I recently spent the day at Catholic Leadership College with Faith and Mission Leaders within the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools ‘catchment’. While the Kilbreda community – understandably – connects more closely with Kildare Ministries through our Brigidine roots, this other connection also supports our Catholic identity.

I learnt of the experiences of leaders in other Catholic schools, and shared in the view that what matters is the charism we share, not where our own individual faith is at. Everyone is welcome at a Catholic school, no matter where we are in our faith journeys.

Being engaged in such conversations reminded me, as a teacher of Religious Education, of how interesting it is to listen to the way this subject, as an academic study, is framed against the rest of the curriculum at our schools. Part of this is the confusion of where Religious Education ‘fits’ with the concept of ‘being Catholic’. While Religious Education clearly has a unique place within Catholic education, it does need to be separated in some ways from the identity of our school, and seen more as a study in its own right rather than just an adjunct to this identity.

Don’t mistake my meaning here. Our identity as a Catholic community is at the core of who we are, for sure. It is where we can not only de-mystify our symbols and language, but also build revelation in our students and staff as well as in the wider community. Once we achieve this, we can all grow our capacity together, moving forward to work with each other to begin to achieve our social justice goals and build a better future for the coming generations.

But Religious Education teaches of the world and allows students to make considered and informed decisions. When we look at the variety of curriculum offered to students, the richness within the subject can be seen. For example, in Year 9 at the moment, in examining the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we have been able to look at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reconciliation and understand the need for this and how we can champion this in society. At Year 11, in studying the papal response to the environmental crisis, the encyclical Laudato Si’, we have been able to build an understanding of Indigenous spirituality, and how their affinity with nature can teach us lessons in ecology moving forward.

I have constantly been reminded this year that one of the joys of teaching in a community such as Kilbreda is in being a part of the education of the whole student. Catholic identity is one of these steps, and Religious Education is another.

Jane Watkins
Learning Leader: Religious Education