the people God wants them to be.
It is approved by the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario (ACBO). Catholic Family Life Education is closely linked to Religious Education. In Ontario, Fully Alive accounts for 20% of the Religious Education program, and is taught once a week.
Secondary School
Our secondary schools welcome students of all faiths. Religious education is an academic subject with an exciting curriculum that offers students the opportunity to develop religious literacy and critical thinking. Learning takes place within an environment where subject matter and teaching strategies are planned in age-appropriate ways, incorporating students' lived experiences.
Our students are enrolled in a religion course in each of their four years of high school. Religion credits count towards a secondary school graduation diploma.
Our religion courses offer students the opportunity to learn about:
- Social Justice;
- World Religions;
- Family Life;
- Common good and individual freedom and dignity and
- Community Outreach opportunities.
Partners in Catholic education
We work in partnerships with a number of Catholic agencies to promote faith based education to our students and families. Some of our partners include:
The Institute for Catholic Education (ICE) was established by the Ontario Bishops in 1986 and brings together seven partners in the English Catholic education community that work together and share responsibility for Catholic education in Ontario. ICE coordinates the work of Catholic associations and organizations in writing Catholic curriculum within the guidelines established by the Ministry of Education. ICE has released new parent resources related to Religious and Family Life Education.
The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario (ACBO) is the association of the Catholic bishops in the Province of Ontario. It provides information about the moral positions of the Catholic Church in all aspects of public life. It works alongside the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on a regional level, while other bishops' assemblies do similar work in other parts of Canada.
Contact us
Our schools work in partnership with home and parish. For more information about Religious Education, please contact your child's school.