Expressions of Catholic Life
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Expressions of Catholic Life LEARNING STRAND: THEOLOGY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND 10H TEACHER GUIDE THE LOGO The logo is an attempt to express Faith as an inward and outward journey. This faith journey takes us into our own hearts, into the heart of the world and into the heart of Christ who is God’s love revealed. In Christ, God transforms our lives. We can respond to his love for us by reaching out and loving one another. The circle represents our world. White, the colour of light, represents God. Red is for the suffering of Christ. Red also represents the Holy Spirit. Yellow represents the risen Christ. The direction of the lines is inwards except for the cross, which stretches outwards. Our lives are embedded in and dependent upon our environment (green and blue) and our cultures (patterns and textures). Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, is represented by the blue and white pattern. The blue also represents the Pacific… Annette Hanrahan RSCJ Cover: View of Basilica di San Pietro at night, Vatican City in Rome, Italy. BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM UNDERSTANDING FAITH YEAR 10 This book is the Teacher Guide to the following topic in the UNDERSTANDING FAITH series 10H EXPRESSIONS OF CATHOLIC LIFE TEACHER GUIDE © Copyright 2003 by National Centre for Religious Studies No part of this document may be reproduced in any way, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, without prior permission of the publishers. Imprimatur: † Leonard Boyle DD Bishop of Dunedin Episcopal Deputy for Religious Studies October 2002 Authorised by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference Published by: National Centre for Religious Studies Catholic Centre P O Box 1937 Wellington New Zealand Printed by: Printlink 33–43 Jackson Street Petone Private Bag 39996 Wellington Mail Centre New Zealand Māori terms are italicised in the text. The first time a Māori term occurs its English meaning appears in brackets after it. A Māori glossary at the back of the book gives a more detailed explanation of these terms and provides a guide for their pronunciation. CONTENTS Introduction to the Topic .............................................................................. 2 Part One: Being Catholic ...................................................................... 28 Part Two: The Parish ............................................................................ 37 Part Three: The Diocese .......................................................................... 43 Part Four: Mission ................................................................................. 55 Part Five: The Worldwide Church ........................................................ 60 Part Six: Inside the Vatican ................................................................ 77 Part Seven: The Eastern Catholic Churches ......................................... 87 Part Eight: Religious Orders and Congregations ................................ 91 Glossary of General Terms ....................................................................... 101 Glossary of Māori Terms ........................................................................... 109 Acknowledgements ................................................................................... 112 1 TOPIC 10H: EXPRESSIONS OF CATHOLIC LIFE LEARNING STRAND: THEOLOGY INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC This book contains the teacher material for Topic 10H “Expressions of Catholic Life” which forms the Theology Strand of the Understanding Faith programme at year ten. The study of topics in the Theology Strand is intended to raise students’ awareness of theology as ‘faith seeking understanding’, an effort to use human reason to understand and interpret better God’s revelation. This teacher material should be read alongside the following: • The Religious Education Curriculum Statement for Catholic Secondary Schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. • The student resource book for 10H “Expressions of Catholic Life”. • The student write-on activities for 10H “Expressions of Catholic Life in the year ten student workbook. • The supplementary material and activities on the website. This topic examines some of the identifying features of Catholicism. It involves students in a study of the nature and work of the Catholic Church and looks at characteristic ways in which it expresses itself both locally and universally, in Aotearoa and beyond. The topic begins by exploring what it means to be a member of the Catholic Church and by looking at how Catholic identity expresses itself at the local level – in homes, schools, parishes and dioceses. Students will also consider ways in which missionary activity links the local Church with the Church in other parts of the world and gain some awareness of changing patterns in the growth and distribution of the world’s Catholic population. The unity of the worldwide Church is symbolised and maintained through the ministry of the pope and the bishops of the world who are in communion with him. Students will study the role of the pope and the various bodies in the Vatican who assist him in the government of the Church. They will also learn something about the life of Pope John Paul II – a figure who has had a huge impact on the life of the Church and the world in the last quarter of the twentieth century and into the new millennium. 2 Catholics understand that unity does not mean uniformity. Students will learn that the Catholic Church includes various distinctive “rites” apart from the Roman Rite. Finally, students will explore the contribution that religious orders and congregations have made to the life of the Church over the centuries. Through their differing charisms and ways of life these numerous religious groups, and the individuals within them, have built up the unity of the Church while adding to the richness of its diversity. ACHIEVEMENT AIMS In this topic students will gain and apply knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to understand: 1. The identifying features of Catholicism. 2. How the nature and work of the Catholic Church shows itself in people’s lives at both the local and universal levels. 3. What it means to be a Catholic in today’s world. ACHIEVEMENT OBJECTIVES Students will be able to: 1. Develop an understanding of what it means to be a member of the Catholic Church and recognise ways in which people express their Catholic identity in their daily lives. 2. Develop an understanding of the significance of the local Church and explore key features of parish and diocesan life, including missionary links with the Church in other parts of the world. 3. Develop an understanding of the universal Church, the leadership of the pope and the bishops, and the various bodies that assist them in governing and serving the Church. 4. Recognise the place of rites, other than the Roman Rite, within the Catholic Church. 5. Recognise the contribution of religious orders and congregations to the life of the Church. CHURCH TEACHINGS AND LINKS WITH CHURCH DOCUMENTS Underpinning the five achievement objectives for the topic are important teachings of the Church. Where possible direct links with the Catechism of the Catholic Church have been established and quotations used to highlight the relationship between the various achievement objectives and the Church teachings that they embody. On occasions, other Church documents, including the Code of Canon Law are referred to and quoted. 3 In all cases the official translations of Church documents have been used, but where necessary changes have been made so that the language is gender inclusive. Achievement Objective 1 Students will be able to develop an understanding of what it means to be a member of the Catholic Church and recognise ways in which people express their Catholic identity in their daily lives. Church Teaching • Through Baptism, those who believe in Christ become members of the Body of which Christ is the head and form the Church – Te Whānau a Te Karaiti (the family of Christ). • The Catholic Church was established by Christ and is governed by the pope and the bishops in communion with him. • The Church has four characters or marks that are essential to its identity – the Church is one, tapu (holy), catholic and apostolic. • Catholics express their identity as Church when their homes and whānau (families) are communities of whakapono (faith), hope and aroha (love), characterised by prayer. Catechism and Church Document Links The Church Christ’s faithful are those who, since they are incorporated into Christ through baptism, are constituted the people of God. For this reason they participate in their own way in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ. They are called, each according to his or her particular condition, to exercise the mission which God entrusted to the Church to fulfil in the world. (Code of Canon Law 204 §1) This Church, established and ordered in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him. (Code of Canon Law 204 §2) One enters into the People of God by faith and Baptism. "All men and women are called to belong to the new People of God", so that, in Christ, "they may form one family and one People of God". (CCC 804) The Church is the Body of Christ. Through the Spirit and his action in the sacraments, above all the Eucharist, Christ, who once was dead and is now risen, establishes the community of believers as his own Body. (CCC 805) In the unity of this Body, there is a diversity of