Religious Studies

Department Head: Josette Surratt

Campus Minister: Ramey Badeaux

 

 

The Teurlings Catholic High School Theology program is committed to cultivating the faith life of all TCH students. Through opportunities rooted in prayer, instruction, worship, and service, this program strives to create an environment permeated by faith. The Theology curriculum is comprised of six, one semester courses in accordance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops doctrinal framework. By integrating the gospel values and the teachings of our faith, Teurlings Catholic instills in its young men and women the desire to live as Catholic Christians, the drive for life-long learning and the skills to succeed as responsible citizens in society. Focusing upon the particular gifts of each student and grounded in Catholic tradition, this program empowers individuals to reach out to their classmates, their church parishes and the members of their community.

 

 

“Jesus Christ: God’s Revelation to the World” provides a map for high school students to navigate the salvific work of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—in forming a People, giving the Law, and preparing for the Messiah. This one-semester course gives students a general knowledge appreciation of Sacred Scripture through which they encounter Jesus Christ.

 

“Jesus Christ: His Mission and Ministry” deepens the study of Jesus, highlighting key events in his earthly ministry while incorporating his teachings about God the Father, the Trinity, Mary, and the Holy Spirit. Students learn that the goal of discipleship is a life of grace and holiness and a share of God’s everlasting Kingdom.

 

The Paschal Mystery of Christ’s Cross and Resurrection is the pinnacle of God’s redemptive plan for his people. In “Jesus Christ: Source of Our Salvation”, students delve deeply into the saving actions of the Lord. This text unpacks the meaning of God’s sacred and mysterious plan from creation onward to the consequences of the Fall and the promise of a Savior, while ultimately focusing on the Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

“The Church Our Story” provides students with a means of understanding some of the traditional definitions of the Catholic Church. While acknowledging the importance of the historical perspective, this course emphasizes the living Church that makes Christ present to the world today.

 

“Meeting Jesus in the Sacraments” reveals the sacraments as the definitive way that Jesus remains present to the Church and the world today. The text explores concrete ways for students to understand the sacraments, participate in their rites, and benefit from their graces.

 

“Your Life in Christ: Foundations in Catholic Morality” focuses on the essential message in Christ’s moral teaching and the importance of love of God and neighbor. The text covers the major points of the “Life in Christ” section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, pulling together these elements by the developing nine essential steps for living a Christian moral life in the Catholic tradition.

 

“Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word” presents the Bible to students as a living source of God’s revelation to us. It gathers the two covenants of scripture and the seventy-two books of the Bible under the umbrella of Church teaching, which holds that in sacred scripture, “God speaks only one single Word, His one Utterance in whom He expresses Himself completely” (CCC, 102).

 

“Catholic Social Teaching: Learning and Living Justice” introduces the Church’s rich body of social teaching that comes to us from the essential writings of the popes, highlighting the works from Pope Leo XIII onward. While exploring how societies work, an overarching theme of the text is a discussion of the foundational values that ought to govern a just society.

 

This elective course provides students with the skills, tools, and opportunities to minister to the spiritual needs of other students, faculty, and the community. Campus ministers also form the nucleus of the Teurlings Catholic Retreat Team, planning, organizing, and facilitating retreats for the TCHS students as well as students at other Catholic schools. Other ministry programs, including weekly liturgical celebrations, daily prayer, Rebel Revivals, the Pro-Life March, and school service projects are coordinated by the Campus Ministry Class. Participation in activities outside the normal school day is also a requirement.