FAITH IN ACTION AT CRC ST ALBANS

Over the four years at St Albans, students are involved in a wide variety of social justice opportunities. This could be in the form of liturgy and prayer as we saw this week with Year 10 Little and Year 10 McAuley focusing their mass on the cause of social justice. Other opportunities are imbedded in both the RE curriculum.  Others opportunities are extra-curricular such as participation in the Vinnie’s group or participation in the CRC St Albans community garden. It is our hope that students at the end of their time at Catholic Regional College St Albans see their belief in God and their call to action as the foundations of their Catholic Identity. 

The way social justice evolves within the school is that it starts at home and within the school and as the students’ progress to the senior levels the scope of this service expands. The Year 7’s theme this term is growing in our community.  They do this by responding to needs at home and in their classroom. In the RE program the students document their thoughtful acts and reflect on the impact this has had on their families and their classrooms. In term 4 the Year 7 theme is giving.  In this term they will be preparing for Christmas by donating toys and food to St Vinnies so they can create hampers for those in need.

In year 8 the students are currently studying in RE the Kingdom of God. After looking at how the first and second testament explore the kingdom of God students develop their own vision of the Kingdom of God and how we can go about creating the Kingdom of God, here on Earth.  They actively do this by assisting in both community garden and on Fridays at the Holy Eucharist Food Bank.

In Year 9 next term in RE students will be examining Catholic Social Teaching principles. Two Principles Subsidiarity and Stewardship are demonstrated through the Trinity program students in their classes support local disability services, and assist with local environmental projects.

The Year 10 students are completing `A Call to Justice’ unit in RE where they are examine key Church Docuements such as Gaudium et Spes and explore how the Catholic Church should responds to social justice issues around the world.  As part as the community service students  in small groups visit age care services, and assist students with reading after school and within the classroom.