Religious Education is the foundation of our school. It underpins all that we do and say.

Our Religious Education Curriculum is set by the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Families, parishes and school communities are encouraged:

• To help children know, worship and love their God

• To promote dialogue to deepen awareness of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, through a primary proclamation of the Gospel.

• To promote a deepening knowledge of Jesus Christ through Scripture and Tradition.

• To celebrate the presence of Christ in the Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist.

• To challenge students to undertake a journey of interior transformation, taking the Decalogue and impressing on it the spirit of the Beatitudes, as Christ taught us in the Sermon on the Mount.

• To challenge students to permeate their life with a spirit of prayer, and so discover the mysterious action of God, who gives us strength in our weakness.

• To learn to cooperate actively in building up the Church and its work of evangelisation

During the year children participate in school liturgies, paraliturgies and special prayer celebrations. These are held not only to celebrate various achievements etc, but also specific

feast days or activities which occur during the year. In these celebrations children take an active role in the planning and participate in the prayers and readings. Parents have an open invitation to all of these celebrations and are strongly encouraged to participate in them.We welcome families to visit our Sacred Space and reflect on the art pieces our families contribute to the space throughout the year.

Sacraments

Children are prepared for the sacraments from the beginning of their school life at St Leo's. During the year the sacraments of Reconciliation (Confession) Eucharist (Communion) and Confirmation are celebrated.

• Reconciliation is celebrated in Grade 3

• Eucharist is celebrated in Grade 4

• Confirmation is celebrated in Grade 6

As part of the preparation for sacraments, parents will be invited to Education in Faith meetings. It is an expectation that all families attend these meetings as we believe we share with parents the task of educating children in Faith.