Grow in Love is the name of the new Religious Education Series for Catholic Primary Schools in Ireland. It will be introduced into the schools on a phased basis. Grow in Love is based on the new Curriculum for Religious Education, the Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum for Ireland, written by Anne Hession, a graduate of Mercy Schools and currently lecturing in St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra.
Level 1, for Junior and Senior Infant classes was introduced last September (2015) and is already proving to be a great success. Level 1 is co-written by Daniel O’Connell (Lecturer Mary Immaculate College, Limerick) and Elaine Mahon (Veritas, Dublin). It contains lively lessons engaging pupils in: stories of Jesus, family themes, seasonal themes on Advent, Christmas, Easter and lessons on Creation etc.
One of the main elements in the Grow in Love programme is the home-school link. Parents are generally happy to support their child’s faith formation, but they are often quite unsure of what to do. Grow in Love answers this need by offering effective ways for parents and families to be actively involved in the child’s religious education. A letter is sent to the parents explaining to them “their irreplaceable” role in their child’s faith development and encouraging them to be involved in it.
Parental response has been very heartening and positive. Each week parents and families are assigned a small task to do with their young child: to draw a picture, complete an activity, to read a bible story together and then to chat together and to pray together. This “homework link” has given Religion increased credibility and status by putting it on a par with every other subject.
The teachers feel that in taking these small steps with the Infant classes parents will gradually be encouraged to deeper involvement as their children move toward immediate preparations for the sacraments. Teachers play a vital part in communicating to the parents their essential contribution to the child’s religious education.
The Teachers themselves are finding the programme very accessible and are delighted with the process from “Life to Faith to Life” – “Let’s Look, Let’s Learn, Let’s Live”. The layout, the explicit religious content, the Bible stories and the Interactive resources are all very teacher-friendly. Many old and traditional songs are now part of the programme: “Jesus sat down in the shade of the tree” and “When creation was begun”.
There are online resources abound and the children love lighting the virtual candle on the Interactive whiteboard. On a personal note this reminds me of Sisters lighting a candle at Catherine’s grave or in the chapel in Baggot Street. It engages us with our calling in Faith and Mercy.
Sisters frequently ask me to recommend a Bible suitable as a gift on a special occasion in the life of a niece, nephew or friend etc. The Bible that accompanies the Grow in Love series is the “Catholic Children’s Bible: Read it! Live it! Love it!”. It is available in Veritas and I highly recommend it as a suitable gift to a young person.
Essie Hayes rsm
South Central Province
