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Archdiocese of Pretoria and 
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION RESOURCES

 

Aspects of Catholic education and Catholic belief and practice
Explanatory pamphlets for parents, staff and board members of Catholic schools
Produced by the Ethos Committee of the Catholic Schools Board
1. The History and Rationale of Catholic Schools

 download

2. The Distinctive Character of a Catholic School: Expectations of Teachers

 download

3. Religious Education in Catholic Schools

 download

4. Ethos and Pastoral Care

 download

5. The Mass: an explanation for those who are not Catholics

 download

6. The Eucharist: may anyone receive Communion?

 download

7. Sacramentals: candles, holy water, statues, incense, vestments, etc

 download

8. Catholics and Mary

 download

9. Saints: why Catholics have a devotion to the saints

 download

10. Gospel Values

 download

11. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

 download

12. Governance of Catholic Schools

 download

13. Education in South Africa: Our Context

 download

14. The Catholic Education Network in South Africa

 download


CATEGORIES - RE RESOURCES

This page contains links to websites useful to RE teachers. Clicking on an underlined title will take you the section with the links. 

Catechisms

Catholic News

Catholic Social Teaching

Church Documents

Workshops for RE Teachers

Courses for RE Teachers

Environment and Green Issues

General Catholic Sites

Lesson Resources

Liturgical Calendar and Daily Lectionary Readings

Prayers

Religious Orders

Saints

Scripture

Sexual Ethics

Theological Questions

Tough Issues

Miscellaneous

The Catholic Schools Office is obviously not responsible for the contents of other websites, and the contents of websites linked here do not necessarily represent the full views of the Catholic Schools Office. 

 

catechisms

 


Catechism of the Catholic Church


The Baltimore Catechism Parts 1 to 3

The Baltimore Catechism Part 4

Written for the Catholic minority in America in the 1880s and revised in 1941, the Baltimore Catechism devotes much of its subject matter to defending Catholic truth and countering Protestant “falsehoods”.
These Catechisms are intended to furnish a complete course of religious instruction, when, used as follows:
No. 1 for First Communion classes
No. 2 for Confirmation classes
No. 3 for two years´ course for Post-Confirmation classes
No. 4 for Teachers and Teachers´ Training classes


The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)

The unofficial Catholic Encyclopedia has many articles on Catholic beliefs, practices, saints, and organisations. The preface declares, "The Catholic Encyclopedia gives full and authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic history, interests, action and doctrine. What the Church teaches and has taught; what she has done and is still doing for the highest welfare of humankind; her methods, past and present; her struggles, her triumphs, and the achievements of her members -- all come within the scope of the Catholic Encyclopedia."

 

catholic news

 


Zenit
ZENIT is an International News Agency. It provides coverage of events, documents and issues emanating from or concerning the Catholic Church. Coverage includes activities of Benedict XVI, such as his travels, documents and audiences; the Vatican , including diplomatic activity, humanitarian efforts, and profiles of Church leaders; interviews with and features about leading lay Catholics, including researchers, politicians, writers and entertainers. ZENIT offers daily news dispatches by e-mail.


Catholic World News
Catholic World News is an independent Catholic news service staffed by lay Catholic journalists, dedicated to providing accurate world news, written from a Catholic perspective

 

Catholic News Service
CNS reports news about the involvement of the Church in the world today. CNS, serving since 1920 as a news agency specialising in reporting religion, is the primary source of national and world news that appears in the US Catholic press. It is also a leading source of news for Catholic print and broadcast media throughout the world. Almost every English-language Catholic newspaper in the world uses CNS. The approximately 170 US Catholic newspapers and broadcasters and the more than 70 other news organisations in some 60 countries that rely on CNS touch the lives of more than 8 million throughout the world. Vatican Radio, which broadcasts news around the globe in more than 30 languages, is among the users of the CNS daily news report

 

 

 

catholic social teaching

  


Catholic Social Teaching Resources

Catholic social teaching resources compiled by the Office for Social Justice of the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis. This link includes: social teaching documents; notable quotations; major themes; 25 questions; reading list; teacher's toolbox; and web links.

Powerpoint presentation on Catholic Social Teaching: A Key to Catholic Identity from the Office for Social Justice of the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis. Click here to download.

Catholic Social Thought
Online Resources compiled by Professor Joseph Incandela of St Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana , USA . Includes information on the Catholic Church, The Bible, and specific ethical issues such as birth control, conscience and dissent, abortion, reproductive technologies, euthanasia, and women in the Church.

Center of Concern: Education for Justice
Offers downloadable educational materials related to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching: fact sheets, reflections, prayers, annotated links, and interactive materials. It  also provides a calendar, lectionary reflections, prayer services and much more.

Resources for Catholic Educators: Social Justice and Peace
Links to many Catholic Social Teaching sites.

Parish without Borders: Social Justice Teaching Aids
A network of Catholic communities joined in mission and outreach.

Non-Violence Education

Conflict resolution in the clasroom, Games, Non-violent teaching practice

Overcoming Violence
A World Council of Churches campaign that addresses political and domestic violence against women and children. Violence in the family, sexual violence, violence against women and children in war areas, children's work and discriminatory laws.
Liturgical material, Bible studies and reflections as well as books, films, articles and exhibits to be used for campaign-related worship and other activities.

 


 

church documents

  


The Code of Canon Law (1983)
The Code of Canon Law is the official compendium of the primary rules and regulations of the Catholic Church.


Documents of the Second Vatican Council

Encyclicals and other church documents
This library includes a complete set of encyclicals and other documents, letters and articles from many renowned authors that concern almost every facet of Catholicism

 

 

workshops for RE teachers

  


Spirituality for RE Teachers 
Talk at workshop for RE Co-ordinators, 18 June 2009 Mayfair Mercy Convent School by Fr Chris Chatteris SJ
download

Workshops for RE Coordinators and Teachers
Paul Faller presented to RE Coordinators and Teachers two workshops with the titles: A Trinitarian Image (28 Jan 2010) and Praying in Color (18 feb 2010). Select the following links to download the workshop material.
1
) A Trinitarian Image

2) Praying in Color and its Summary

 

 

 

courses for RE teachers

  


Certificate and Degree Courses for RE teachers

St Augustine College

Information for Prospective Students - 2011

Advanced Certificate in Education (Religious & Values Education) 2011 Brochure

Bachelor of Education (Honours) Religious & Values Education 2011 Brochure

 

Catholic Bible College - Courses 2010

Exploring Prayer Brochure
Creation Brochure
The Jewish root of the sacraments Brochure

 

 

 

 

environment and green issues

  


Enviropaedia
- A-Z of Environmental Topics - short factual explanations. 
-
Major environmental challenges – broad overview perspectives
- Controversial Issues - exploring conflicting values and viewpoints
- Sustainable Development - how do we achieve it?
- Database of environmental and other organisations involved in sustainable development

 

Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation which uses peaceful direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental problems, and to force solutions for a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace's goal is to ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity.

 

 

 

 

general catholic sites

  


Catholic Educator’s Resource Center
Apologetics, Arts and Literature, Catholic Education, Culture and Civilization, Facts and Misconceptions, History, Catholic Stories, Politics and Government, Religion and Ethics, Science, Abortion, Environment, Euthanasia, Feminism, Homosexuality, Marriage and Family, Media, Medical Ethics, Multiculturalism, Parenting, Persecution of Christians, Population Control, Sexuality, Social Justice


Domestic Church
Intended for Catholic families, but many of these useful and practical ideas can be used in the RE classroom

Catholic Answers
A major apologetics site. Contains a large number of pamphlet style questions and answers about the Faith

Catholic Biblical Apologetics
A set of lecture notes used since 1985 to teach the basis for key doctrines and dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church

 

 

 

lesson resources

  


Online Teaching & learning initiative - Cath. Education Office, Melbourne

Lesson Plans and Tools for RE

Catholic Educators News

Catholic Education Resource Centre - Canada

RE Resources and Lesson Plans

Catholic Education Service UK Resources

Catholic Mom

 

 

 

liturgical calendar /daily lectionary readings

 

The Tablet Liturgical Calendar
The website of the 's eminent Catholic magazine, The Tablet, provides a liturgical calendar which gives every feastday and feria, Sunday of the Year and solemnity for the whole year.

Catholic Culture Calendar

Interfaith Calendar
Primary sacred
times for world religions.

Reflections on daily readings
Daily reflections on the lectionary readings, as well as a link to the text (from the New American Bible) of the readings. From Creighton University , a Catholic Jesuit University in Omaha , Nebraska , USA founded in 1878.

Universalis
Mass readings of the current day.

Daily Mass readings provided by the US Bishops' Conference
Uses the text of the New American Bible.

 

 

 

prayers

 


Daily Prayer in the Classroom
Composed and supplied by the Parramatta Diocese Catholic Education Office, Australia

Liturgy of the Hours
Liturgy of the Hours prayers in Adobe Acrobat formats. For prayer groups there are small booklets with Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer or the Office of Readings. For personal use there are formats that display on PCs and mobile devices, plus a large booklet with all the daily prayers.

Praying Each Day
A prayer and education site of the De La Salle Brothers in Great Britain
Reflections and Prayers for each day of the year

 

 

 

 

religious orders

 

 

Dominicans International

Dominican Brethren South Africa

Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux
International - has a page on the South African province

Marist Brothers International

Marist Schools South Africa  

Mercy International Association
Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy (Ireland)
The Sisters of Mercy in South Africa belong to this congregation

Sisters of Mercy South Africa

 

 

 

saints

 


African Saints

Saints proclaimed during the pontificate of John Paul II

Recent blesseds

The Communion of Saints
Teaching of the Church from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Catholic Online: Saints and Angels

Èditions Magnificat

Short illustrated biographies of a saint for each day of the year

Catholic Pages: Saints

Domestic-Church Saint Profiles
Dozens of profiles of saints and activities written for young, middle and older children.

Catholic Saints & Martyrs
Biographies for several Saints

Patron Saints Index
Hundreds of places, conditions, occupations and other topics with patron saints. Each topic has biographical data and prayers

Saints Alive
Images of Relics from around the world. Some lists of saints and beati and their areas of patronage.

Société des Bollandistes
Site of the priests who research the historical record to determine what can be proved about the lives of Saints.

 

Online Books & Files

Church History in the Light of the Saints
by Joseph A. Dunney (1945)

Saints For Sinners
Archbishop Goodier, in extremely readable and inspiring style, has brought the lives of nine unusual saints into remarkably clear focus.

 

 

 

scripture

 


Scripture Catholic
Scriptural evidence for the teachings of the Catholic Church. Includes links to other Catholic sites.

Catholic Teachings on Scripture
The website of the Diocese of Saskatoon. What the Church teaches about the Bible.

Bible Activity Worksheets
Many worksheets for both the Old and New Testaments

MSSS Crafts
A directory of children's  Sabbath School and Sunday School resources and crafts.  Here you will find free crafts and ideas for over one hundred Bible stories as well as other activities for devotions and Bible classes. (Not a Catholic site)

 

Children's Sunday School Teacher's Online Resources
Links to useful crafts, pictures and other resources on many Bible stories and topics

 


 

sexual ethics

  


Contraception and Catholic Sexual Ethics

Roman Catholic Sexual Ethics: A Dissenting View
by Charles E. Curran
Ordained in Rome in 1958 for the Diocese of Rochester, New York, Curran first came to prominence in 1968 when he, along with a group of some 600 Catholic theologians, authored a response to Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI's encyclical affirming the traditional ban on artificial contraception. Curran continued to question the Church's authoritative teaching in various moral issues, including premarital sex, masturbation, contraception, abortion, homosexual acts, divorce, euthanasia, and in vitro fertilization throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Curran was removed from the faculty of The Catholic University of America in 1986 as a dissident who unapologetically maintained the right to dissent from official Church teachings which had not been issued as ex cathedra statements. Since then, Curran has taken a full tenured professorship at the Southern Methodist University, and has published personal accounts about his experience with the Catholic Church, and his viewpoint on the actions of Church authorities.


Natural Family Planning

by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of the Archdiocese of St Louis

 

 

 

theological questions

  


Is Hell Closed Up and Boarded Over?
by the Rev. David Watt, a priest of the Archdiocese of Perth in Australia . He holds a doctorate in philosophy from Cambridge University ( England ) and a licentiate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome .

 

Do Many Go To Hell?
by John Young, B.Th., who is associated with The Cardinal Newman Catechist Centre in Merrylands, N.S.W., Australia.

 

Purgatory: An Essential Roman Catholic Doctrine
by James McCarthy

 

Do Catholics Believe In Purgatory?
by Father William P. Saunders, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls and former dean of the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College

 

Does Purgatory Exist?
Article from the Real Truth, magazine of the Restored Church of God.

 

 

 

tough issues

 


Umbert the Unborn
A child-friendly site about abortion, introducing Umbert, the world's most lovable unborn baby


Holy Communion for Divorced and Re-married Catholics?

by Cardinal Jorge A. Medina Estevez, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

 


 

miscellaneous

 


Harry Potter and the Paganization of Children’s Culture

 

Vocations PowerPoint
Produced by the KZN Vocations Team. Suitable for a class lesson. Challenging and inspiring.

 

 

 

 

 

 
     
 


CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PRETORIA AND THE ARCHDIOCESE OF JOHANNESBURG

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