Religious Education

Each individual person is created in the image and likeness of God and is called to grow in wisdom and understanding with God and all of creation. In the formation of the human person, Catholic schools aim to create authentic learning experiences for all people and to nurture the capacity of each learner in a way that is authentic and life-giving”.
(Catholic Diocese of Wollongong, Learning and Teaching Framework)

The Mission and Vision of Religious Education in the Diocese of Wollongong sees Catholic schools as being called to be real and living expressions of the church’s pastoral mission in the world. As centres of ‘the New Evangelisation’ they proclaim and give witness to a living encounter with Christ. At Mount Carmel, a College embedded with Marist and Carmelite charisms;  education in the Catholic faith is given a central position.

Within our classes, we strive to build an environment that nurtures and strengthens our students as they are transformed into more compassionate people.

Religious Education has an integral place in this overall goal and is central to the College's broader curriculum.

Education in faith includes communicating Catholic doctrine, engendering a sense of the sacred, building a Christian community and inviting young people to care with the heart of Jesus Christ.

In striving to meet these goals the College offers:

  • A Religious Education curriculum in Years 7-10 that is both academically rigorous and innovative, bringing into dialogue faith and life
  • A course in Studies of Religion or Studies in Catholic Thought in Years 11 and 12
  • Opportunities for the celebration of the sacraments of the Eucharist
  • Encounter and Faith enhancements  Days for Years 7-10; these focus on contemporary issues
  • The Senior Retreat with the theme of “What's in a Name?”
  • Year 11 Youth Mission Leaders and Carmelite Captains
  • A host of creative and prayerful liturgies that help students further understand and celebrate their faith
  • Commitment to supporting Marist ventures in the Asia Pacific and St Vincent de Paul Societies initiatives throughout the year
  • Beyond the classroom there are opportunities to participate in the Live, Diocesean Youth Ministry events

As a Catholic College we celebrate major feasts of the liturgical year including St Marcellin's Feast Day and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast day and other significant Church events. Such celebrations may occur within the class or year group, as a House, or as a whole College.

Religious Education Curriculum

The Stage 4 and Stage 5 curriculum is centred around 5 core stands:

Scripture and Jesus
Church and Community
God, Religion and Life
Prayer. Liturgy and Sacraments
Morality and Justice.

Each year is divided into 5 units of study. Each unit builds on the knowledge, understanding, and skills from the previous year's unit.

Stage 4

The pattern of study for stage 4, is based on 5 units, Year 7 being the starting point for their students' spiritual and academic journey. Year 8 builds on the previous years learnings.

The 5 strands are infused in each unit.

Year 7

  • What it means to be Catholic? An introductory unit aimed at building connection of  the students to the history of the College and those in their year group
  • Sacred Scriptures
  • Ways of Praying
  • Stewards of Creation
  • Affirming Human Dignity

Year 8

  • The Teachings of Jesus
  • Alive in Christ
  • Disciples, Martyrs and Witnesses to the Faith
  • Sacraments of Initiation
  • Striving for Goodness

Stage 5

The pattern of study for stage 5, is based on 5 units, each building on the previous years learnings. The 5 strands are infused in each unit.

Year 9

  • Sacraments of Healing
  • Biblical Writings
  • The Search for Meaning
  • Living the Commandments and Beatitudes
  • The Church in Australia

Year 10

  • The Gospels: Who do People Say That I Am?
  • Catholic Social Teaching
  • Ecumenism and Interfaith Dialogue
  • The Church- Tradition Challenge and Change
  • Sacraments At The Service of Communion

Stage 6

The Religious Education options for study splits into two options for the senior school. Students complete either Studies of Religion - SOR either 1U and 2U, or Studies in Catholic Thought - SICT 1U.

SOR is an ATAR course while SICT is a non-ATAR course.

Studies of Religion 1U and 2U

The Studies of Religion course shows how religion is a distinctive answer to the human need for meaning in life.

Students will gain an understanding of religion which provides a perspective for the human view of reality and deals with daily living as well as with the ultimate source, meaning and goal of life.

Religion is generally characterised by a worldview that recognises a supernatural dimension – belief in divinity or powers beyond the human and/or dwelling within the human. The SOR course helps the student come to an awareness that there are many ways of studying religion.

It includes an investigation around the significance of the role of religion in society and, in particular, within Australian society. It recognises and appreciates the place and importance of Aboriginal belief systems and spiritualities in Australia.

This course enables students who live in a multifaith and multicultural society to progress from a broad understanding of religious traditions to specific studies within these traditions.

The course provides a focus on religious expression in Australia and, also, investigates religion’s place within the global community.

Studies of Religion has an HSC exam at the end of the Yr 12 Course.

Year 11: Preliminary Course

  • Nature of Religion and Beliefs
  • Religious Traditions Studies from:
  • Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism
    • Origins
    • Principal beliefs
    • Sacred texts and writings
    • Core ethical teachings
    • Personal devotion/expression of faith/observance.
  • Religions of Ancient Origins (2U only)
  • Religion in Australia pre - 1945 (2U only)

Year 12: HSC Course

  • Religion and Belief Systems in Australia post-1945
  • Religious Tradition Depth Studies from:
  • Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism
    • Significant people and ideas
    • Ethical teachings in the religious tradition about bioethics or environmental ethics or sexual ethics
    • Significant practices in the life of adherents.
  • Religion and Peace (2U only)

Studies in Catholic Thought

Studies in Catholic Thought  ( 1U) requires students to complete three core modules in Year 11 and another three core modules in Year 12.

Studies in Catholic Thought is structured around the study of two themes central to the Catholic tradition; Who is a human person? and The Good Life.

It is through the exploration of these themes that students come to a deeper understanding of the richness of Catholic belief, thinking and tradition.

In the Year 11 course, students will begin by developing an understanding of humanhood and personhood as understood by the Catholic tradition that is, and appreciate that every human is a person. The human person is a foundational concept of the Catholic Church, founded in Scripture and informed by theology, philosophy and science.

Throughout the Year 12 course, students will explore and develop an understanding of how a moral and ethical life naturally flows from the Catholic Church’s understanding of what it is to be human.

The Good Life begins with students developing an understanding of humanity’s place in creation, the idea of freedom and opening the concept of an ordered creation and the introduction of sin through biblical examples.

Drawing on this knowledge, students will explore the key ethical understandings that underpin the Catholic approach to living a good life, beginning with philosophy and the works of the great thinkers in the Catholic tradition.

Over the course of the 2 years, students in 1U will study the following topics:

  • The Human Person
  • The Trinitarian God
  • Re-imaging Creation
  • Virtue, Vice and Salvation
  • The Good Works
  • The Good Life