OUR PHILOSOPHY
Since we are the children of God, made in God’s image and likeness, and since we recognize the fullness of God’s revelation in Jesus, we consider as the most basic of our tasks the evangelization of our students – calling them with the Good News of Jesus, urging them to understand its meaning, and inviting them to grow in faith according to its message.
Therefore, we try to ensure that our students know and understand the specifics of Christian belief within the Catholic tradition and that they are provided with ample opportunities to respond to what is being taught. Our students are shown that the challenge of Christian Baptism leads to full human development as God intended and as personified in the life and teachings of Jesus. Thus, we urge them to grow toward genuine Christian adulthood.
OUR CURRICULUM
The Religion curriculum at Central Catholic High School has been established by the Diocese of Pittsburgh to provide a complete and structured catechetical approach to learning. Thus:
• In our Freshman Year the focus is on understanding Christian belief as it has been passed on in the Catholic tradition. Catholic doctrine, the sacraments, the liturgy, prayer are studied. Readings from approved texts are regularly assigned; the study of Scripture is required. Two Quarters of the Freshman year are spent in an intensive study of the Old Testament.
• The Sophomore Year looks at Jesus of Nazareth, his Gospel message and the life of faith which he preached. Time is also spent on the creation of the New Testament: the four Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the other canonical writings. The development of the early church communities is studied.
• Junior Year focuses on developing a Catholic Christian understanding of morality and moral behavior. The first semester looks at conscience formation, moral principles, moral decision-making skills, and varied personal moral decisions. The second semester considers the establishment of a just world community based upon the Gospel message of Jesus.
• Senior year addresses the future and the life our students will be living in an increasingly complex and diverse world. How do we apply the Gospel to our relationships, our family life, our work, our environment? Further, in our world community, it is morally imperative that we make every effort to understand other people and their beliefs. Hence, a fair amount of time is spent in the study of the belief systems of other religious traditions.