Identity and Faith

Religious Education

The vision of Religious Education at St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace is centred on our College motto, Servire Deo Sapere: ‘To Serve God is to be Wise’. Our College motto articulates our commitment to the formation and education of ‘young men who will make a difference through service of God, the community and each other’ (College Mission Statement). This vision is congruent with the teaching of Religion through the Brisbane Catholic Education’s (BCE) Religion Curriculum P – 12 and Religious Life of the School (RLOS) which aims to:

‘… educate and form students who are challenged to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and who are literate in the Catholic and broader Christian tradition so that they might participate critically and authentically in faith contexts and wider society.'

(Religious Education, Archdiocese of Brisbane, 2013)

St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace is guided by the compass of our College crest that features the three symbols of the Celtic Cross, the Star and the Book of Learning. These each represent knowledge, humility and wisdom respectively. Hence, through formal Religious Education and in all aspects of College life, we seek to foster the growth and development of young men who demonstrate knowledge of College values, expectations and traditions through action and example; humility in modelling respect for difference, leadership through service and responsibility for actions; wisdom in aspiring to excellence and engaging wholeheartedly in the life and mission of the College.

Terrace shares and promotes the Vision for Religious Education articulated by Brisbane Catholic Education and the wider Church. This vision includes the two dimensions of formation – namely, of students’ religious literacy and their personal faith:

We aspire to educate and form students who are challenged to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and who are literate in the Catholic and broader Christian tradition so that they might participate critically and authentically in faith contexts and wider society.

As a Catholic Christian community, we educate all to live the gospel of Jesus Christ as successful, creative, and confident, active and informed learners empowered to shape and enrich our world.

(Brisbane Catholic Education Learning and Teaching Framework (2012): goal for learning and teaching)

The Vision for Religious Education challenges students to stand in solidarity with those on the margins and to be advocates for change by being a religious voice in the world.

Religious Education at Terrace seeks to develop the religious literacy of students in light of the Catholic Christian tradition, so that they might participate critically and authentically in society. As underpinned by the Archdiocese of Brisbane’s Vision for Religious Education, all units of work aim to integrate the two dimensions of religious education, so that religious literacy and faith formation can complement each other, allowing students to explore their own faith identity.

As a Religious Institute and Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) school, all planning and delivery of the Religious Education program of Terrace occurs through the application of the Religious Education, Archdiocese of Brisbane and the Charter for Catholic Schools in the Edmund Rice Tradition.