Religion Curriculum
Each young woman is required to successfully complete a religion class each year she is enrolled at OLA. The curriculum includes:
| |
Seventh Grade
|
– Liturgy and Creed |
| |
Eighth Grade |
– Morality and Church History |
| |
Ninth Grade |
– Old Testament |
| |
Tenth Grade |
– Morality |
| |
Eleventh Grade |
– New Testament |
| |
Twelfth Grade |
– Christian Vocations and Social Justice |
Religious Assemblies
Throughout the academic year, the OLA school community gathers for liturgy, prayer, prayer services and other religious celebrations. These include:
| |
• |
Monthly school liturgy
|
| |
• |
Liturgy on all Holy Days |
| |
• |
Catholic Schools Week |
| |
• |
Tri-School Liturgy |
| |
• |
Beginning of the year theme setting and prayer service |
| |
• |
Mercy Day prayer service and celebration |
| |
• |
Thanksgiving prayer service |
| |
• |
Christmas religious assembly |
| |
• |
May crowning |
| |
• |
Ring ceremony |
| |
• |
Graduation Liturgy |
| |
• |
Advent and Lenten Penance Services |
| |
• |
Lenten Stations of the Cross |
| |
• |
Eighth Grade Promotion Prayer Service |
Retreat Program
Each student is also expected to make a yearly retreat with her class. These are one-day retreats for the seventh through tenth graders and a two-day, overnight retreat for the juniors and seniors.
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry, a service organization at Our Lady Academy, has a two-fold mission:
| |
1) |
Minister to OLA with prayer services, liturgies, and reconciliations. |
| |
2) |
Create and maintain an Outreach Program to the civic community. |
For OLA, the Campus Ministry Organization prepares daily prayer for the WOLA Internal TV, Holy day Masses, Catholic
Schools Week Mass, Advent and Lent Reconciliations, special prayer services for different occasions.
For the civic community, the Campus Ministry Organization connects OLA with an Outreach Program. Some of the activities are:
| |
1) |
Hold a “Baby Shower” in October for the Catholic Diocese Morning Star Pregnancy Center, |
| |
|
|
| |
2) |
Sponsor “Respect Life” projects in October, |
| |
|
|
| |
3) |
Prepare Breast Cancer Awareness Posters and raise funds for the Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure” in October, |
| |
|
|
| |
4) |
Sponsor a Food Collection in November for Hancock County Food Pantry, |
| |
|
|
| |
5) |
Contribute to the “Operation Christmas Child” in November, |
| |
|
|
| |
6) |
Collect Christmas presents for families at the Gulf Coast Women’s Center for Non-Violence in December, |
| |
|
|
| |
7) |
Collect “Pennies for Patients” for the MS Leukemia/Lymphoma Society in February, |
| |
|
|
| |
8) |
Collect food and other needed items for the local Animal Shelter in March, |
| |
|
|
| |
9) |
Participate in the “Relay for Life” and raise funds for the Cancer Society in May and |
| |
|
|
| |
10) |
Visit the residents at the Dunbar Village Nursing Home throughout the year. |
Service
Service is one of the Core Values of a Mercy education. Each of our young women is challenged to view each person as a child of God and expected to give service to her school, her Church, and her local community. Service hours are tracked by the head of Campus Ministry and recognition is given at the awards assembly each spring. |