Philosophy  

“Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you.  And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world.        Mt. 28:20

The seeds of faith, lovingly planted by our God, are primarily nurtured by the parents of the children entrusted to our care.  Our task is to complement the role of the parents while creating a holy environment for the students to continue to grow in the image and likeness of our God.  Our task is to teach as Jesus did.  This process is accomplished through five interrelated aspects.

• Religious Studies: Students need to know Jesus, to understand His message and to appreciate the role of the Catholic Church. A body of content exists regarding Jesus and the Catholic Church that students should know. This is presented to students in a developmental manner as laid out in the Rayne Catholic Religion Curriculum Guides provided to all religion teachers. Through parables, stories and examples, students deepen their Catholic knowledge. We use the Sacred Scriptures, diocesan-approved texts (PreK & Kindergarten use the Image of God Series and 1-8^th grades use the Sadlier Book Series) and approved supplemental materials when appropriate.

• Integration of Values: In Religion class, students learn the principles of their religion. In all other classes, the applications of these principles to daily living become evident. Teachers focus on this application of Christian values through their questions and discussions with the students. Because of this integration of values in all lessons, all teachers are involved in the religious formation process.

• Liturgy and Prayer: In prayer, especially reflective prayer, children and adults listen and speak to Jesus. The knowledge of Jesus gained in the religious studies class enables people to have a deeper relationship with Jesus, which leads to the desire to celebrate his gifts with us. We emphasize the need for adequate preparation and active participation of the students in the celebration of these liturgies. These expressions of worship are community activities that call for everyone to play an active part. The readings, the prayers, the Eucharist and the liturgical ministries of service inform and move the participants to a deeper formation.

• Challenge: Religious formation directs how people interact with one another. The religious education process challenges students to live their faith. Christians bear witness to Jesus. Therefore, throughout the year and in all classes, teachers make reference to the Christian life and challenge students to respond in a way reflective of Jesus.

• Modeling: Students need to see others living the Christian message. While the example of students is affirming, the example of teachers is educational. Students see that religion has relevance to adults in their daily activities. The special environment in our Catholic school comes from all the members modeling the Christian life. We as educators ask you as parents to model Jesus at home as well.

• Service: Jesus modeled service at the Last Supper when he washed the feet of the apostles; St. James tells us that “faith without good works is dead.” Therefore the concept of service is taught as an essential part of our living faith, is practiced throughout the school year, and is assigned as homework.

In conclusion, we believe that religious education encompasses the total process of education in a Catholic school.  We are grateful for the opportunity to aid Jesus in the building the faith and lives of our students.