At St Kieran’s religious teaching includes both dimensions of Religious Education. These include the classroom teaching of religion and the religious life of the school.
The St Kieran's Religion Curriculum adheres to the BCE Archdiocesan Religious Education Program. Catholic schools have an extra 2.5 hours per week in school time for the teaching of religion. This is a vigorous academic subject that is formally accessed. The time allocations for other learning areas are in-line with other Government schools.
The religious life of the school teaches students how to be religious in the Catholic Christian tradition and encourages faith development through our regular practices of daily classroom prayer, class-lead assemblies and liturgical celebrations. Significant feast days such as Ash Wednesday, St Kieran’s Feast Day and The Ascension of the Lord are celebrated throughout the year. Once a month, students from year 3 to 6 participate in school Mass while students in the early years partake in a Liturgy. Parental participation is warmly encouraged. Parents and students are expected to attend School Parish Mass on a Saturday evening once a term.
St Kieran’s students are greatly involved in social action and justice with our Year 6 Mission and Faith Ministry leading the way. These include our Caritas Ks club which raises awareness and money for the Catholic Charity “Caritas”, our Rice Day which helps students develop an understanding for what it is like to be hungry, our Year 5 sleep out for the homeless and our St Vinnies Christmas hampers.
The Religious life of St Kieran’s can be seen in our motto “Strength through Caring” which is lived out in the way we treat one another. Our charism and religious identity is also reflected in our Vision and Mission statement, the School Songs and the School Prayer.
Sacramental Program
St Kieran’s supports the parish community’s parish-based, family-centred approach to sacramental initiation. This process, which is in accordance with Archdiocesan policy, reflects the fact the Confirmation and First Communion complete the journey of initiation into a faith community.
Each family in the Sandgate/Brighton Parish has the right to decide for itself when children are ready to complete the sacramental process, which can begin once children reach Year 3 of primary school.
Archdiocesan policy suggests that children undertake the Sacrament of Confirmation in year 3, Second Rite of Reconciliation and the Sacraments of Eucharist in year 4. Students in year 5 are encouraged to make their First Rite of Reconciliation.
For more information about the Sacraments of Initiation contact the Parish Office.
Pastoral Care
St Kieran’s places a strong emphasis on the Christian Pastoral Care of individual students, parents, families and staff – our mission “Strength through Caring” being the cornerstone of our Pastoral Care System within the school.
Children are encouraged to see themselves as valued and respected members of their class and school community. A sense of caring, concern and responsibility towards others is fostered in all children.
Further information about Religious Education in Archdiocese of Brisbane can be found on the Religious Education Curriculum website.
Information for Parents
The St Kieran’s Parent Portal contains additional information about the classroom teaching of Religion. To access this information, parents can log onto the Parent Portal.
Religion Overview
Vision for Religious Education
RE Curriculum Document
© Brisbane Catholic Education, St Kieran’s (2023)
