Spirit of Truth (PK/K-8th)
Sophia Institute is the publisher of Spirit of Truth of our K-8 religious education program. The engaging session plans and activities give our catechists the ability to create an environment to share their faith with their students.
Kindergarten: Jesus and the Holy Family (Parish Edition) 2nd Edition
Students are introduced to the loving goodness of Jesus Christ, they meet the members of the Holy Family, and they learn who the saints are and what they teach us.
- They begin to explore why virtue is good and sin is bad, and the importance of developing good habits.
- Students learn that they can speak to God in prayer.
Grade 1: God is Love (Parish Edition) 2nd Edition
Students begin to develop an awareness of God as our Father in Heaven, the creator of Heaven and earth, who is all good, who created them in His image and likeness, and who loves them unconditionally.
- Introduction to the basic parts of the Mass.
- The reality of sin is further explored in connection with the Sacrament of Confession.
- Continuing to learn from the lives of saints, they also explore the basics of prayer as a conversation with God.
Grade 2: Our Life in Jesus (Parish Edition) 2nd Edition
This year focuses on how much children are loved by Jesus Christ, and how his death and Resurrection has opened the way to heaven.
- Students continue to learn about the parts of the Mass, the lives and lessons of the saints, and more ways to pray.
- Special focus is placed on the Sacraments of Confession and Eucharist this year.
Grade 3: The Kingdom of God and the Church (Parish Edition)
Students learn what the Catholic Church is, who the Holy Spirit is and how He guides Her, and what it means that Jesus continues His mission through Her.
- Along with the basics of the Trinity and all seven Sacraments, they build on what they have learned about prayer, and explore what it means to live as children of God.
- They also focus on Jesus' Parables of the Kingdom, and Mary, the Mother of the Church.
- Includes a supplement on Confirmation for restored order dioceses.
Grade 4: Jesus Teaches Us How to Live (Parish Edition)
Most of this year focuses on the moral life, our loving response to God's great gift to us, and students explore more deeply what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God.
- Students explore conscience formation, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Golden Rule, and the Great Commandment.
- The reality of sin and the necessity of virture are emphasized.
Grade 5: The Sacraments (Parish Edition)
This year provides an in-depth exploration of God's grace in the Sacraments, with a focus on what a Sacrament is and why Jesus instituted them.
- Students explore what it means that God is the source of all life, learn more about Holy Mass and Holy Days of Obligation, and read and discuss longer biographies of the saints, especially young saints.
Grade 6: Sacred Scripture (Parish Edition)
Students spend this year immersed in God's Word in the Sacred Scriptures, and explore how the Bible communicates God's plan of salvation to us.
- Includes basics of reading the Bible, Magisterial authority, praying with Scripture, how the Bible is different from other books, and the four senses of Scripture.
- Finally, students experience a comprehensive exploration of the Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelation, all through the lens of the Incarnation.
Grade 7: Living as a Disciple of Christ (Parish Edition)
- This year includes four units in which middle school students explore the topics of:
- Jesus and the Gospel message: unifying themes in Scripture and an in-depth examination of the four Gospels;
- Personal growth: the origin, dignity, and destiny of the human person;
- Each of the Seven Sacraments;
- Prayer: its elements, qualities, and challenges, ways of praying, and Mary and the saints as models of prayer.
Grade 8: The Communion of the Faithful (Parish Edition)
- This year includes five units for middle school students to build on their understanding of:
- Personal growth: our vocation to love and our responsibilities to God and each other;
- Morality: conscience formation through prayer and God's gift of an objective moral standard;
- The Citizen and Government: the natural rights of all persons and the purpose of government;
- God's Plan for Marriage and the Family: our identity as male and female, purposes and abuses of sexuality, and resisting temptation to avoid sin and grow in virtue.