RELIGION DEPARTMENT
Each student must successfully complete a credit in Religious Studies each year the student attends Helias.

Religion Department Outcomes

 The Religion Department focuses instruction so that students will:

·         Grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ so that they may come to know him and live according to the truth he has given to us.

·         Appreciate that the Church is the living Body of Christ today and that, in and through the Church, they encounter Jesus Christ.

·         Be aware of the many forms of prayer as a means of growing in a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

·         Be aware of how they can encounter Christ in a full and real way through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

·         Read, interpret and apply Scripture to life.

·         Use Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church to defend and explain the teachings of the Catholic Church

·         Demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of the Apostolic Tradition of the Catholic Church throughout history.

·         Understand and value the moral teachings of the Catholic Church that direct them in living their lives in Christ.

·         Explain how Christ’s concern for others, especially the poor and needy, is present in the Catholic Church’s social teaching and mission.

·         Integrate the call of service, especially the preferential option for the poor, into their daily lives as an expression of closeness to Christ and neighbor.

·         Explore vocational callings and consider the value of considering a vocation in service to the Christian community.

Curriculum for classes of 2013, 2014

1003 The History of the Catholic Church (1 semester)
This one-semester course is designed to help the students understand the history of the Catholic Church beginning with the Apostles and continuing until the present day. The Church History course will demonstrate how the church plays a vital role in the history of man and on our daily life. Church History will also show how the heritage of our past affects the beliefs and traditions in the present age. It will help the students deepen their own faith by learning how God works through the church.

1005 Moral Responsibility (1 semester)
This course presents information on conscience, law, and freedom, relationship and responsibility, and provides the student with the process of moral choice and decision making. Sin and its consequences are considered, as well as the Sacrament of Penance as a means of reconciliation with God and the community. Current moral issues are also discussed. Problems which have risen due to advances in technology, and medical procedures, are discussed with the tradition and experience of the Catholic Christian Community.

1006 Christian Lifestyles (1 semester)
The focus of this course is on Christian commitment stressing how a Christian lifestyle includes all of one’s communal relationships. The course shows how the following affect the student making the transition into the adult world: dreams, learning and creativity, work/career, the need for a proper perspective of money and possessions, sexuality, love, friendships, and communication skills. Primary attention is given to the lifestyle of Christian marriage, its basis in Scripture, and the psychological, sexual, and generative aspects of marriage. Other forms of commitment, such as single lifestyle, the permanent deaconate, the Sisterhood, Brotherhood, and the Priesthood will be presented. All seniors must take this course.

1008 Christian Service/Apologetics (1 semester)
The students will study and discuss various topics unique to the Catholic faith, such as, Scripture and Tradition, The Pope, Marian Devotion and Doctrine, Veneration of Saints, Purgatory, and True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. They will demonstrate a thorough knowledge of each subject as well as an ability to defend and explain the Church's teachings. Inspired and motivated by the Gospel message, the student serves as a volunteer in one or more of the school-approved agencies, usually two or three times a week.

1009 Spiritual Aids for a Closer Walk (1 semester)
Spiritual Aids class will explore the different opportunities available through the Church to grow spiritually both in the present as well as in the future. The class will assist each student in developing a game plan for their own spiritual journey. Spiritual Aids class will be structured in a seminar format. Topics will be presented and discussed in a small group setting. Small faith communities will be formed with student participation an essential part of the class. Students will be able to experience first hand, methods designed to enrich their faith and the desire to share their faith with others.

NEW RELIGION CURRICULUM
(Effective beginning with the Class of 2015)

Freshmen Religion

1000   The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture (1^st semester)

The purpose of this course is to give students a general knowledge and appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures. Through their study of the Bible they will come to encounter the living Word of God, Jesus Christ. In this course they will learn about the Bible, authored by God through Inspiration, and its value to people throughout the world. They will learn how to read the Bible and become familiar with the major sections of the Bible and the books included in each section. The students will pay particular attention to the Gospels, where they may grow to know and love Jesus Christ more personally.

1001   Who is Jesus Christ?  (2^nd semester)

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the mystery of Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. In this course students will understand that Jesus Christ is the ultimate Revelation to us from God. In learning about who he is, the students will also learn who he calls them to be.

1004 The Mission of Jesus Christ (1^st semester)

The purpose of this course is to help students understand all that God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ. Through this course of study, students will learn that for all eternity, God has planned for us to share eternal happiness with him, which is accomplished through the redemption Christ won for us. Students will learn that they share in this redemption only in and through Jesus Christ. They will also be introduced to what it means to be a disciple of Christ and what life as a disciple entails.

1007 Jesus Christ’s Mission Continues in the Church (2^nd semester)

The purpose of this course is to help the students understand that in and through the Church they encounter the living Jesus Christ. They will be introduced to the fact that the Church was founded by Christ through the Apostles and is sustained by him through the Holy Spirit. The students will come to know that the Church is the living Body of Christ today. This Body has both divine and human elements. In this course, students will learn not so much about events in the life of the Church but about the sacred nature of the Church.

1002 Sacraments as Privileged Encounters with Jesus Christ (1^st semester)

The purpose of this course is to help students understand that they can encounter Christ today in a full and real way in and through the sacraments, and especially through the Eucharist. Students will examine each of the sacraments in details so as to learn how they may encounter Christ throughout life.

1005 Life in Jesus Christ (2^nd semester)

The purpose of this course is to help students understand that it is only through Christ that they can fully live out God’s plan for their lives. Students are to learn the moral concepts and precepts that govern the lives of Christ’s disciples.

1006 Sacred Scripture (1 semester - Option A)

The purpose of this course is to give an overview of Sacred Scripture with an introduction to the basic principles for understanding and interpreting the Bible. Because of the extent of the scriptural material, this outline will not try to cover the vast content but rather comments about Scripture’s purpose and religious significance. Given the limits of a semester of study, it will not be possible to introduce all the books of the Bible here. But every effort is made to project a sense of the unity of the narrative for the divine plan of salvation, the presence of God’s action in this record of his Revelation, and his desire to share his merciful love with us.

1003 History of the Catholic Church (1 semester – Option B)

This course can supplement what students learned in Jesus Christ’s Mission Continues in the Church. The purpose of this course is to supply the students with a general knowledge of the Church’s history from apostolic times to the present. They will be introduced to the fact that the Church was founded by Christ through the Apostles and is sustained by him throughout history through the Holy Spirit. The students will come to know that the Church is the living Body of Christ today, and as such, has both divine and human elements. In this course, students will learn about the church’s 2000 years of history and about how the church is led and governed by the successors of the Apostles.

1008 Living as a Disciple of Jesus Christ in Society (1 semester – Option C)

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the Church’s social teaching. In this course, students are to learn how Christ’s concern for others, especially the poor and needy, is present today in the Church’s social teaching and mission.

1009 Responding to the Call of Jesus Christ (1 semester – Option D)

The purpose of this course is to help students to understand the vocations of life: how Christ calls us to live. In this course, students should learn how all vocations are similar and how they differ. The course will be structured around married life, single life, priestly life, and consecrated life. Students should learn what it means to live life for the benefit of others and the value in considering a vocation in service to the Christian community.

1010 Ecumenical and Interreligious Issues (1 semester – Option E)

The purpose of this course is to help the students understand the manner in which the Catholic Church relates to non-Catholic Christians as well as to other religions of the world. Building on the foundational truth that Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church and entrusted to her the fullness of God’s Revelation, the course is intended to help students to recognize the ways in which important spiritual truths can also be found in non-Catholic Christian churches and ecclesial communities as well as in non-Christian religions. It is also intended to help them to recognize the ways in which other systems of belief and practice differ from the Catholic faith.