Grade 7

Knowledge of Faith: To prepare Christians to know, understand, and integrate the foundational beliefs of the Catholic faith through Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and teachings of the Magisterium

Liturgy and Sacraments To prepare Christians to understand and foster a full, active, and conscious participation in the celebration of the liturgy and Sacraments

Moral Formation in Jesus Christ To prepare Christians to grow in holiness and make good moral choices by being drawn into a deep personal relationship with Christ

Prayer To prepare Christians to come into communion with God by learning to pray with Christ

Community Life through Discipleship in the Church To prepare Christians to live in community and to participate actively in the life and mission of the Church Sixth Grade Seventh Grade

Evangelization and Missionary Spirit To prepare Christians to participate in society as faith-filled disciples and to be able to witness their faith in word and deed

Safe Environment To help Christians realize that each person deserves to be loved and cared for and can help themselves stay safe Safe Environment

Recognize through revelation that God desires to be in relationship with us 

Reflect on God’s revelation and thus come to understand our human desire for God

Explore, understand, and apply Scripture to life through the guidance of the Magisterium 

Learn the history of the Catholic Church and its role in the world

Understand the core teachings of the Catholic Church

Understand that the Sacraments which are celebrated by the Church are outward signs of God’s love revealed through the Paschal Mystery of Christ

Know and value the importance of the Sacraments of initiation, including the dignity and responsibility of Baptism, the deepening of grace in Confirmation, and the centrality of the Eucharist

Know and value the importance of the Sacraments of healing – Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

Know and value the importance of the Sacraments of service to the Church – Marriage and Holy Orders

Understand that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life of the Church

Acquire the knowledge, spirituality, and skills which lead to full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgical life of the Church

Develop a moral foundation centered in a virtuous life and properly informed conscience through the teaching of the Catholic Church

Recognize the need for grace to live a moral life and to be faithful to Scriptural values

Recognize and honor the dignity of human life from natural conception to natural death

Understand the nature of sin and personal responsibility

Develop a life-long relationship with God through prayer

Know and participate in Catholic prayers

Recognize the importance of the role of Scripture in our prayer life

Actively participate in the life and work of the local and global Church

Grow spiritually as a Church

Cultivate human values and Christian virtues 

1. Recognize and respond to our baptismal call of service according to our vocation in life

Live as disciples of Christ through the knowledge and practice of Catholic social teaching 

Give witness to Catholic principles and values in all aspects of daily life

Understand each human being is created in the image and likeness of God

Understand that choices have consequences

Recognize experiences of good and had human relationships and friendships

Differentiate between holy and sinful behavior

Know and retell the story of Salvation History

Understand the Paschal Mystery

Recognize our need to respond to the Paschal Mystery

Know that Sacred Scripture is the inspired Word of God and not a book primarily for history or scientific facts

Develop a timeline for the New Testament

Recall major events, themes, and people from salvation history in the New Testament

Define the meaning of the Nicene Creed

Know that the Trinity is the central mystery of our Christian faith and life

Connect the Sacramental actions (water, table, anointing, etc.) of the New Testament with the Sacraments

Give examples of how we give witness to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection

Explain how the Sacraments strengthen us to give witness to the life of Jesus

Identify and explain the signs and symbols of each Sacrament

Describe what each Sacrament celebrates 

Understand the nature and purpose of ritual

Recognize that the Sacrament of Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life where we are “freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church, and made sharers in her mission” (CCC 1213)

Discuss how our Baptismal vows relate to the creed

Describe the importance of the Eucharistic Prayer in the Mass

Reflect on the Eucharist

Name the gifts of the Holy Spirit

Experience reconciliation

Understand the relationship of Scripture and the Sacraments of healing

Understand the Sacramental covenants in Marriage and Holy Orders

Describe the main responsibilities of priesthood and permanent deaconate

Understand the value of the Sacrament of matrimony

Explain the importance of the vocation of Christian marriage

Understand that the covenant of marriage entails fruitful love and is indisolvable

Understand the centrality of Eucharist in our faith life

Explain how liturgy is the “participation of the people of God in the ‘work of God’” (CCC 1069)

Understand that the place of active participation in the Mass is internal and external (SC 19) 

Understand that “people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.” (SC 30)

Recognize that the foundation of Catholic morality is based on Christ

Demonstrate how to be disciples of Jesus

Understand how the Ten Commandments, Beatitudes/Sermon on the Mount, Catholic Social Teachings, and Works of Mercy apply to daily life

Explain how the Great Commandment guides us in moral decision making and it’s relation to free will

Identify moral values in the teachings of Jesus by exploring the Beatitudes, Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy

Identify stories concerning Jesus and forgiveness

Understand that with the grace of God, we turn “toward God and away from sin” (CCC 1989)

Demonstrate how moral virtues are “acquired by human effort” and allows human beings to “give the best of himself” (CCC 1803, 1804)

Explain how the teachings of Jesus show ways to respect the poor, physically and mentally disabled, the elderly, and the forgotten

Explain how the teachings of Jesus show ways to respect the poor, physically and mentally disabled, the elderly, and the forgotten

Identify the elements of a well-formed conscience using scripture, doctrine, and Church teachings (CCC 1783)

Provide examples of how we use a well- formed conscience to make moral decisions

Understand that “the morality of human acts depends on: the object chosen, the end in view or the intention, and the circumstances of the action” (CCC 1750)

Exhibit the use of prudence in making moral decisions

Desire to live a moral, holy life

Recognize that prayer is a dialogue with God

Recognize, appreciate, and understand various ways God answers prayers in the New Testament

Recognize that every baptized person is called to be a blessing

Lead others in prayers of petition and intercession

Pray the appropriate seventh grade prayers

Explore the life of Christ through devotional prayer such as the Stations of the Cross and the Rosary

Pray in Eucharistic Adoration

Understand the Our Father as the prayer that Jesus taught us

Discover the beauty and richness of prayer that is guided by Scripture, especially in the New Testament

Participate in ministries of the parish

Explain the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Church

Name the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they unite us as a parish

Apply the cardinal and theological virtues and give examples of how they guide our daily living

Identify how Christian vocations reflect our baptismal call to discipleship

Identify the ways vocations to married, vowed religious and ordained life give service to others

Give examples of saints and holy people found in the New Testament, in history, and in the world today

Explore principles of Catholic social justice through the teachings of Jesus

Apply the Gospel message of justice and peace to current events

Recognize the value of Christian discipleship as exemplified by men and women throughout history

Identify opportunities to perform the Works of Mercy

Understand behaviors and actions that harm you and other physically, psychologically, or spiritually wrong

Explore ideas of setting personal boundaries and the effects of having these boundaries violated

Develop virtues, including courage, that are necessary for responding to sinful situations of all kinds