Rachel McCauley
Middle School Religion Teacher
Email: rmccauley@saintbenedictschool.org
St. Benedict School recognizes its serious obligation to pass on to students the Catholic faith as transmitted by the Church’s Magisterium. This formation is primarily intellectual, teaching the truths of the Catholic faith with an eye toward their inner reasonableness and beauty. Middle schoolers study the Faith and Life series textbooks published by Ignatius Press, in addition to the Bible and appropriate Church documents.
6th grade religion studies the nature of the moral law as it is most perfectly expressed in the 10 Commandments and Beatitudes. We then examine the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary and its re-presentation in the Mass, and end the year with a discussion of the Last Things – Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. Passages from Scripture which emphasize the week’s lesson will also frequently be read in class in order familiarize students with the Bible.
7th grade religion studies God’s Revelation through creation, Scripture, and its culmination in the person of Jesus Christ. The focus then moves to the founding of Christ’s Church and an examination of the life of grace, particularly the sacraments. Passages from Scripture which emphasize the week’s lesson will also frequently be read in class in order familiarize students with the Bible.
8th grade religion focuses on the nature of the Church that Christ founded, the life of the Christian in the world, and the means to attain holiness. A significant portion of the year is also devoted to instructing students on the proper way to study and interpret the Bible in the Catholic Tradition according to the Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum.