An upcoming National Religious Education Symposium will present a unique opportunity for Catholic Schools across the country to explore their mission as authentic witnesses of Jesus Christ in an increasingly secular society.
Catholic Education Western Australia, Director of Religious Education, Dr Debra Sayce will be the keynote speaker at the BBI The Australian Institute of Theological Education’s (BBI-TAITE) landmark symposium on 27 and 28 July in Sydney.
The Symposium will bring together nationally and internationally respected experts in the field of religious education.
Dr Sayce believes one of the greatest challenges facing Catholic schools today is to ensure they maintain their spiritual identity while also reading the signs of the times.
“We need to ensure that the religious education curriculum is relevant and engaging for our students and that also should involve integrating digital technology into our classes, so that the course content genuinely meets the needs of our students,” she added.
Dr Sayce will draw upon her decades of experience as a teacher, principal and researcher to deliver a presentation on the topic, Delivering an RE Curriculum in an Increasingly Secular Culture.
“There is a genuine responsibility entrusted to us as teachers and leaders in the field of religious education to present the story of Jesus Christ and that can be particularly challenging and even counter-cultural in today’s world,” Dr Sayce explained.
“To meet that challenge, I believe, we first need to reflect upon our own personal faith journeys which can then provide us with a stronger framework to be more authentic witnesses of Christ in Catholic education.”
Dr Sayce’s leadership in this area extends to the national level as a member of the Faith Formation and Religious Education Committee of the National Catholic Education Commission.
A former Principal at La Salle College, Middle Swan, Dr Sayce has held her current position with Catholic Education WA for the past nine years.
She has a particular interest in researching the challenges faced by new Principals in Catholic schools which was the focus of her doctoral thesis more than two years ago.
“The Catholic Principal has a particularly central role as a leader in the faith formation of their school communities,” Dr Sayce explained.
“Through my research, I have found this is particularly noticeable in rural and remote communities where the Principal also tends to take a more active role in their parish council which then extends that level of accountability beyond the school gates as well.”
Teachers will benefit from a series of practical workshops at the National RE Symposium, which will be led by Catholic educational leaders from around Australia with first-hand insights into what works well in contemporary classrooms.
For more information on the event, including registration details, please visit the BBI website: www.bbi.catholic.edu.au