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The thirteenth book in the series Catholic Studies for Senior Secondary Students spans the last two years of secondary education or high school, pre-university levels in Australia and many other countries. Most of the content is also appropriate for adult education. Every chapter is cross-referenced with the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is meant to be used with this text.

Themes selected by a working committee were prepared by invited writers, with the needs of students aged between 16 and 18 in view. At this stage, Christian apologetics is urgently needed, hence a “meat and vegetables” approach to the Christian “basics” in the first three chapters: God, Jesus the Christ, and The Human Person. In chapter 4, How Should we Live?, some themes in Catholic Ethical Thinking for Senior Secondary Students, reappear in a compact way. The chapter concludes with ultimate accountability beyond death – heaven, hell and purgatory.

Chapter 5, Vocation and Life, combines a Christian philosophy of life itself as “vocation”, with the specific vocations: marriage, single life, religious life, priesthood etc. A surprising section is on the heroic vocation of the martyrs, using the White Rose student resistance movement in war-time Munich as an example. This book includes the Appendix found in the text on ethics, When a Catholic Marries, describing the requirements and procedures for a valid sacramental marriage.

After trialling and following a proven curriculum, it was thought best to reserve Catholics and Ecumenism, chapter 7 , and Catholics and World Religions, chapter 8, to these final high school levels. At this stage, teachers can expect a more mature understanding of these complex topics, which are proposed in the light of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and current directives and guidelines.

The Arts and Religion, chapter 9, includes some unusual material with the vivid use of art that characterizes all these texts. Science and Religion, chapter 10, reminds religious educators that many students to live their faith in the world of science and technology. The positive Catholic attitude to science is reinforced, and the theory of evolution is presented with “intelligent design” to provoke discussion and reflection. A useful web link for the science and religion conversation is www.faith.org.uk

Chapter 11 on the Scriptures is for students who do not take courses specifically devoted to Scriptural study. It counteracts fundamentalism, which students will encounter at university, and affirms the Church’s understanding of God’s Word.

The extensive chapter on spirituality explores various classical ways of praying in the Catholic tradition. This leads into the final chapter, on the Eucharist. In a spiritual way the chapter seeks to confront a reality – that the test of Catholic commitment beyond school years will be regular worship at Mass and an ordered sacramental life. World Youth Day in Sydney 2008 is suggested within the encouraging perspective of Pope Benedict’s call to young people, to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Bishop Peter Elliott, General Editor

A Tour through the Chapters of Catholic Studies

1. It seemed obvious to begin Catholic Studies with a chapter on God, and the author skilfully balanced classical Catholic understandings of God derived from natural and supernatural revelation, with the interests and issues students raise. There is an underlying theme of apologetics and the Trinity is presented as the author rightly insisted.
2. The second chapter Jesus the Christ covers key areas of Christology: Incarnation, Redemption and Resurrection, with an emphasis on the first and the third themes because of obvious issues in apologetics at this level. Young people ask: Was he really divine? Was he fully human? Did he really rise from the dead? But this is integrated with catechesis, a call to faith, honouring what our existing catechetical traditions maintain, putting the key question: what does Jesus Christ mean to me?
3. The Second Vatican Council taught that we understand who we are in the light of Jesus Christ. The third chapter deals with the nature of the human person, Christian anthropology. Obviously it is similar to material in Catholic Ethical Thinking for Senior Secondary Students (KWL 2004), but moves in a spiritual direction, the human need for God, anticipating a later chapter on spirituality.
4. An even stronger influence of the parallel text Catholic Ethical Thinking is evident in chapter 4, How should we live. There are three stages in this chapter: conscience and morality, social ethics and justice and finally moral accountability. The last section is where the book presents eschatology, what lies beyond death, the “last things”, directly related to the question of how we live in this world. This is probably the best way to introduce serious reflection about the ultimate destiny of the human person and the reality and meaning of purgatory, hell and heaven.
5. Vocation and Life, chapter 5, invites students in their late teens to reflect on the meaning of human existence, the purpose of each life, my life. It is a more mature presentation of a unit that used to be part of the year 10 book, obviously more appropriate towards the end of secondary education. Marriage, religious life, single life, priesthood are all presented in the Christian perspective of the divine call that gives meaning and purpose in life, a direct challenge to post-modern nihilism. A surprise section on the heroic vocation, martyrdom, is presented in the light of the “White Rose” circle of university students who were executed in Munich for resisting Hitler during the Second World War. A film has recently been released about the last days of Sophie Scholl, one of these heroic students.
6. Being Catholic Today is a broad chapter presenting a series of details, vignettes and experiences taken from the lives of Catholics in Australia, similar to material in earlier levels but more focussed on adult commitment. A wide range of people make up our community, and again the theme of heroic witness and martyrdom is included in the example of Sr. Irene Mc Cormack, murdered by Communist guerrillas in Peru in 1991. We seek to set up ideals for young Catholics. While the cultural context is Australian, the chapter should have a wider appeal beyond this culture.
7. A chapter on ecumenism fills in an obvious gap in the series, To Know Worship and Love, for this essential post-Vatican II theme is not covered in the earlier books. The reason ecumenism has not been included until this book is obvious. The student needs a good background of Catholic faith and a level of maturity to understand the vision, policy and practice of our relations and cooperation with other Christians. This is why the chapter was postponed to the last years of To Know, Worship and Love and the author wisely began the chapter by defining what a Catholic is, thus providing a sound starting point for ecumenism.
8. The same applies to the eighth chapter, on comparative religion, which was lifted out of the first Melbourne edition of the Year 10 book, hence included here in a form appropriate for a more mature age level. The latest Church documents on inter-Faith relations and a certain emphasis on Islam make this chapter timely and useful – as long as it does not monopolise a curriculum.
9. The Arts and Religion, as one would expect is the most visually challenging of the units of study in the book. It includes many surprises and should evoke much interest and provoke creative teaching and learning. One of the dimensions of God that we see unfolding in the era of Benedict XVI is beauty, a constant theme in St Augustine’s heritage, so dear to the heart of our Pope.
10. Science and Religion, counteracts a lingering assumption that often hampers religious education at the high school level, ie. that all our students are studying humanities. That is as naïve as imagining that most of them will not be capitalists when they enter a free-market society! The chapter is written in an open way to provoke research and debate, and to eliminate the mischievous myth about “conflict” between the Church and science. The current evolutionary issue of “Intelligent design” is included, but carefully, to provoke discussion and at least indicate that Darwinian evolutionary theory ought to be open to development, questioning and review. A useful English website is indicated: www.faith.org.uk
11. The chapter on the Scriptures may be seen as a revision of work already done over the past 12 years, by students who have used these texts since Kindergarten (the first three books in To Know, Worship and Love are based on The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd). This chapter is meant for those who do not take up technical scriptural studies. A critique of fundamentalism is included in a Catholic perspective, however, the approach to Scripture in Catholic Studies does not veer too far in the opposite, hyper-critical direction, as may be seen in the second chapter of the book on Jesus the Christ. Two significant sections are devoted to women of valour in the Old and New Testaments, with emphasis on the Blessed Virgin Mary, as in all the texts of the series To Know, Worship and Love.
12. Spirituality was always going to be an important theme in the final book of To Know, Worship and Love. As young people seek “a spirituality”, as growing movements in the Church and gatherings such as World Youth Day seek to meet their spiritual hungers, it is essential to emphasise classical Catholic spiritualities and prayer in contemporary high school religious education. Chapter 12 thus offers many starting points for prayer, meditation, reflection. It has been written by an experienced spiritual director to be open, to initiate rather than to close. I believe it offers much.
13. One surprise is how Catholic Studies ends, not with a chapter on eschatology (covered in chapter 4) but with a final chapter on the Eucharist. When we think about it, this is most appropriate and for many reasons. It will be through the Eucharist or apart from the Eucharist that each student will work out his or her Catholic identity in adulthood. The approach taken is somewhat original, a blend of doctrine, liturgy, life and spirituality. The chapter also points towards World Youth Day, Sydney 2008, in a striking collage of Benedict XVI on page 257.

The appendix When a Catholic Marries appeared in Catholic Ethical Thinking for Senior Secondary Students. It was repeated in the second senior high school book not only because it relates to the chapter on vocation, but also to provide guidance about entering a valid sacramental marriage. For this reason, priests have already welcomed this material. Teachers should ensure students read and discuss the pastoral concerns of the Church in this area, ie. what lies behind the rules. We hope this appendix will be something students can refer to in the years beyond school, which also underlines the need for this resource to be a personally owned text that will be there at home in the years ahead.

Parallel Resources

Like any school text, Catholic Studies does not work on its own. I am not going to enter how it works dynamically in the teaching situation; that is a matter for teachers and religious education coordinators. I will only emphasise how it depends on two concrete resources, which every student should have in hand – and own personally.

Obviously the Bible is required, as at all other levels of Catholic religious education where the Scriptures play a normal part in formation. As to the second resource, I recall some discussion in the early stages of this project as to whether the Catechism of the Catholic Church could be required in conjunction with the final books of To Know, Worship and Love. The question was raised: is it feasible to make the universal adult Catechism a companion resource or is this asking too much of students aged 16 to 18?

Fortunately the final editing of Catholic Studies coincided with the appearance of the simpler, more accessible and convenient mini-catechism, the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Therefore, each chapter of Catholic Studies is cross-referenced with the Compendium. This small, beautifully worded and well presented book should be in the hands of every senior Catholic high school student.

The chapters all include not only suggested work exercises, but websites and some key reference books. Naturally we welcome proposals for other resources, new websites, corrections etc. to include in the next edition of Catholic Studies.

How Catholic Studies was written

The Archdiocese of Melbourne has accomplished something virtually unknown elsewhere in the world. Writing and publishing a sophisticated series of catechetical texts is usually the work of a group of dioceses, an episcopal conference or a private publishing house. Since Cardinal George Pell initiated this project in 1997, the 13 texts of To Know, Worship and Love with teacher resource books etc. have been produced by James Goold House Publications, Melbourne, that is by an archdiocesan publishing house within the Vicariate for Religious Education. The Vicariate worked closely with the Melbourne Catholic Education Office, and later with the Catholic Education Office of the Archdiocese of Sydney and the Offices of other Australian dioceses whose Bishops elected to enter this major project and mandate the texts: Armidale, Lismore and Wollongong. But how was this final senior level text prepared?

A published report was submitted to Archbishop Denis Hart on upper secondary religious education was based on feedback from schools, “best practice” etc. This was prepared by a committee seeking to identify religious education needs for Years 11 and 12. This report guided what kind of books could best conclude the series To Know Worship and Love, drawing on what had been achieved yet breaking new ground. This report led to the publication of two distinct texts, not for each level, 11 and 12, but according to themes that cross both years and with a view to supporting students who chose options that relate to religious education in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), the pre-university standard required in the State of Victoria, Australia.

It is interesting to note that in various States of Australia students may choose religious studies courses as part of their pre-university education certificate. The “separation of Church and State”, while being part of our Constitution, is not interpreted in a rigidly ideological way. At both Federal and State levels, ample government funding is available for independent or “private” schools, which are mainly owned by the Church and other Churches, ecclesial communions and religious bodies.

First it was recognised that a text book on the Scriptures was not needed for the VCE option “Texts and Traditions”, because there are ample resources in this field. However, we responded to the request for a distinct and solid resource on Catholic ethics for those students who take a VCE option on ethics. In due course, Catholic Ethical Thinking for Senior Secondary Students appeared in late 2004. Although Dr. Kath Engebretson prepared this book with the VCE in mind, it has enjoyed a wider market beyond this State, in Australia and beyond. Moreover, it was written as the Archdiocese of Sydney joined the Archdiocese of Melbourne in a joint texts project that included the dioceses of Armidale, Lismore and Wollongong, in New South Wales. At the same time, a working committee of people from Melbourne and Sydney came together to define what essential themes should be included in the second book, envisaged as a “general text” for years 11 and 12, which finally appeared in mid 2006 as Catholic Studies for Senior Secondary Students.

The writing of Catholic Studies with editing and sub-editing took longer than any other volume in the series. I was the editor, with detailed textual editing in the capable hands of Sister Leonie Crotty of the Catholic Education Office, Sydney. Close collaboration between Melbourne and Sydney marked the writing, editing and production process. But what was most significant was the direct involvement of Cardinal George Pell and Archbishop Denis Hart. They examined drafts and made corrections and proposals, in detail. Their “ownership” of the final texts in the series To Know, Worship and Love is not merely notional or symbolic. Both these leaders of the Australian Catholic community are well-versed in the nuances, issues and trends of religious education, sharing a common vision of wanting to offer young Catholics the fullness and richness of our living tradition, in fidelity to the teaching Church.

The wide range of authors is evident, with their different interests and skills applied to specific chapters. As with the ethics book, their names do not appear on the specific chapter or chapters they prepared but they are introduced on the back cover of the book. There was much editing of the authors’ work, and all, including the editor, had to submit themselves to a process of independent editing. But the distinct nature of a senior secondary text for twenty-first century Australian Catholic students and their teachers requires that discipline and rigor. Effective educational methods, clear communication, good style, issues of semantics, humour etc. all had to incorporate in the editing process, no matter how reliable or rich the original draft was. It is a large book, and that meant putting limits on material.

At the same time, the art department led by Mary Ferlin set out, not only to surpass the visual quality of the existing senior text, Catholic Ethical Thinking for Senior Secondary Students, but to meet pedagogical needs and, in a more subtle way to evoke a spiritual response through art. It is obvious that the art and layout covers a wide range, with something for everyone, including some surprises and challenges, and we hope much pedagogical value.

While Catholic Studies, as planned, offers a wide spectrum of themes, this may confront and even intimidate some teachers, especially those who currently prefer to take a narrower course (requiring little faith commitment), for example devoting the whole year to “justice” or comparative religion. The task ahead is to rise above that kind of limited, soft option, approach and in each diocese and school to work out useful curricula to cover what this larger book provides and offers, bearing in mind the needs and creativity of each school and drawing on the best practice and experience of religious education teachers. We hope you find this substantial resource useful!