Religious Education for Catholic schools - year 12 syllabus

5 hours per week

History.

The Genesis story of creation.  God made the universe from nothing.  Adam and Eve, original sin.  How it applies to all men.  Unless we are baptised we cannot achieve eternal life.  Removed only by baptism.

Christ founded the Catholic Church.  No other founded by Christ, and thus all other religions contain error.

Evolution.  The difficulties with evolution.  Lack of evidence.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.  Slavery in Egypt. Moses and the occupation of the Holy Land.

The prophets. Invasions.  The disobedience of the Jews.  Idolatry.
The Life of Christ.

Mary's betrothal to Joseph.

Gabriel announces the coming of Christ.

Elizabeth and Zachary.

Bethlehem and the birth of Christ in the stable.

Simeon and Anna at the Temple.

Finding Jesus among the elders.

John baptises Jesus in the Jordan.

The first miracle at Cana.

The invitation to join the Kingdom.  The consequences of rejecting this invitation.

The transfiguration.  Moses and Elijah appear with Christ.  The disappearance of Elijah and Enoch.  

Christ introduces the Eucharist at the Last Supper and ordains bishops.

The tragedy of Judas.

Christ rises from the dead in a glorified body.  The characteristics of a glorified body.

Christ returns to Heaven, leaving his apostles to manage His Church.

The Holy Spirit descends upon Our Blessed Mother and the apostles.

Our Blessed Mother is assumed into Heaven.  The dormition.

Mary becomes Queen of Heaven.


The four last things.  

Personal judgement and the final judgement.  How they are different, and how sins are revealed to all.  At the end of life on earth we are not tested, but sentenced.

Description of Heaven.  How to get there.  What are the joys of Heaven? 

How many Catholics go there.  What is a glorified body?
  

Description of Purgatory.  What happens there.  Why it is necessary.  The pains of Purgatory.

What is Limbo?  Who goes there?  What is the state of the people in Limbo?

What is Hell?  Where is it?  Who goes there?  What are the pains of Hell?  

What is the state of the body in Hell?  

The angels.  Their test - the war between the followers of Michael and those of Lucifer.  Guardian angels.  Angels who have appeared on earth.

The demons.  What happened to them.  How they affect us.  Temptation.  Exorcism.

The malice of sin.  Why it requires Hell and Purgatory.  Mortal and venial sin.


The Sacraments.

What is a sacrament?  The sacraments were instituted by Christ for our benefit.  They cannot be altered.  Most administered by a priest or bishop.  Baptism and matrimony can be administered by laypeople.  Description of each sacrament.

The sacrament of Baptism.  What it does.  Who can perform it?  The effect on the soul.  Baptisms outside the Catholic Church.

The sacrament of Confirmation.  What it does.  Who can perform it?  The effect on the soul.  Who should receive it.

The sacrament of Eucharist.  What it does.  Who can perform it?  The effect on the soul.  Reverence, modesty in dress in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.  Receiving the Host while in mortal sin.  Easter 'duty'. The Mass is the re-presentation of the sacrifice of Calvary in reparation for sin.  Only a priest or bishop can offer the sacrifice of the Mass.  Only a man can be a priest.  The dangers of altar-girls.

The sacrament of Penance.  What it does.  Who can perform it?  The effect on the soul.  The great benefit to mankind.  The three rites and when each is appropriate.  Scrupulosity.  Bad confessions.  Receiving once a year.

The sacrament of Extreme Unction.  What it does.  Who can perform it?  The effect on the soul.  Why it is essential be be able to recognise priests in emergencies.

The sacrament of Holy Orders.  What it does.  Who can perform it?  The effect on the soul.  The necessity of the priesthood.  Why women cannot be priests.

The sacrament of Matrimony.  What it does.  Who can perform it?  The effect on the soul.  The circumstances where the Church permits this sacrament without the presence of a priest.


The Commandments.  

The commandments of the Church.  The code of Canon Law.  Papal documents.  Infallibility.  Submission of mind and will.  Examination of conscience.

The First Commandment.  Idolatry.  Money, food and ambition as gods.

The Second Commandment.  Blasphemy. The use of God's name as a curse.  TV and movies.  The seriousness of blasphemy.

The Third Commandment.  The seriousness of missing Mass on Sundays and Holy Days.  What are Holy Days?  

The Fourth Commandment.  Obligations of children to parents.  Support of elderly parents.  Obligations of parents to children.  Religious education.  Setting a good example.  

The Fifth Commandment.  The seriousness of murder.  The victim's lack of time for repentance.  Injury.  Anger and hate.  The sin of scandal (murder of souls).

The Sixth Commandment.  Sexual activity outside of a valid and licit marriage.  Divorce and remarriage always forbidden.  Modesty in dress and behaviour.  Contraception, abortion and unnatural practices such as sodomy.

The Seventh Commandment.  Respect for the property of others.  The need for restitution following theft, and the application of restitution to other commandments.  Damaging property.  Graffiti.

The Eighth Commandment.  Deceiving others.  Gossip.  Exposing information about others that should remain secret.  

The Ninth Commandment.  Lusting after another.  Taking deliberate pleasure in the appearance of others.  Curiosity.

The Tenth Commandment.  Envy of others.  Intention to defraud or steal the goods of others.  Intention to harm the financial situation of another.


Catholic Practices.

Private revelation.  Who has authority. Obedience to lawful authority.  
Apparitions worthy of belief.  Discernment of demonic activity.

Exorcism.  Why it is needed.  Who performs exorcisms.  

Prayer.  The use of prayer to save souls from Hell and from Purgatory.  The Rosary. Divine Mercy.  Chaplet of St Michael.  Chaplet of the Holy Wounds.

Sacramentals.  The rosary, scapulars, Miraculous Medal.

Supporting our pastors.


Non-Catholic Religions.

Apologetics.  Answering militant religions.  Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and other minor religions.

Protestantism.  How it arose.  The disintegration of Protestant 
organisations.  The relaxation in morals.

Islam.  Sunni, Shia.  The Qur'an, sira, hadith.  The life of Muhammad.  

Buddhism.  Origin and beliefs.

Hinduism. Origin and beliefs.

Communism and Liberation Theology.  The evils caused by Communism.

Socialism and social justice.  Taxation as injustice.

Freemasonry.  Why it is forbidden to Catholics under pain of excommunication.

Forbidden books.  The Index.


Places and Private Revelation.

The house at Loreto.

The house at Ephesus.

Lourdes.

Fatima.

La Salette.


The Signs of the End.

Private revelation is worthy of belief, but not required belief.

War in Europe - Italy, France, England.

Three days of darkness.

More than two-thirds of mankind killed.

Recovery.  Thirty to thirty-five years of good harvests.

The Antichrist begins his reign.

No one can buy or sell without the mark of the beast.

The Antichrist reigns for three and a half years.

Enoch and Elijah return.

The Antichrist descends to Hell.

The General Judgement.

Eternity.  Heaven and Hell.

Mary, the Mother of God.

Early life.

Joachim and Anne.

The temple.

Betrothal fo Joseph.

The Annunciation.

Mary visits Elizabeth.  The Magnificat.

No room at the inn.  The sorrow of Joseph.

Presenting Jesus to His Father.

Searching for Jesus.  Finding Him in the temple.

The unjust judges sentence Her Son to death.

The journey to Calvary and the death of Her Son.

Turning water into wine.

Following Jesus on His travels.

The Resurrection and Ascension.

The Holy Spirit.

The Assumption into Heaven, and Coronation as Queen.

Apparitions on earth.


Saints, Martyrs, Fathers of the Church, Doctors of the Church.