Eucharist
Throughout history, Christians have gathered to celebrate the real presence of Christ among them in the Eucharist. Meals are some of the most powerful and universal of human rituals, so it is no wonder that Christians also share ritual meals and have done so from the very beginning of their movement (Cooke, & Macy, 2005).
The Second Vatican Council rightly proclaimed that the Eucharistic sacrifice is:
‘the source and summit of the Christian life’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2003, para. 1324).
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Overview of Resource PackageThis resource package has been designed to support the teaching of the Sydney Catholic Education Office’s (CEO) Stage 2 Unit: 3.7 Eucharist - Jesus is With Us. For this reason, the package enables all religious educators to explore with students the topic of the Eucharist. The selected resources focus on the content areas outlined in the unit as well as the teaching and learning activities suggested. Purposely chosen, these resources develop and enhance students’ understanding of the sacrament as they provide opportunities for students to identify the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and acknowledge the key parts of the Mass (CEO, 2006). Moreover, the students learn that the Mass is central to the life of the faith community and that the celebration and sharing of the Eucharist unites all the Catholics as the one body of Christ (CEO, 2006). In addition, the resources provided correspond with the doctrinal teachings and associated scripture readings of the Eucharist. Suitable for middle primary school students, this resource package is most intended for a Year 3 classroom.
Regarding the Religious Education Curriculum Primary Year 3-6 document, this package is purposed to achieve the relevant syllabus learning outcomes that align with the Church and Liturgical Year content strands (CEO, 2006). Consequently, the resources address concepts related to the Sacrament as well as inform students of the importance of the Eucharist (CEO, 2006). Selecting multimodal resources, the package caters to the various types of learners in the classroom (Gardner, 1993). By means of this resource package, the teacher is able to further nurture the growing faith of their students as they develop their understanding of the nature, values and traditions of Christianity as well as the teachings and life of Jesus. In providing resources essential to the unit, this package assists the teacher in ensuring that the aims of religious education in primary schools are successfully met within the classroom. That is, that the students are equipped with the knowledge that allows them to further reflect upon, understand, and celebrate the mystery of Christ (CEO, Sydney, 2006, p. 11). This website has been organised in a way that allows the viewers easy access to the background information and resources of each unit content. The resources can be located individually according to their corresponding unit content or found entirely in resources. |