Religion (Junior)

Religion
Junior Cycle

The words spoken by the prophet Elijah form the motto of the Carmelite Order:
I am filled with zeal for the Lord God of Hosts.

St. Colmcille’s is a Catholic faith school under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin, the VEC and the Carmelite Community. Our school welcomes students of all religious traditions and none.

Meditation

Mindfulness is the buzzword of the moment. It seems to be everywhere. From psychology to education, from psychotherapy to the worlds of business and management the “mindful way of doing things” is the prescribed way of achieving success and the conduit by which all of these disparate disciplines hope to move to the next level.

All religions and cultures have taught that the mindful state is the prerequisite for beginning the meditative path, and this includes our own Judeo-Christian tradition.

In St. Colmcille’s we recognise the importance of allowing our young people an experience of this ‘precious present moment’.All classes receive one period of meditation in our Prayer room per week.

Students meditating in our Prayer Room

For more information about mindfulness in St Colmcille's Community School, click here.

Retreats

Retreats are offered to all our students. The type of retreat varies depending on interest and availability of retreat teams.

Junior Cycle Topics

Follows the syllabus of the Department of Education. Our students study:

Section A: Communities of faith
Section B: Foundations of Religion: Christianity
Section C: Foundations of Religion: World Religions
Section D: The Question of Faith
Section E: The Celebration of Faith
Section F: The Moral Challenge

Liturgical Year

The RE Department also celebrates the liturgical year with the following school events.

Opening of the School Year Mass

Our theme for 2014 was May the God of hope hold you close. Students and staff came together in the parish church to start the 2014/15 school year

November Prayer Services

Our November services provide a time to pray for our deceased loved ones along with a mass for our staff.

Advent Services

During Advent we prepare for the coming of Christ, we focus our awareness on those in our society who are less well off, we are conscious for whom there is still no room at the inn.

Christmas Celebrations

Students put together Christmas hampers for charity and we come together for a carol service before the holidays.

Lenten Mass

During Lent we have mass once a week in the prayer room and each first year class takes responsibility for organising the readings, prayers and music for that mass.