Religion
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework is the foundation for the Religion courses taught in grades 9-12 in the schools of the Archdiocese of New York. The framework is a delineation of the essential elements of Catholic Christianity taught from the truth that Christ is the center of all we are and all we do.
Timeline
9th year
The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture
This course provides a general knowledge of Scripture, authored by God through inspiration, in which we encounter Jesus Christ, the living Word of God.
Who is Jesus Christ?
Students will explore the mystery of Jesus, the Incarnate Word and Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. In understanding Jesus as the ultimate Revelation of God, students learn who Christ calls them to be.
10th year
The Mission of Jesus Christ (The Paschal Mystery)
Christ’s mission to restore God’s plan for our eternal happiness is accomplished through the redemption won by His saving life, death and resurrection. Students come to understand that humanity shares in this redemption only in and through Christ.
Jesus Christ’s Mission Continues in the Church
This study highlights the sacred nature of the Church founded by Christ, entrusted to the apostles and sustained by the Holy Spirit. The Church is both human and divine, the living Body of Christ.
11th year
Sacraments as Privileged Encounters with Jesus Christ
We can encounter Christ today in a full and real way in and through the sacraments, especially the eucharist. Students will engage in a detailed study of the seven sacraments Christ has entrusted to the Church as the means to share in the divine life of the Trinity.
Life in Jesus Christ
True human flourishing is attained through understanding that we are all made in the image and likeness of God. Salvation history reveals how our lives are meant to be lived in accord with human nature as God intended. The statutes and precepts of the Old Covenant and the fullness of Revelation in the person of Christ will provide the moral framework for living as his disciples.
12th year
Scripture and Living as a Disciple of Christ in Society
Principles for understanding and interpreting sacred scripture will undergird an overview of the Bible, emphasizing the unity of the narrative for the divine plan for salvation from the first word of Genesis to the last word of the Book of Revelation. Emphasis will be placed on the Biblical roots of the social teaching of the Church as it appears in both the Old and New Testaments.
Christian Service
Christ instructs us in the Gospel of Matthew that the judgment of our lives will be based on the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The Letter of James later entreats us to be doers of the word not hearers only and instructs us that faith, of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Every student is called to put faith into action by placing their gifts and talents at the service of others and to care for the needs of the poor through prayer and alms-giving. The service requirement that spans all four years is meant to develop the life of virtue, the habit of doing good.