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Enlighten, and encounter:

Proposal for new religion curriculum at Precious Blood School
Loyola Marymount University
Michael Mennis
December 16, 2015

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Introduction
According to Reichert (2002), the goal of catechesis is to "show who Jesus Christ
is, his life and ministry and to present the Christian faith as the following of his person
(pg. 20). This goal of bringing students into the Faith comprises one of the main goals of
Precious Blood School. The school is a predominantly Catholic TK-8 school made up of
a diverse population of students near downtown Los Angeles. One of its current needs is
to update its ageing curriculum and round it out with programs that will provide
opportunities to encounter Christ. In order to improve the overall religion curriculum,
staff and administration will need to analyze the text and content taught as well as
examine ways to expand students encounter with Christ by providing encounters through
service, school communities and personal opportunities for growth.
Background
Precious Blood School opened in 1950 staffed by the Daughters of Mary and
Joseph. The original school began as only a 1st through 4th grade. Over its 65 years, the
school has gone through many changes. In 1971, the Sisters of Mary and Joseph left the
school and the Sisters of Charity provided a principal and spiritual guidance from 19711984, when the first lay principal was contracted. In 2002, the missionaries of Jesus took
over the spiritual needs of the parish and school (Precious Blood School WASC Report,
2015).
Since 1950, the school has grown to become a Transitional Kindergarten through
8th grade. The school currently enrolls around 150 students and staffs nine full time
teachers, the principal and two support staff. The school educates a diverse student
population with the student population identifying as 57% Filipino, 33% Hispanic, 6%

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Asian, 3.5% African American and 1% multiracial. Around 70% of the students come
from Precious Blood Parish and the other 20% representing 16 other Parishes in the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Precious Blood School WASC Report, 2015).
The school population remains primarily Catholic. Around 94% of the families
identify as Roman Catholic with most other families identifying as other denominations
of Christian. This is also seen in 8th grade choices of high schools. On average, around
50% of the graduating 8th graders go on to attend Catholic high schools in the area
(Precious Blood School WASC Report, 2015).
Problem
The school strives to aid in the growth of individual students as Catholics. Within
the schools Student Learning Expectations (S.L.E.s), it outlines as one of its three main
goals is to foster Active Catholics (Precious Blood School WASC Report, 2013). The
school defines active Catholics as students who live according to the Churchs teachings,
celebrate Catholic traditions, participate in worship and prayer, and respond to the needs
of the community and promote social justice (Precious Blood School WASC Report,
2013). The school has worked on instilling these goals within the students in multiple
ways.
Currently at Precious Blood School, the religious education program utilizes
multiple means in order to promote students to become active Catholics. Some of these
programs include weekly attendance at morning Mass, a Sacraments of initiation
program, prayer services and prayer throughout the day. The students attend morning
Mass once a week in order to promote participation in the Sacraments. As part of the
Mass students also take part through alter serving, singing in the choir, bringing up the

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gifts and, on occasions, lecturing and reading the Petitions of the Faithful. The school has
a Sacraments pullout program which initiates all students from 2nd 8th who have not
received the Sacraments of First Eucharist and Reconciliation. This program provides the
appropriate catechesis and opportunities to encounter Christ through a retreat before
partaking in the Rites of Initiation (Precious Blood School WASC Report, 2015).
Students also participate in prayer services throughout the year at different
liturgical periods. Some past prayer services have included a living rosary, Stations of the
Cross, Crowning of Mary and All Saints Day prayer service. The school also provides
prayer corners and shrines across campus to allow students to take time for personal
reflection and prayer. The school provides time both during the beginning, before break,
lunch and at the end of the day for students to communally pray within their class. Lastly,
the school assess its education program through giving students in 5th and 8th grade the
National Catholic Educational Associations Assessment of Children/Youth Religious
Education (National Catholic Education Association). These programs highlight the steps
already taken by the school to fulfill the spiritual needs of the community yet there are
some areas in which the school can continue to improve (Precious Blood School WASC
Report, 2015).
In order for the school to continue to progress and create a Religious Education
Program that truly promotes students as active Catholics, it must examine its curriculum,
services opportunities, and lack of comprehensive retreat program. Currently, the school
uses the textbook Call to Faith as the foundation of its teaching curriculum. The current
textbooks were published in 2007, making them 8 years old. This proposes an issue
because the text is no longer aligned to the ACRE test. The textbooks provided have two

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different versions for the same publication year. This error was not discovered until after
order but causes issues during reading and activities where some students are provided
with different activities, questions, or information compared to others. Lastly, the
textbooks are not aligned to the Religion Standards of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
that leaves teachers the difficult task of finding supplementary material in order to cover
the Archdiocesan standards.
The curriculum, beyond having issues with the in-class text, is lacking in the area
of service. In the past year, students have taken part in a single donation drive to the
needy in the community and collected slightly used objects for Goodwill. Overall, there
is no program that systematically and intentionally ties lessons in class to an encounter
with Christ through service.
The Middle School curriculum is also lacking in a program that allows students to
encounter Christ through prayer outside of the classroom. In the past, students in Middle
School would take part in retreats off campus. These retreats provided opportunities for
students to develop their personal relationship with Christ through different activities that
allowed for personal and communal encounters with Christ.
Proposal
The current proposals aim to correct these issues within the religion curriculum
following the guiding principles of engaging students heads, hearts, and hands. As
Groom (2001) states Jesus educated for a whole faith, one that engages peoples heads,
hearts and hands- their entire way of being in the world (p. 26). Groom (2001) presents
that the in order to teach the faith we must return to the way Jesus Christ first exposed us
to the faith. Reichert (2002) supports with this his discussion of apprentice-based

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catechesis that desires to foster disciples within the faith in the ways in which Christ
fostered disciples. The construction of the curriculum thus follows from these ideas of
creating students who are not just indoctrinated into the school of thought of Christ, but
who become His full disciples in all manner of their lives.
In order to accomplish this goal, students must be introduced to the person
of Christ and the teachings of His Church. To do this in a systematic and structured way a
committee of teachers must be formed in order to analyze different texts for their
appropriateness for the community. The committee will work to find a text that helps
facilitate creating a course, which follows five guiding principles. These five guiding
principals are based on the five principals of the catechesis of discipleship developed by
Reichert (2002). The ideal text will help create a class that helps foster students openness
and attentiveness to personal encounters. This does not just aid in interpersonal
relationships with others but also in creating the environment for students to have
relationships and encounters with Jesus Christ. The class and text must also utilize
Kerygmatic Catechesis or focusing on the main points of the story of Christ and his
teaching while not becoming overly laden with complex theological concepts. The class
must also provide times for encounters with Christ within the classroom coupled with
direct instruction on ways to pray. This can be accomplished within the class through
instructing students in different prayer and meditation forms. The class also needs to
incorporate the importance of the Sacraments, not just within their specific liturgical
celebrations, but illustrate how the Sacraments connect to our every day life. Lastly, the
curriculum text must follow a scafolded and spiraled progression throughout the years of
student development so that as students grow older and their discipleship deepens the text

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will develop with them. These principals guiding the committee in choosing a text
provide the framework for forming students heads or instructing their minds in their
understanding of Christ and the Catholic Church. This though is not enough in order to
truly form students into disciples of Christ. There must also be application of this faith in
the real world.
Students must have a way in which they can live out the faith that they are
being taught in class. As Groom (2002) states Christ wished his disciples to live as people
of God after his examples and that the faith He was instructing them in was to be lived.
Cunningham (1987) provides an avenue to live out this faith when in his short credo on
Catholicism states:
We believe that Christ is to be seen in our fellows; that when we do it to the least
of the brethren we do it to Christ. We affirm that all men and women are in Christ
and that what wounds or demeans them wounds and demeans Christ (p 176).
Service provides the opportunity for students to live their faith as well as serve Christ
through serving those on the margin.
Service would be incorporated into the curriculum both as part of school wide
projects as well as integrated into the classroom. Within the school wide program, the
goal would be to develop and promote community within Precious Blood School while
promoting service to others. These service projects would be determined by a committee
of faculty members and members of the Student Council. Incorporating the Student
Council will create buy-in within the study body by both including them in the planning
and gaining insight into what needs the students find most important to serve. The
committee would then plan and bring in students and faculty needed to execute the

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project. These projects would revolve around drives for foods, clothing, toys or other
needs, which may be found in the community. These projects would also be incorporated
into the religion classes through lessons taught about the need of the community.
The class service projects would be part of yearlong service incorporated into
classwork. These projects would take the form of direct service so that students can have
a true encounter with others. These projects would be determined during the beginning of
the year and set up by the teacher. Lessons would then be taught to introduce students to
the community served and how the service is integrated into how they are following
Christ teachings. The direct service would be treated as service field trips that could
either be done multiple times throughout the year or as one time projects depending upon
the need of the community being served. The projects would also have periods of
reflections after each service field trip so students have both a chance to reflect on their
experience and be given a chance to discuss how their faith has informed and grown
through the project. This encounter with others allows students to see Christ in others yet
students still need opportunities to develop their own relationship with Christ.
In order for students to develop as true disciples of Christ, students will need to
develop their own personal relationship with Christ. As Groom (2011) summarizes from
the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it is not all the teachings or symbols that are the
most important part of our faith, it is truly knowing and being in relationship with Jesus
Christ. Reichert (2002) adds that it is the definitive aim of all catechesis for catechumens
to not just be touched by Christ but to develop an intimate relationship with Christ.
Students must then be offered opportunities to grow in their personal relationship with
Christ through being allowed times and situations to encounter Him.

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A retreat program would provide opportunities for students to step away from the
busyness of their lives in order to have personal encounters with Christ. These daylong
retreats would focus on building a personal relationship with Christ as well as prayer. The
retreats would either be facilitated by offsite professionals or teaching staff. The retreats
would be offsite at retreat centers in the area and provide both times for individual and
communal prayer and reflection. These retreats would also occur 1-2 times a year with
one in fall and one in spring as school schedule and resources allow.
Assessment
The new curriculum program would need to have multiple assessments in order to
ascertain its effectiveness. In order to determine the effectiveness of the text and direct
teaching of Christs teachings the curriculum would be assessed using the revised 2013ACRE. This assessment would be provided to 5th and 8th graders near the end of their year
and test their general knowledge of Christ teachings and the Churchs teachings. This
assessment is a national assessment so the information would allow us to compare our
program to other programs in the nation. Students would also yearly complete age
appropriate surveys asking them about their beliefs and personal growth over the year.
Surveys would also be used to better understand the effectiveness of individual service
projects and retreats. Lastly, student reflections would also be used as evidence of
personal growth within the program.
Resources
This renovation would require a sizeable amount of both monetary and personnel
resources. Examining the resources needed for an updated curriculum, a committee of 3-4
staff members would need to dedicate time to reading multiple curriculums and assessing

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them by the guiding principals stated. This time would be added on top of other duties
staff already performs. This would lead to a possibility of some monetary compensation
for their extra time. Textbooks as well cost between $4500 and $4600 to purchase for the
entire school as well as ship (see appendix). The retreat program would also require a
monetary cost in order to provide a setting, travel to and from, facilitators and other
miscellaneous needs. This cost could be made up through allotting a retreat fee to the
students and providing scholarships to those students who are unable to afford the cost.
Lastly, the service program would require time on the part of students and staff in order to
implement. The service committee made up of students and staff would need to meet
multiple times throughout the year on top of current demands. The program might also
required money for students to be transported to and from service sites for their class
service projects. This cost could be reduced through having parents aid in carpooling
students to and from the site or allotting a fee for transport.
Timeline
With resources present in order to implement this proposal, an aggressive timeline
can be followed. The proposal can be presented to administration and staff during the
Winter of 2016. Upon acceptance, a committee would be formed in order to begin
examining textbooks. The committee would need to meet one to two times during the
Spring of 2016 and would benefit from attending the Religious Education Conference in
Anaheim to meet with textbook companies and begin negotiating possible deals. The
committee would then over the Summer of 2016 read and evaluate the different
curriculums. In August of 2016, the committee would meet and chose a text to be
approved by the administration. Upon text approval, the text would be ordered and

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introduced as part of the 2016-2017 school year in September. In August of 2016, either
textbook staff or the committee in order to introduce the new curriculum to the faculty
and provide them with resources to help them prepare for the next school year can run a
professional development.
The retreat program and service program could be implemented in a
shorter period. Both programs could be introduced in the 2016-2017 school year. During
a final staff meeting of the 2016 school year, teachers would have a brainstorming session
within grade clusters (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) to come up with ideas for a class service project for
the following year. In August of 2016, staff would meet and collaborate on creating the
project for their students and begin setting up trips to the site were appropriate. The
retreat program would also be brainstormed within grade clusters and supported by a
small group of faculty who would provide support for the retreats. The retreats could be
scheduled as part of the yearly scheduling meeting and implemented in the Fall of 2016.
The resources necessary for implementation of this proposal may seem restrictive
yet it would focus on restructuring one of the fundamental pillars within the school. The
school aspires to graduate students who are active Catholics who are well rounded
Disciples of Christ. Creating a strong religion curriculum is necessary to accomplish this
goal. Updating the curriculum and creating a service and retreat program will create the
program that can foster the students to truly be active Catholics who walk away not just
with knowledge of the Catholic Church but as disciples of Christ.

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Appendix
Cost of Textbooks as seen through two major Publishers (Accessed 12/13/15).

The image shows The Christ Alive book series published by Our Sunday Visitor. Subtotal
shown to be $4179.60 without any discounts or including shipping and tax. The total is
calculated by having 1 teachers manual for 1st through 8th grade and 25 textbooks per
grade.

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The image shows the 2016 version of Christ Our Life published by Loyola Press.
The total of the textbooks with shipping and no discount is $4618.10. This was calculated
with needing one teachers manual for each teacher 1st through 8th and 25 textbooks for
each class. The Christ Our Life music CD was also included with one per grade except
for 6th 8th grade in which a single teacher teaches the curriculum for those three grades.

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Work Cited
Cunningham, L. (1987). The Catholic faith: An introduction. New York: Paulist Press
Groome, T. H. (2011). Will there be faith?: A new vision for educating and growing
disciples. New York: HarperOne.
National Catholic Education Association. (n.d.). ACRE FAQ | NCEA. Retrieved
December 14, 2015, from http://www.ncea.org/faith-education/acre-faq
Precious Blood School WASC Report (2015).
Reichert, R. (2002). Renewing catechetical ministry: A future agenda. New York: Paulist
Press.