Faith & Spirit

At the heart of Bishop Kelly High School’s community is our spiritual atmosphere, which sets us apart from other area high schools. You will have the opportunity to explore, challenge, develop, and live out your faith through our theology curriculum, campus ministry, liturgy, retreats, and service.

Lead by our Catholic tradition, we recognize Jesus Christ as the model of the total person we are seeking to become. At Bishop Kelly, we develop students to their fullest potential as leaders and as responsible citizens of the world. We are guided by a strong set of moral values, a sense of service and a love of learning.

Our three and a half year theology program encompasses theology, comparative religions, morality, philosophy and social justice issues. You also have the option of taking Bishop Kelly’s Campus Ministry class where you are able to enhance your own spirituality by spreading the love of Christ to others. By taking an active part in the Christian community at BK you can not only live, but also share your faith.

Once a month we celebrate Mass in the Carley Center as a whole student body. Each year, we have the option to attend a retreat with our class. Day Retreats provide a way to develop a deeper relationship with other members of your class, yourself and with God in a holistic atmosphere.

Through service hours, community service projects, and immersion trips, we are able to carry out God’s message and manifest his love here on earth. We believe that Jesus calls us to minister to our neighbors in the everyday passage of life.

Our programs are inclusive of all faith backgrounds and we seek to create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere in our Bishop Kelly community.

Theology Curriculum

Theology curriculum at Bishop Kelly High School covers a broad range of instruction about the knowledge of God and religious truth. The focus of Bishop Kelly’s instructional theology program is to be found in what is called “didache” an awareness and experience of God’s love and redemption as revealed in scripture and tradition – the cognitive element. The school’s total theology program is composed of two additional components, known as “koinonia” – which is faith formation based on involvement in Christian community – and “diakonia” – which encompasses prayer, liturgy, sacramental celebrations, retreats, etc.

The primary goal of the Theology Department is to enhance the Catholic faith of its students and to help them explore, understand and articulate that faith which they already possess—in light of the Church’s experience and teaching.

Students will be taught the living, ongoing faith and tradition of the Catholic Church and they will be provided with the opportunities to experience that faith and tradition as their own. Students who graduate from Bishop Kelly High School will be able to articulate the beliefs of the Catholic Church as well as to express how these beliefs apply to their own lives. The department is currently adapting courses in light of the Doctrinal Elements of a curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2007.

In addition to traditional Theology classes, Bishop Kelly offers the opportunity for students to participate in campus ministry and service learning. The campus ministry program allows students to live out the Gospel message through service to the total school community while the service learning program enables students to reach beyond the confines of school and family communities to benefit the larger community of which they are a part.