Faith and Spiritual Formation
SMCC serves the educational needs of young men and women of diverse religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. The school is an extension of the educational ministry of the Roman Catholic Church which continues the teaching mission of Jesus. Approximately 80% of SMCC students identify themselves as Roman Catholic. The remaining twenty percent of the population is Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Non-denominational Christian, Greek Orthodox, or Hindu.
SMCC teaches Roman Catholic theology in accordance with the precepts of the Catholic Church, utilizing the theology curriculum for secondary schools that was approved by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011. It seeks to enable all of its students to understand more clearly and apply the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church. SMCC promotes an understanding of Gospel values and their application to everyday life, realizing one's relationship to an ever changing global society. SMCC believes in the importance of being a vital and concerned member of the community through prayer, discipline, and responsiveness to the needs of the local community.
A student's faith and spiritual formation is further developed through the school's efforts in the area of prayer, retreats, and service.
SMCC students pray together twice each school day, first during homeroom with intentions, a Scripture passage and a Saint of the Day reading and again through a silent and reflective prayer at the beginning of the class period of the day. In addition, many teachers begin each of their classes with their own brief centering prayer. The Practicing Spirituality class conducts frequent morning prayer services focused around topics pertinent to the life of a young adult of faith in our increasingly secular culture. In 2010, the school was blessed to have Archbishop Allen Vigneron on hand to dedicate the beautiful Chapel of the Infant Jesus of Prague. This sacred space serves as the heart of the school's campus. Theology classes frequently use the space for class lectures and discussions. During the seasons of Advent and Lent, weekly Mass is offered in the Chapel and open to all students, parents and guests. In addition to all of these opportunities to pray as a community the student body and staff gather at least once a month at St. Mary's Parish next door as community to share in an all-school liturgy.
Each year while enrolled at SMCC, students are required to attend a day or overnight retreat. These sacred times of prayer and reflection assist students in reflecting on; 1) what it means to live in a Christian community, 2) God's gift of human sexuality and our proper response to this gift, 3) the need to ask for and offer forgiveness and healing in our relationships with others, and 4) the call as young adults to make faith a central part of one's life as they transition into full adulthood.
SMCC students contribute tens of thousands of hours of community service through our Christian Service and Campus Ministry programs each year. SMCC seeks to instill service as a "habit of the heart" in its students and staff. Students volunteer at hundreds of school and community events in an attempt to live our the Catholic Church's social teachings. Annual mission trips to Appalachia and Guatemala complement the faith development found in daily prayer, Theology classes, and liturgical services and offer students an extended and intense experience of living a "Me Third" attitude in service to God and others.
Read more about this topic: St. Mary Catholic Central High School
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