Roots of Catholic faith explored at Mount Carmel

Story and Photos By Christine Bordelon, Clarion Herald

Sophomores at Mount Carmel Academy are constantly reminded of the origins of the Catholic faith by studying the Old Testament in religion class.

A recent assignment had them create a mezuzah to hang on the classroom doorways. Mezuzah literally means a “doorpost” in Hebrew. It is the vessel that the Jewish faithful place on their exterior and interior doors filled with parchment paper inscribed with the Shema prayer – passages from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 – as a sign of the inhabitants’ Jewish faith.

Instead of writing the entire Deuteronomy Bible passages, sophomores were asked to write one verse of the Shema prayer in Hebrew: “Blessed are You, Lord Our God, King of the Universe.” The Shema prayer was originally given to the Israelites as they entered the promised land to remind them of who they were – a people of Jewish faith, said sophomore religion teacher  Christine Johnson.

          

Video explained importance

Christopher Lazarine, another sophomore religion teacher, said students watched a video by “Shalom Sesame” to understand the faith practices involved with the mezuzah. The video showed a Jewish family moving to a new home and tracking down the person who hand-crafts mezuzot (the plural of mezuzah) so they could obtain one for their new home. (A mezuzah remains on the home, even when a family sells the home.)

Sophomores glean Jewish teaching and traditions during the Old Testament  religion focus first semester. They not only gain better understanding of the roots of the Catholic faith, said Lazarine and Johnson, a four-year sophomore religion teacher, they also see how different faiths pay respect to God.

“They take Old Testament sophomore year, so it’s the Jewish part of our faith,” Johnson said, “to help them understand who Jesus was as a Jewish man; what he would have studied and prayed and what the Jewish culture means in relation to our own faith. You can’t understand who Jesus was without understanding who he was as a Jewish person.”

She said this is a precursor to senior year, when students take a more in-depth look at all major religions in the world religions course.

“We do the Old Testament, so it’s a good way to compare between Catholicism and the Jewish faith and Jesus in between,” sophomore Victoria Stephens said. “We’re also learning the history behind the Jewish faith.”

Over five years of religion at Mount Carmel Academy students learn church history, Carmelite spirituality, the New Testament, Theology of the Body, sacraments and Catholic social teaching (selecting a local ministry they’re passionate about).

Johnson said faith elements are taught in sequence so students develop faith over time through history, the spirituality of their school founders, the Old and New Testaments and then by comparing and contrasting other faiths with Catholicism.

  “Just walking into a religion class or seeing a religion teacher in the hall reminds me of a form of God,” sophomore Valerie Williams said. “The teachers are so strong in their faith. … I want to be like them and see what I can change about myself.”