Courage and Confidence since 1880

Religious Studies

As a Catholic school in the Sacred Heart tradition which seeks to discover and reveal God’s love in the heart of the world, the Religious Studies Department aims to empower students to recognize their deep, inherent dignity as people formed in God’s image and to inspire them to become lifelong explorers of the interior and exterior worlds of faith. Through careful study and reflection upon Hebrew and Christian scriptures and history, contemporary Church teaching and practices, and an exploration of major world religious traditions, each of our Religious Studies courses aims to form students who are religiously literate and who appreciate the many ways that deep faith commitments shape our lives in service to God and our world. Across the curricula, students engage art, scripture, history, and prayer to develop the skills of socio-historical inquiry, textual analysis, theological interpretation, and ethical inquiry into the implications of faith. Students explore the many ways that faith and religion inform their personal worldviews, our school community, and the wider social contexts of our nation and our world.

In grades eight through twelve, all students participate in a retreat program. This much loved tradition, planned by department faculty and facilitated by student leaders, provides an opportunity for personal reflection, spiritual development, and community-building. The ultimate goal of these retreats is for all students to deepen their personal relationship with God within the context of a community of faith and belonging.