Catholic Ethos
Grow in Love is the Religious Education series for Catholic primary schools. It is based on the Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum for Ireland.
The Grow in Love series aims to help children to see how they can respond to God’s love through love: by doing acts of love that mirror the actions of Jesus. They can show respect for God, for themselves, for one another and for all creation. We teach the children that, through the grace of God’s Spirit which we receive in Baptism, we are enabled to become witnesses to the love of God in the world by living as disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Grow in Love series uses current, child-friendly methodologies to teach children Christian doctrine, Scripture, morality and prayer. It makes a real and serious effort to reach out to parents through the children.The Grow in Love programme contains stories, poems, art, drama and music activities all designed to help your child to learn about God.
Grow in Love also helps children to become aware that they belong to a parish family. In Junior Infants it explains that the church is the place where the family of God go to pray. From First Class on, the children learn about the sacraments of Reconciliation and of Holy Communion. Here, the emphasis is not on the first celebration of these sacraments, but rather on the fact that these sacraments are celebrated regularly in the parish family, and that the children are now ready to participate in them.
Each Grow in Love programme is divided into themes. There are approximately ten themes to be completed by each class each year. Each theme ends with a prayer service.
Although parental engagement is necessary at every class level, families are often most conscious of this responsibility around times of sacramental preparation. This is therefore a most opportune time for parents to be involved.In all things, including Religious Education, you are your child’s first and best teacher. What is done in school only complements and builds on what you do at home.
Grow in Love offers you the opportunity to teach your child about the faith that you chose for them in Baptism. Here are some other simple things that you can do at home to help your child to grow in faith:
- Create a Prayer Space in your child’s bedroom using religious articles such as a cross/crucifix, holy water, a candle, etc. Your child will have a prayer space in their classroom, so they will be familiar with this concept.
- Place a holy water font at the front door and bless yourself as you leave the house.
- Do acts of kindness with your child, such as donating their good quality toys and clothes to a local charity shop.
- Make the Sign of the Cross when you pass a church.
- Visit the church at a quiet time and chat to your child about what they see.
- Bring your child to Mass.
- Pray simple prayers such as the Morning/Night Prayer, Grace Before/After Meals and the Our Father/Hail Mary as a family.