This is the repository for parent and student information concerning the 9th grade religious education program at St. Raymond of Penafort Catholic Church in Springfield, VA for 2024-2025 school year. The course is a survey of the Catholic Faith. This repository contains home reading and materials covered in the course, along with copies of the post-class emails sent to the parents (and students). For questions, please contact Bob Laird, the instructor, at blaird48@gmail.com. The Classes are listed in reverse order with the latest classes on top.
This course is taught as a survey course on Catholicism from the viewpoint of the intersection of faith and science. While we cannot cover every corner of our faith, we hope to delve more deeply into several different areas, hoping to make the course interesting enough such that the students will want to explore more on their own. The first semester to cover the details of the Nicene Creed – the one that we pray ever Sunday at Mass. We will encounter many of the sections from the viewpoint of the scientist. Can we prove that there is a God from science? Did Jesus leave us any proofs that he really existed? What about the Roman Catholic Church? Is it really built on the rock of Peter (Matt: 16:18)?
Class #3 (September 22, 2024)
St. Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
Class # 2 (September 15, 2024)
Class #2 Post-Class Parent Email
Confessions of St. Augustine (Class 3 pre-read)
Pope Saint John Paul II on Evolution and Creation
Anthropic Conditions at Time of Creation Present Today
The 12 Capacities of Man’s Transphysical Soul
Class #1 (September 8, 2024)
General Information for Class 1
The Doppler Effect and the Big Bang
Bob & Gerri Focused 