Religion and Family Life

Our Catholic secondary school community is dedicated to the Christian vision of life. This vision of life sees Jesus Christ as the incomparable source of meaning for human life. When a high school goes beyond itself and pre-fixes Catholic to its name it holds out a promise that Jesus Christ will have a very special place in the learning experience found there and that His way of life will be placed before the students as something to be learned and lived.

Each student in our Catholic learning community embodies excellence and equity by embracing the Catholic Graduate Expectations.

Religion courses

We offer a number of religious courses that complements the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops publication entitled Religious Education: Ontario Catholic Secondary Curriculum Policy Document.

Grade 9: HRE 1O1 - Be With Me 

This Grade 9 course invites students to a deeper understanding of both the joy and the demands of following in the way of Christ and living out the call to discipleship as it is described in the Scriptures. Using the Beatitudes as a touchstone, students examine the attitudes and actions that characterize the Christian life. Students will explore a variety of topics related to the themes of person hood, interpersonal relationships and sexuality. They are encouraged to understand and nurture within themselves the virtues which will enable them to deepen their relationship with God in and through Christ in the context of a Spirit filled community. Students attend a one day retreat.

 
Grade 10: HRE 2O1 - Christ & Culture 

This Grade 10 course invites and challenges the adolescent to personalize the principles that guide Catholics in understanding their role in shaping culture through our discipleship. The exploration of these principles starts with the Scriptural foundations to the questions of what it means to be human and how God has and continues to shape our humanity through culture. The principles are then developed through the Gospel themes that reveal how Jesus' Kingdom of God is expressed in all of our relationships: to ourselves, to others, to our civil society, to our Church, and to our Global community. Students will also attend a one day retreat.

 
Grade 11: HRT 3M1 - World Religions (College/University)

This Grade 11 university/college level course provides students with an understanding of the Church's teachings on world religious traditions and principles which inform ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, together with an historical overview of the Church's relationship with various religions, particularly Judaism and Islam. This course helps break down prejudice about other religions and leads to a deeper understanding and adherence to the teachings of the Church concerning spiritual and moral truth. Students will attend a one day retreat.

 
Grade 11: HRF 3O1 - World Religions (Open)

This Grade 11 open level course provides students with a better understanding of the Church's teachings on world religious traditions and how they are expressed through ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue. Within a historic and cultural context, students will explore the encounter between Christianity and other religious traditions. This course helps break down prejudice about other religions and leads to a deeper understanding and adherence to the teachings of the Church concerning spiritual and moral truth. Other religious traditions are encountered through the unique perspective of the Catholic Church. Students attend a one day retreat as part of this course.

 
Grade 12: HRE 4M1 - Church & Culture (College/University) 

This Grade 12 - university/college level course helps students understand themselves as moral persons living the way of Christ through an examination of ethical theories, the revelation of sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church. While grounded in Revelation, the course also examines the contributions of Philosophy and the sciences to a Catholic understanding of ethics and moral living. Students explore their own ethical and moral stance through an examination of various arenas of life such as issue of justice and peace, freedom, reconciliation, family, marriage and political life. This course is intended to prepare the senior student for the lifelong task of discerning what is good, while growing in their ability to live accordingly as moral persons and active, life-giving members of a global society. Students in this course participate in a one day retreat.

 
Grade 12: HRE 4O1 - Church & Culture (Open) 

This Grade 12 open level course helps students understand themselves as moral persons living the way of Christ through an examination of ethical theories, the revelation of sacred Scripture, and the experience and teaching of the Catholic Church. It engages students in critical reflection on significant contemporary moral and ethical issues in light of Scripture, Church teaching, and important thinkers. Social and ecological justice issues are explored along with a study of topics that focus on Christian mercy and forgiveness. Students in this course attend a one day retreat.

 


Resources

The organizations listed below offer information on our Catholic faith.