Year Group

P1

Through the Grow in Love programme, children are helped to come to a deeper understanding of the reality of God’s love in their lives: to know that God loves them unconditionally, that there is neither beginning nor end to the love of God, and that human love is only a hint of what God’s love is like. The children will explore themes such as; ‘My Family”, ‘Our World’, ‘Advent & Christmas’, ‘Jesus’, ‘Easter’ and ‘The Church’, along with their own uniqueness and place in the world.

P2

Children in P2 go on a journey to 'grow in love' with God and one another. Through the Grow in Love programme, the children explore themes such as; 'Our World', 'We Belong', 'The Holy Family', 'Jesus' and 'The Church'. The children also learn about 'Saint Brigid and the Spring' listening to her story and sing songs about her. In P2, the children will be formally introduced to the Our Father and Hail Mary.

P3

In P3, there is a particular emphasis on teaching children about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The children explore themes such as; 'Belonging', 'We Hear the Gospel at Mass', 'Celebrating Mass' and ‘Jesus is still with us'. The children will begin to prepare for their Confession by exploring the Parable of the Lost Sheep and will be taught the Act of Sorrow. The children listen to stories and participate in class prayer services.

P4

The Grow in Love Programme for Primary 4 contains 11 themes starting with 'Called and Chosen'. Other themes include 'We Hear the Word of God at Mass' and ' We Can Live as Jesus asked’. In P4, the children are taught to develop an appreciation of the Rosary and throughout the year they became more independent in saying the Hail Mary and Our Father. The children begin to attend Mass with the school and there is a particular emphasis on teaching children about the Sacrament of Communion.

P5

In P5, the children are introduced to Bible stories on the life of Jesus and they learn about the structure of the Bible. Throughout the year, the boys continue to explore the richness of the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation and they are introduced to the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Children will explore Faith through the ages, the tradition of pilgrimage in the Church today and the importance of taking care of the earth.

P6

The Grow in Love syllabus for P6 has a focus on how God created the world and everything in it through love. The children are given a brief introduction to the books of New Testament, particularly the 4 Gospels. The children will hear a number of Bible stories from the life of Jesus, with an emphasis on the parables of Jesus. They also explore what it means to be a missionary and examine the richness of faith of those who lived in early Christian Ireland. The children will be provided with opportunities to participate in vocal and meditative prayer.

P7

In P7, the children are taught how to look up Scripture references in the Bible. They are also introduced to the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. The children will examine the diocesan and parish structures of the Church and are introduced to the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The children will analyse the story of the Road to Emmaus; this is their starting point for examining the structures of the Mass. The P7 children also prepare for and received the Sacrament of Confirmation.