Special Religious Education

MISSION

“The SRE ministry exists to promote the Kingdom of God on earth through parishes, into schools and homes, by proclaiming Christ’s Gospel of justice, peace and reconciliation.”

VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT FOR SRE • DIOCESE OF MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE

HOW TO ENROL YOUR CHILD

Upon school enrolment parents/carers will have the option to nominate their child’s religion on the enrolment form. A form might also be provided to opt in to special religious education at the beginning of the year. If your child is currently enrolled in a public school but is not attending SRE classes you can contact the school office and request a form. Parents/ carers can alter their preference at anytime.

CATECHISTS

We have a dedicated group of catechists (scripture teachers) at the Catholic Parish of Forster-Tuncurry who visit the primary schools around our area on a weekly basis to bring religious education to catholic children. All of our catechists have completed the recommended training modules to teach Catholic Scripture and continue to stay up-to-date with information by attending refresher courses. Our Catechists work on developing faith in children and young people through a sensitive age appropriate program called “Christ Our Light and Life”. You can find more about the curriculum on the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine website.

SRE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

The Catholic Parish of Forster-Tuncurry welcomes new volunteers to our SRE team. To join our SRE team you must:

  1. Contact the parish office to express your interest
  2. Apply for a Working With Children Check clearance
  3. Complete the Diocesan Volunteer Handbook and forms which includes a National Criminal History Check
  4. Complete Unit 0 of the CCRESS (Catholic Conference of Religious Educators in State Schools in NSW-ACT) online training
  5. Read the SRE Code of Conduct and complete the SRE Authorisation Form
  6. Complete Diocesan Safeguarding Child Protection training in the first six months
  7. Continue CCRESS online training (Modules 1-8)

Contact us at the parish office if you are interested in becoming an SRE volunteer.

For more information regarding special religious education visit the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle website.