The Theology courses offer an opportunity for students to master the doctrinal facts of the Catholic faith. As part of the ESLR requirements for graduation, all students take the Facts of our Faith Test during their freshman year and have opportunities to retake the test during subsequent years. Opportunities are also provided for students to learn doctrinal facts through computer software on the school's computer network. A minimum passing score of 70 on the Facts of Our Faith test is required before graduation. Each religion class also includes a component wherein students complete reflections on school and parish Mass experiences.


RELIGION STUDIES:

Introduction to Catholicism - Sacraments  9                               10 Credits

Recognizing the fact that a majority of first-year high school students come from a variety of schools, the grade nine Religion course will give the students a basic overview of Catholic teachings and Christian traditions. The first semester covers topics that will provide an introduction to the Catholic faith, the highlights of salvation history, the mystery of Jesus, the Church, the Scriptures, and the sacraments. This course will serve as a foundation for and introduction to the four-year religious studies program at St. Matthias High School. The second semester of this course focuses on the foundations of the Church and the response to God's grace as lived through participation in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Catholic Church.


The Old Testament - New Testiment 10                                            10 Credits

The student in the sophomore year will be led into a deeper understanding of the Scriptures as God's saving action is seen through His call. His formation and His abiding presence in the life struggles of the People of God as recounted in the Old Testament, in the second half of the course, students will explore, study, and apply the Gospel teachings of Jesus as depicted in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In addition, the study of the New Testament will include the spread of Christianity in the early Church and the Church today in the modem world. All sophomores complete a paper on the Sacrament of Confirmation as outlined in the ESLR descriptors.


Christian Morality - Catholic Social Teaching 11                                 10 Credits

The first semester of junior year is a person-centered approach to morality as a total way of life. It aims to help students to develop Christian attitudes in their relationships to themselves, others and God. The course will lead the students to an understanding of morality as a positive response to a loving God who is Creator, Redeemer, and friend. The second semester will concentrate on living the gospel message of justice and peace. The Christian's response to current social problems like poverty, hunger, war, discrimination, sexism, and the destruction of the environment will be examined in depth.


World Religions - Christian Lifestyles  12                                          10 Credits

The first semester of senior religion gives the basic dimensions of the world's major religions, the people who adhere to these religions, and the answers each religion offers to life's major questions. This course includes each of the eleven major world religions, plus chapters on primal religions traditions and religions of ancient Iran, Greece, and Rome. Also, the seniors will be able to explore the Aztec religion of Mesopotamia. In the second semester, the goal of the Christian Lifestyles class is to strengthen the students' commitment to living a full Catholic Christian life in the various arenas of adult life: home, school, work, play, government, and society in general. Students will examine the lifestyle options of the single life, consecrated religious life, and married life. Because the importance of the sacrament of marriage, the course content emphasizes marriage: communication, nurturing, loving, selecting a spouse, the essentials of a Christian marriage, the sacrament of marriage, making a marriage work, growing in marriage, parenting, and the proper expression of sexuality. The fourth quarter will be devoted to current issues on Catholic life.


Campus Ministry  9, 1O, 11, 12                                                        10 Credits

Prerequisite: Approval by Campus Minister
The course meeting times are published each semester-they include some before school, after school, and lunchtime. The students in this course will be led into a deeper understanding of their faith and Church practices. The course is geared for students who want to explore their own prayer life, spiritual life, and life in ministry. It will give the student opportunities to share their faith with other members of the school community, as well as to outreach to other communities. Leadership training, lector training, Eucharistic Minister training, study of the liturgy, preparation and participation in school liturgies and prayer experiences, retreats, mission collection, and participation in community outreach programs are all part of this course.