Spiritual
Activities
St. Mary Central Catholic High School features a very full complement of activities designed to meet the challenge in our Mission Statement: “Strengthening the body, Challenging the mind and Enriching the spirit.” The work of the school administration, faculty and students is performed to the greater glory of God and is reflected in all activities especially those dealing with our spiritual growth.
Theology Classes
Four full credits of
Theology are required at St. Mary Central
Catholic High School for graduation.
The courses include: Old and New Testament,
Doctrine, Liturgy & Sacraments,
Morality, Social Justice, Church History
and Christian Lifestyles. Additional
elective credit is available for:
Life Issues in the Media, Prayer, Non-Christian
Religions and Eschatology. The curriculum
for Theology is aligned with that of
the Diocese of Toledo. Two full-time
faculty members comprise the Theology
Department. All classes are academic.
Data on the strengths of our curriculum
or areas for improvement are gathered
using the Assessment of Catechesis
test given to seniors each year.
Celebration of Mass
Masses, generally presided over by the school Chaplain, are held every other week, on Holy Days and also on special occasions such as during Catholic Schools Week and Senior Farewell week. Students help plan the masses and take part as readers, Eucharistic Ministers, ushers and musicians. The masses are held in our local parishes. Other religious moments are prayer services before Christmas and Easter, communal/individual Reconciliation services and May Crowning. Prayer is held each morning in the announcements and before each class. The Chaplain also holds class masses at various times during the year. Many athletic teams have special masses before their contests or attend masses as a team on Saturday afternoon before Saturday evening contests. Whenever a team leaves for state or national level competition, the students in the school hold a prayer circle directly prior to the team leaving so they may leave on their journey with a blessing from their peers
Services Activities
Service to others is featured in our school philosophy and is manifested in activities done in and out of school to promote the living of faith along with the learning of our faith. Each student must perform five hours of legitimate community service each quarter. In addition to this, our students are released from school to perform community services at a dinner for the elderly held each fall, the annual Put-In-Bay cleanup, recycling efforts and other activities. It is not unusual for local service clubs to request St. Mary Central Catholic High School students for projects when their membership may need assistance. We actively serve with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Erie County Chamber of Commerce as well as doing outreach in our own elementary and pre-schools. Clubs such as the National Honor Society and Key Club do service as part of their regular activities. Our choir and band perform at nursing homes and the Ohio Veterans Home. All of these service activities are designed to promote and fulfill our Mission Statement and Philosophy as well as our Catholic Identity Goal from our Permanent Improvement Plan. Each year our students adopt one or more families for Christmas and collections for various causes are a frequent reminder that our gifts are to be shared. |
Convocation
One activity which has sprung from the Catholic Identity Goal is the institution of Convocation once a week. Convocations are held to promote Catholic issues, reflect on activities and things of importance to us as Catholics, view key films and other multi-media presentations to promote thought and strengthen the faith of the students. Rather than being rote presentations of old material, convocation promotes student activity and involvement in the meanings and application of their faith. Convocation may be held with the entire school together for the entire hour of sometimes the group meets for a time then breaks into smaller family groups. The development of meaningful convocations is an ongoing goal of the school administration and the Chaplain.
Retreat Programs
Each class participates in a retreat designed to bring them to a better understanding of their faith and of each other as people.
Freshmen go on a retreat in the spring. The purpose of the day is to bring some closure to the years’ studies in Theology and also to help develop a family and team atmosphere among the
ninth graders. The retreat is planned by the Theology teachers and leaders from other classes. Sophomores play host to the National Evangelization Team (NET) on their retreat day in the fall. The NET team promotes Gospel Values by engaging the students in group activities, skits, discussions and quiet individual counseling time. This annual visit by NET is anticipated greatly by the sophomores.
Junior Retreat Day operates under the theme “More Than Meets the EYE.” The junior retreat is aimed at creating deeper and more meaningful relationships with God and with each other. Frank discussion and sharing of common class concerns is one of the features of this retreat. The Theology faculty with senior helpers plan and execute this event.
The Seniors participate in Kairos. Kairos is an intense four day experience. The students leave the campus and go to a retreat center, boys to one, girls to another. The Kairos experience is based on thematic talks covering different aspects of one’s faith and relationship with God. Students, selected when they are juniors help plan and execute the Kairos experience. Kairos ends with the groups coming together and having a moving return ceremony in one of the local parishes.
Many students also avail themselves of other faith sharing experiences such as Right to Life March, TEC Retreats, parish activities and Tri-Parish youth activities.
At St. Mary Central Catholic High School, one’s spiritual growth is only limited by the bounds of their imagination. |
