‘Actions speak louder than words – let our words teach and actions speak!” St Anthony of Padua
At St Anthony’s, we work in partnership with parents, parish and community to develop a sense of a positive relationship with our God, ourselves, our communities, and our world. We do this through positive community celebration and outwardly visible signs of our Catholic identity.
We are a community that welcomes all members of our community regardless of their level of religious belief, and foster a place where diversity is celebrated and all are welcomed into our Catholic tradition.
At St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School we aim to:
- To experience the hope expressed through the Catholic Tradition.
- To provide a Religious Education Program that is connected to real life and provides knowledge about Christian traditions, with opportunities for dialogue with other traditions and perspectives
- To nurture faith through the life of the school community through regular prayer, celebration of liturgy and the Religious Education Program
- To challenge students to develop a deeper understanding of their own personal faith commitment.
- To support families in the faith education of children at St. Anthony’s, and to encourage families to share in the life of the Parish.
Curriculum
St. Anthony’s Religious education curriculum is based on the “Religious Education Curriculum Framework” that has been developed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS). Students and teachers use a combination of the Inquiry learning and ‘Pedagogy of Encounter’ approach to planning and delivering learning on topics in RE, where students and teachers are invited to consider 5 elements:
- What do I think and sense?
- What do others think and why?
- What does the Catholic Church teach and why?
- How am I called into a deeper relationship with God?
- What do I think now and why?
This enables students and teachers to journey together in the discovery and development of knowledge and understanding on topics in Religious Education, and to deepen faith their own faith and relationship with our God.
We align learning with the liturgical year and the sacramental program so that students across the school experience learning together; with ever deeper exploration of faith, justice, and knowledge and understanding in RE learning areas as students progress through the school.
Liturgy and Parish Engagement
As well as formal lessons, our Religious Education program is supported by opportunities for individual classes to participate in regular liturgical celebrations with our Parish community.
Sacramental Program
The Sacraments are a key part of Church and school life. The St. Anthony’s Sacramental Program is implemented within our P-6 Religious Education program. Formal celebration of the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation follow the guidelines of the Archdiocese and are celebrated as follows:
- Reconciliation: Year 3
- Eucharist: Year 4
- Confirmation: Year 6
Reconciliation, or the Sacrament of Penance, is one of the most unique aspects of Catholicism. It is called ‘reconciliation‘ as it celebrates God’s mercy and forgiveness, and our intention to live according to the Gospel of Christ. Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation are the Church’s Sacraments of Initiation. In Confirmation the candidate is sealed with the Holy Spirit and strengthened to be a witness to Christ; while Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.”
Our Sacramental Preparation Program places a strong emphasis on family involvement. We hold Parent Faith Information Evenings with expert guest speakers to enable us to work in partnership with parents and families in preparing our students for receiving Sacraments; journeying in our faith together as a community.
