RELIGION CURRICULUM
Archdiocesan Standards
Parents are the primary educators of their children. Religion classes at SJS assist parents in helping their children understand and appreciate essential Catholic beliefs and practices. The religion curriculum established by the Archdiocese of Omaha specifies key content -- based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church -- that is to be introduced. developed and mastered in the various grade levels. Click HERE for a summary of archdiocesan religion standards. Confirmation Standards In addition to the regular Religion Curriculum Standards, students in seventh and eighth grades meet the standards established by the Archdiocese for preparing to receive Confirmation. Click HERE for specific information about Confirmation requirements and standards in the Archdiocese of Omaha. Circle of Grace Circle of Grace is the children’s education component of the Archdiocese of Omaha’s Safe Environment training. It serves the dual purpose of educating and informing children and youth about the value of positive relationships with God and others. The Circle of Grace curriculum for seventh and eighth grades is implemented in religion classes. Through Circle of Grace, adults assist children and youth to recognize that each of us lives within a Circle of Grace that holds our very essence in body, mind, heart, soul, and sexuality. Children and youth are taught to identify and maintain appropriate physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual boundaries; recognize when boundary violations are about to occur; and demonstrate how to take action when boundaries are threatened or violated. Click HERE for more information about the Archdiocesan Circle of Grace program. Learning Prayers by Heart
Students at SJS are expected to memorize various essential Catholic prayers, as specified by the Archdiocesan Curriculum. (Click HERE for the handout of prayers provided to all junior high students.) The classic definition of prayer is "raising the mind and heart to God." We want our students, as they get older, to develop a strong sense of prayer as personal communion with God. Beyond just the words, students should gain an appreciation for the ideas behind the words... and learn to recognize the movements of the heart that compel them to unite their hearts with the heart of their Heavenly Father. Rote memorization may seem to work against this goal. However, when we learn to say certain prayers "by heart," the words of the prayers are internalized and we are then free to engage the imagination and the will in a way that is not always possible when we are fumbling for the right words to say. Pope St. John Paul II, in his apostolic exhortation Catechesi tradendai (#55) said: "A certain memorization of the words of Jesus, of important Bible passages, of the Ten Commandments, of the formulas of professions of the faith, of the liturgical texts, of essential prayers, of key doctrinal ideas, etc., far from being opposed to the dignity of young Christians, or constituting an obstacle to personal dialogue with the Lord, is a real need... The blossoms of faith and piety do not grow in the desert places of a memory-less catechesis. What is essential is that the texts that are memorized must at the same time be taken in and gradually understood in depth, in order to become a source of Christian life on the personal level and the community level." |
Pastoral Vision
Click HERE to read more about the Pastoral Vision and Priorities of the Archdiocese of Omaha. |