RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

About the Instructor
Sister Mary Jane is a native of Bourbonnais, Illinois, a city abour 50 miles south of Chicago- where the Bears, White Sox and Cubs rule!  She entered the Congregation of Notre Dame in 1960, and after receiving her first degree at DePaul University in Chicago, began her teaching career. In 1976, she received her Masters Degree in the Teaching of Religion from St. Michael's College in Winooski, VT. She has taught in Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, and her in South Dakota at Red Cloud for the last 20 years.

Curriculum
In Religion Class, all of the students are exposed daily to the life and teachings of Jesus through the Gospels. In Fifth and Seventh grades, the curriculum deals almost exclusively with the life of Jesus and the Sacraments. In Sixth Grade, the Old Testament is the focus of our study with constant attention to showing how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Eighth Grade is studying the legacy Jesus left us, the Church. From its beginnings at the time of the Apostles to the present day, the students watch the Spirit alive in the Church for over 2000 years.

Young Lakota people are very spiritual by nature. The prayer forms used in class vary; Scriptural, Meditative, Formal & Informal, Journaling, Song; all of these the students feel somewhat at home with. The students are encouraged to pray in the words and language that is most comfortable for them. Lakota & Christian tradition share a richness with both experiencing an intimate relationship between God (Wakan-Tanka, Tunkasila, The Great Spirit, Yahweh, El) and all that has been created.