Office of Religious Education
The aim of Catholic Religious Education is to assist people in the life work of discerning and responding to God’s presence in their lives by introducing them to, and faithfully echoing for them, the Church’s lived experience, through the ages, of the Risen Lord.
This is accomplished, particularly in parish communities, through the experiential and systematic cherishing and sharing of God’s Revelation to us in Sacred Scripture (pre-eminently in the Gospels) and in the Church’s Sacred Tradition, lived out in service and celebrated in the Sacraments.
The Office of Religious Education (ORE) operates under the counsel and direction of the Bishop of Victoria, and is responsible for the support, guidance, and nurturing of catechetical programming throughout the Diocese.
Currently the ORE serves and provides resources to pastors and their parish catechetical coordinators and catechists. In addition, support is provided to the Catholic Independent Schools, Diocese of Victoria, through the Foundations of the Faith Programme offered to teachers.
Office of Religious Education, Coordinator: Mr. James E. O’Reilly, B Ed, MREd
#1 - 4044 Nelthorpe Street, Victoria, B. C., V8X 2A1;
Telephone: 250-479-1331; Fax: 250-479-5423 E-mail: jeoreilly@rcdvictoria.org
Areas of focus for the Office of Religious Education include:
Children’s Catechesis:
Currently workshops on content and methodology are offered to catechists, by request. The approved religion programme for the Diocese is the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishop’s\ Born of the Spirit series. Approval for the piloting of Harcourt Religion Publisher’s Call to Faith series is also in place.
Children’s Sacramental Preparation:
The restored order of sacramental reception, based on the Documents of Vatican II, was initiated under Bishop Remi De Roo in the Diocese of Victoria in 1973, was clarified and reiterated in 2001 by Bishop Raymond Roussin, S.M. and remains the norm under Bishop Richard Gagnon. Approved programming resources include the following from Novalis: Come Spirit of God, Alive in the Spirit, and Come Join Us at the Table.
In 2006 Bishop Gagnon tasked a sub-committee of the Children’s Advisory Committee to the Bishop on Children’s Catechesis to assess and produce a diocesan directive on Sacraments of Initiation for the preparation of children based on the principles of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, to further assist pastors and parish catechists, and to address the concerns regarding sufficient time for adequate catechesis. During Easter Season 2010 the document Sacraments of Initiation for Children: A 2010 Diocesan Directive was produced and circulated to provide such direction.
Youth Formation:
In 2007, Bishop Gagnon established the Diocesan Youth Ministry Team to provide support for parish Youth programmes and to introduce the Comprehensive Youth Ministry Model. The seven member Team acts as a liaison and support to parishes providing education and resources.
Annual gathering of Youth Leaders
Adult Faith Formation:
Currently the ORE acts as a resource to parishes with regard to consulting on, and support for local initiatives in the areas of Adult Faith Formation programmes and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
The Foundations of the Catholic Faith is a 40 hour adult formation programme comprising a survey of Catholic Theology, Catholic Spirituality, and Catholic Culture. It is based on the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (The Creeed, Sacraments, Morality, and Prayer), Sacred Scripture, and the General Directory for Catechesis. Approved by the Catholic Bishops of British Columbia, the Foundations of the Catholic Faith was designed through a collaboration of the Offices of Religious Education and the Offices of the Superintendents of the Catholic Dioceses of British Columbia. The formation programme was designed to provide a standard theological and spiritual formation for catechists, teachers, and lay ministers that would represent a recognized standard throughout the province.
The ORE also acts as a liaison with St. Mark’s Theological College at The University of British Columbia which offers certificate and post-graduate theological studies through a combination of on-site, distance, and on-line instruction
Marriage Preparation:
Currently the ORE acts as a resource to parishes with regard to consulting on, and support for local parish programming in the area of Marriage Preparation. Fr. Dean Henderson is currently establishing regional teams to assist parishes.
Liturgy:
The ORE currently acts as a resource to parishes with regard to liturgy. In 2008 Bishop Gagnon called together a Diocesan Liturgical Commission to support parishes in the Diocese with implementation of the anticipated revisions to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal through consultation and education.
