That we work on moral and spiritual education,
not merely academic education, is an important part of
RHSM’s whole-person approach to education. This
is evident in our commitment to spiritual and moral development
and to a rich diversity of expression in that development.
The spiritual dimension of life is extremely important
for growth and ethical grounding. An understanding of
the variety of faith experiences is essential in our
increasingly interconnected world. Gathering as a community
is important for developing a sense of being part of
a larger whole and a sense of responsibility to the whole.
The goal is to assist in the development of responsible,
alert individuals, who cultivate the spiritual and ethical
dimensions of their own lives, even as they learn to
delight in the variety of faith experiences and expressions
around them.
Because quiet
is a necessary part of a healthy mental and spiritual
life, St. Margaret’s Chapel on the
McCarthey Campus is reserved as a place of reflection
whenever it is not being used for a service or other
specially arranged event. The chapel also often contains
displays of books, artifacts, and informative pictures
related to the current chapel focus. This facilitates
further learning about a given religion, or holy day.
Throughout the school, the chapel program
is closely tied to community service, providing the spiritual,
affective, and intellectual context for serving
others.
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Lower School chapel specialty reaches out
into students' lives with the weekly challenges to
accomplish something particular associated with the week’s focus.
We have created our own “Spiritual Literacy Alphabet,” based
upon Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat’s book Spiritual
Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life. Each class
has a copy of the alphabet and throughout the year we return
to the idea that there are particular attributes we need
to cultivate in order to be spiritually literate. Each
class also has a copy of the book World of Faith, to facilitate
continual access to basic information about a wide variety
of faith traditions. We celebrate a variety of religious
observances from major faiths and explore ways to bring
the particular values expressed in them into our own lives.
Our celebrations include observances as diverse as the
birthdays of Bahá'úllah, Joseph Smith, Muhammad,
the Buddha, Guru Nanak, and Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosh
haShana, Saint Francis Day, World Food Day, Diwali, Ramadan,
Bodhi Day, Christmas and Hanukkah, Saint Margaret’s
Day, Eid ul Adha, and Yom haShoah. |
