This is the main page for the 9th grade religious education information for AY 2021-2022. The pages for the 2022-2023 program are currently being designed and will be posted by early September 2022. Review the material below to gain an indication of the previous class materials.
This is the repository for parent and student information concerning the 9th grade Religious Education class at St. Raymond of Penefort Church in Springfield, VA. The course is a survey of the Catholic Faith. This repository contains homework reading, materials covered in the course, along with copies of post-class emails sent to the students and parents. At this link you find the course schedule. For questions, please contact Bob Laird, the instructor, at blaird48@gmail.com.
The classes are listed in reverse order with the latest classes on top.
Class #26 (May 1, 2022) This is the capstone class for the course. We look at the society from the view of the Catholic Church pointing out where society has failed the Church. There are several important handouts for this class. See below.
Class #25 (April 24, 2022)We began the discussion of the “isms” and will continue it into the next class. See the handouts for the next class (Class #26) for a summary of the materials along with the PowerPoint associated with that class.
Class #24 (April 3, 2022) This class finished the discussion on the commandments with the 8th Commandment. Please look at the PowerPoint below because the discussion from the class is self-contained in there.
Class #23 (March 27, 2022) We truly have sharp students in our class. Many of the issues that are in the news become important as we cover the various commandments. This week, while we covered the 7th and 10th Commandments, we also brought to light some of the consequences of individuals having agendas which they cannot adequately explain. Take for instance, the nominee for the Supreme Court. During her public hearings she was asked to define a “woman.” We asked the students that question and the answer came back as a human person who has two “X” chromosomes. Simple enough. The nominee said that she was not a biologist and couldn’t answer the question. Of course, the issue at hand was that it was a trap question. Had she answered as our students answered, she could not have considered a now transgendered “woman” to be a “woman” because that person would have one X and one Y chromosome – the identity of a male.
Check out below the story of Saint Nicholas Owens, below. The story of his hiding priests during the anti-Catholic period of England is full of intrigue. He shows that saints are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It’s an awesome story.
Class #22 (March 20, 2022) This class is on the 6th and 9th Commandments. The powerpoint below is self-explanatory and gives a thorough review of the material. We added a link below (BG Laird HV Series…) which will further explain one of the most significant encyclicals of the 20th century and clearly the shortest. This is referenced in the review that we sent home to the parents and students. The next class is on the 7th and 10th Commandments – the social teaching of the Catholic Church. Below is a “definitions” sheet that will be useful for that class.
Class #21 (March 13, 2022) This class is on the 5th Commandment which is a continuation of Class #19. The key topic was abortion, our understanding of it, how someone can help someone contemplating one or who just had one, and some questions to ask those who support abortion. As has been stated several times during the course of the year, we “love people and we use things.” Abortion is treating a child in the womb as a non-person (a thing). Regardless of the events which led to the pregnancy, the woman is a mother. If she takes the life of the baby through an abortion, she now becomes the mother of a dead child, bringing about the grieving of the loss of that child. Take a moment and download the materials and read them.
Class #20 (March 6, 2022) Father De Celles took questions from the students.
Class #19 (February 27, 2022)
There is a homework assignment for this class. After the February 6th class, each student was given a copy of the winter 2017 issue of “Imprint,” a publication of the Sisters of Life. Please be sure to have them read the five (5) articles below before the February 27th class:
Solanus Casey, My Mother’s Miracle; Andy’s Story; What makes you happy?; and My Grandma’s Gift
Last Class #18 (February 13, 2022)
Tonight we covered the Third and Fourth Commandments. Key points include: the difference between watching the Mass on television or a computer versus attending in person; passively attending in person versus actively participating. While analogies are difficult, it could be compared to watching the classic play Les Miserables on television versus watching it in the theater versus being a cast member. The Fourth Commandment dealt with honoring and respecting our parents and those in authority. See the powerpoint below for the details.
Class #17 (February 6, 2022)
This is the first class on the Ten Commandments. Below are three handouts for the class along with the Power Point. (1) Pascal’s wager is something that we discussed earlier in the year. This time, we will be discussing it with a little different twist. We will be using one of the examples from Peter Kreft’s book that the students received as a Christmas gift from us. (2) The examination of conscience uses the beatitudes as a start point. A great resource for the family. (3) The paper on the sin of scandal is taken from one of Father De Celles’ homilies of last year just after the 2021 presidential inauguration. He described the sin of scandal very clearly and distinctly. We transcribed some of his homily for your reading and review.
Class #16 (January 30, 2022)
With this class, we finish a major block in our religious education program: the discussion on conscience, moral decision-making, the making of a good act, and how does an act become sinful.
I would like to take a moment and mention more about the latter topic – the making of a sinful act. For an act to be sinful, it requires three things: (1) the person does what is evil; (2) the person knows that what he or she is doing is evil; and (3) the person freely chooses to do what he or she knows to be evil.
i included the Power Point from the class which has not only the materials, but also several examples – some of which were not used in the class. The paper of Human Acts contains the definitions used in the class along with a discussion on the double effect, doubtful conscience, and the evaluation of a sinful act. One of the classic examples of the double effect deals with the decision of Dr. St. Gianna Beretta Molla needed to make when a cancerous growth was discovered during her fourth pregnancy.
Finally, the last two papers handouts were not discussed in class. The first are two of the more recent Church Persecuted columns from the parish bulletin and the second is Father De Celles’ column from the January 30th bulletin because it covers so many important topics.
9th Grade Rel Ed Class #16 (Human Acts)
Class 15 (January 23, 2022)
Class 14 (January 9, 2022)
Class 13 (December 19, 2021)
Guest Speaker – Ms. Cindy Laird – Topic: Prayer and Suffering
Class 12 (December 12, 2021)
Class 11 (December 5, 2021)
Class 10 (November 21, 2021)
Class 9 (November 14, 2021)
Father De Celles takes questions from high school students. Submit questions to the Lairds (blaird48@gmail.com) by Friday morning, November 12, 2021
Class 8 (November 7, 2021)
Class 7 (October 31, 2021)
Class 6 (October 24, 2021)
Class 5 (October 17, 2021)
Class 4 (October 3, 2021)
Class 3 (September 26, 2021)
Class 2 (September 19, 2021)
Introductory Material and Class 1 (September 12, 2021)
Bob & Gerri Focused 