Putting Putting Christ Christ at the at the CentreCentre

• Affirm and Encourage

• Value in having a Catholic Ethos

• To be Inspired and Challenged

Three Hopes for TodayThree Hopes for Today

Lesson PlanLesson Plan

1.To be Catholic or not to be Catholic that is the Question

2.What Challenges?

3.Christocentric?

What makes a Catholic School What makes a Catholic School Catholic?Catholic?

1.Positive Anthropology

2.Rationality as an Informer of Faith

3.Tradition

4.Sacramental Consciousness

5.Community

An integrated education of the human An integrated education of the human person through a clear educational person through a clear educational project of which Christ is the foundation project of which Christ is the foundation and a systematic catechesis of Catholic and a systematic catechesis of Catholic teaching.teaching.

The first key reason why Catholic schools The first key reason why Catholic schools are established is to be part of the are established is to be part of the Church’s mission, to place Christ and the Church’s mission, to place Christ and the teaching of the Catholic Church at the teaching of the Catholic Church at the centre of people livescentre of people lives

“A child’s journey into A child’s journey into adulthood should adulthood should

also be a journey of also be a journey of faith”faith”

Through you, as through a clear window on a sunny day, students must come to see the richness and

joy of a live lived in accordance with Christ’s teaching.

Saint John Paul II

The light of faith should The light of faith should illumine everything so that the illumine everything so that the students will gradually come to students will gradually come to

learn about the world, about learn about the world, about life and about the importance life and about the importance

of the human person.of the human person.

Christ alone is that Christ alone is that light.light.

What What Challenges?Challenges?

““On the threshold of the third On the threshold of the third millennium education faces millennium education faces new challenges. We have a new challenges. We have a

crisis of values which, in highly crisis of values which, in highly developed societies in developed societies in

particular, assumes the form particular, assumes the form of subjectivism, relativism and of subjectivism, relativism and

nihilism”nihilism”

As a community we must honestly acknowledge that at times As a community we must honestly acknowledge that at times Christians themselves conceal rather than reveal the Christians themselves conceal rather than reveal the

‘authentic face of God and religion’ by not living according to ‘authentic face of God and religion’ by not living according to the Gospel, by failing to hold the true teachings of the Church, the Gospel, by failing to hold the true teachings of the Church,

and by serious deficiencies in religious, moral or social lifeand by serious deficiencies in religious, moral or social lifeBishop Patrick O’Donoghue Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue

Today Catholic schools are Today Catholic schools are increasingly popular, not only increasingly popular, not only for the good academic results for the good academic results they achieve, but also because they achieve, but also because

many parents sense that a many parents sense that a catholic school might help their catholic school might help their

children to develop the self-children to develop the self-discipline, moral resilience and discipline, moral resilience and spiritual maturity necessary in spiritual maturity necessary in

surviving the winds of surviving the winds of secularism and materialism in secularism and materialism in

our society. our society. Cardinal Basil HumeCardinal Basil Hume

To lead a life based on Gospel To lead a life based on Gospel values we must love as Jesus values we must love as Jesus

loved… completely and loved… completely and unconditionally.unconditionally.

Putting Putting Christ Christ at the at the CentreCentre

The disciple of The disciple of Christ must not Christ must not only keep the only keep the faith and live it, faith and live it, but also profess but also profess it, confidently it, confidently bear witness to it bear witness to it and spread it. and spread it. (CCC1816)(CCC1816)

““Worship the Lord Worship the Lord in the beauty of in the beauty of

Holiness”Holiness”Psalm 96Psalm 96

We can only find intimacy with God in prayer if we We can only find intimacy with God in prayer if we approach him through the ‘door’ of humility and approach him through the ‘door’ of humility and

discover the vast universe within the soul.discover the vast universe within the soul.Elizabeth WangElizabeth Wang

Like an ocean filling a drop of

drew

So Prayer fills us with the love of God

In the sacramental journey In the sacramental journey we are refreshed by the we are refreshed by the living Lord of lifeliving Lord of life

When we meet When we meet the Lord in the the Lord in the Sacraments we Sacraments we are never left are never left

unchanged… the unchanged… the only thing He only thing He

asks is our asks is our cooperationcooperation

“A city built on a hill cannot be hidden”

Matthew 5: 14.

“Witness to Christ”

"The basic reality in this country is that most "The basic reality in this country is that most Catholics have never been evangelized. This is a very Catholics have never been evangelized. This is a very

sad thing to say, but we have never engaged our sad thing to say, but we have never engaged our people in a process in which they themselves come to people in a process in which they themselves come to discover the person of Jesus Christ, the power of the discover the person of Jesus Christ, the power of the

gospel and the excitement of discipleship in gospel and the excitement of discipleship in following the Lord. What has happened is we have following the Lord. What has happened is we have

been able to give the sacraments, and we have been been able to give the sacraments, and we have been able to catechize, but without the underpinning of able to catechize, but without the underpinning of

evangelization first. We must witness with our lives evangelization first. We must witness with our lives and proclaim it with our lips”and proclaim it with our lips”

Joseph M. PavicicJoseph M. Pavicic

““God reaches out towards us and in God reaches out towards us and in faith we turn to him. He then runs to faith we turn to him. He then runs to

meet us, because He hears us. He meet us, because He hears us. He embraces us and as if by an impulse of embraces us and as if by an impulse of

paternal affection, falls upon our necks, paternal affection, falls upon our necks, that He may raise up those who are cast that He may raise up those who are cast down, who loaded with sin and bent to down, who loaded with sin and bent to

the earth.”the earth.”

“We should not be

miserable saints but

people joyful in the

Lord”

““The Christian Church is the community in The Christian Church is the community in which Jesus Christ, in whom God reveals which Jesus Christ, in whom God reveals

himself unconditionally and definitively, is himself unconditionally and definitively, is proclaimed and celebrated” proclaimed and celebrated”

Christ is our most precious inheritance. Christ is our most precious inheritance. He lives ever with us, not seen, often He lives ever with us, not seen, often

forgotten, often a sign of contradiction forgotten, often a sign of contradiction but always with us. He joins us as the but always with us. He joins us as the

unknown pilgrim on our way, with us in unknown pilgrim on our way, with us in our uncertainty, our suffering and our our uncertainty, our suffering and our

need. Use the power that only love can need. Use the power that only love can give, go to everybody. God wherever give, go to everybody. God wherever

there are minds to be enlightened, will there are minds to be enlightened, will to be strengthened, energies to be to be strengthened, energies to be

channelled towards good. Wherever channelled towards good. Wherever there are tears to be dried, doubts to be there are tears to be dried, doubts to be

dispelled, fears to be conquered, dispelled, fears to be conquered,

BE THEREBE THERE. .

In the beginning was God and God is love.