In line with all schools and colleges of the Diocese of Cairns, St Rita’s aspires 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.
The Vision for Religious Education emphasises the complementarity of the two dimensions of Religious Education and articulates a school’s aspirations for students in terms of their religious literacy and faith formation. In that sense the Vision begins with “the end in mind”.
Religion Curriculum
Education in Catholic schools seeks to develop the religious literacy of students in light of the Catholic Christian tradition, so that they might participate critically and authentically in contemporary culture.
The New Religion Curriculum developed by Brisbane Catholic Education is implemented at St. Rita’s, focusing on the development of the whole human person: intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally and of course, spiritually.
Religious Life of the School
Together with the delivery of Religious Education in the classroom, St. Rita’s seeks to enhance our Catholic Identity through establishing a culture that celebrates the Religious life of our school. Through participation in these various activities, students learn about and celebrate Christianity.
Sacramental Program
St Rita’s is part of the Innisfail Parish. Families may choose to enrol their child in the Parish-based Sacramental Program. The Program assists families to prepare their children for the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist/Confirmation. These programs focus on the parent taking responsibility for their child’s faith development. Students can enrol in the Sacrament Program from Year 4-6. Parents will be notified of when these sacraments will occur via a letter as well as being advertised through our weekly newsletter and the Sunday Mass bulletin.
Liturgies & Masses
At St. Rita’s we celebrate Liturgies as a community at significant times in the liturgical calendar of the Church. Celebrations include both Eucharistic and non-Eucharistic Liturgies, such as: Beginning Year Mass, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week Celebrations, Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and End of Year Mass. A highlight of our faith celebrations is the feast of our patron saint, St Rita of Cascia on May 22nd.
Each year level celebrates a Liturgy at least once per semester. Students in Years 4-6 are given the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at various times throughout the year. Parish Priest Fr Kerry Crowley leads us in our liturgies. Fr Kerry also visits each class at various times throughout the year. Students are given the opportunity to meet and chat with Fr Kerry
We encourage and warmly welcome parents, grandparents, caregivers, friends and siblings to participate in any of our celebrations.
Social Action and Justice
Staff and students have the opportunity to assist the Social Justice teachings of the Catholic Church by learning about Catholic organisations such as St Vincent De Paul Society, Caritas Australia and Catholic Mission Australia. Throughout the year the St Rita’s community participates in fund raising activities to support these organisations. Lead by the Mini Vinnies team of senior students, initiatives such as Project Compassion during Lent, Socktober, Christmas Hampers, School Disco’s, Crazy Hair Day and Free Dress Days, are just some of the ways we raise awareness about local and global social justice issues.
“Education cannot be neutral. It is either positive or negative; either it enriches or it impoverishes; either it enables a person to grow or it lessens, even corrupts him. The mission of schools is to develop a sense of truth, of what is good and beautiful. And this occurs through a rich path made up of many ingredients.”
-Pope Francis in an Address to Italian Educators May 10, 2014
