Religion at School

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St Martin’s enjoys a rich and vibrant religious life, one component of which is our close relationship with the Dominican parish of Our Lady of Graces. Classes of children attend parish masses, whole school liturgical celebrations and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis.

There is a strong sense and reality of social justice evident at St Martin’s – continuing the work and example of our patron saints, St Dominic, the founder of the Dominican order, and St Martin de Porres, patron saint of Social Justice. Children are involved in Catholic Missions – Crazy Socks Day, SVDP Winter Appeal and Christmas Food Appeal, Project Compassion and many other projects and activities.

Brisbane Catholic Education’s vision for Religious Education challenges students to be a religious voice in the world. This vision aims to develop:

 “students who are challenged to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who are
 literate in the Catholic and broader Christian tradition so that they might participate
 critically and authentically in faith contexts and wider society.”

Religious Education at St Martin’s School has two dimensions “teaching people religion and teaching people to be religious in a particular way” Gabriel Moran (1991). These two dimensions are distinct yet complimentary. Through engagement with both dimensions of religious education we are challenged to be cultural agents in light of the Gospel and authentic witnesses to the mission of Jesus Christ in the world today.

The Religion Curriculum P-12 describes core content that is to be taught and that students should learn and is therefore, the starting point for planning for teaching, learning and assessing of Religion in schools.

The four strands of the Religion Curriculum P-12 (Sacred Texts, Beliefs, Church and Christian Life) are interrelated and their content is taught in an integrated way. Each of these strands has a distinct body of knowledge. Religion programs at St Martin’s will balance and integrate all four strands.

Prayer is an integral part of the religious life at St Martin’s. When we gather together, we pray – as a whole school and as individual classes. Formal, traditional catholic prayers are taught and encouraged, as is spontaneous prayer and Christian meditation. To learn more about our school wide practice of Christian meditation, refer to the following document: St Martin's Whole School Meditation.pdf.

Our Dominican heritage is celebrated each year with our combined Dominican Family Day with San Sisto in August and St Martin’s feast day in November.

The big picture of Religious Education at St Martin’s School is the development of each student’s religious literacy and faith formation. Our aim is to give our students quality and holistic catholic education founded on Gospel values and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

More detailed information about the Religion Curriculum P-12 can be found at the following link: Religion Curriculum P-12


© Brisbane Catholic Education, St Martin's School, Carina (2024) ​