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Our Focus for 2011-2012:  Faith

 

John Kostoff has said that the primary goal of our Catholic education system should be to help students be faithful.  This year, our Pocock community will echo the cry of the disciples (in Luke 17:5), when they said to Jesus, “Increase our faith!”  Over and over, Jesus told those he healed that their faith had saved them.  Saint Paul reminds us “by grace, you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). Faith is both a gift of the Holy Spirit, given in baptism and strengthened at confirmation, and a fruit of the Spirit, which we must nurture and grow.  A recent survey of our school found that almost one quarter of our students have serious doubts about the existence of God.  Only half of our students believe that Jesus is divine and that the Bible is the true, inspired word of God.  These results parallel similar surveys done across Canada and the U.S.A., which point to a failure of parents, schools, and parishes to pass on the traditional faith of the Church.  This year, we plan to renew our commitment to nurturing the faith of our students by a) fostering trusting relationships with Jesus, and b) explaining and defending the teachings of the Catholic Church.

 

Highlights of proposed initiatives to promote our theme of ‘faith’

  • More staff faith development at staff meetings and PD days.
  • Build a Christian youth group in the school and connect with the Parish youth group.
  • Create an interactive Blog for Religious Q & A.
  • Purchase Catholic Youth Bibles and ‘Youcat’ (Youth Catechism) for special study groups.
  • Create extra, optional retreats for those students wishing to deepen their faith.
  • Chaplain will give mini-lessons on ‘hot topics’ during December and March class visits.
  •  Teachers will develop areas in their curriculum that touch upon matters of faith
  • Chaplain will create and deliver a presentation and a resource for parents on how to help teens who question the faith.
  • Encourage religion classes to visit the chapel at least once a semester for prayer and/or discussions on key topics of Catholic teaching.
  • Create a retreat (or after school sessions) for parents.