Development Of Saint Joseph Marello’s Spirituality Formation Program For Senior High School Students

Abstract

As a Catholic school with religious education at the core, pedagogical activities are expected to align with Jesus' teachings and be a place of encounter and convergence for the entire community. OSJ schools have their own educational identity and should be uniquely identified along with the philosophical thoughts of St. Joseph Marello when administering schools and forming the values of the young generation. The researcher aims to evaluate the senior high school student's knowledge and manifestation of faith under the OSJ pattern of religious education, which is based on the life and teachings of St. Joseph Marello. In addition, revisiting the religious education subject offered by the school system and its actual implementation is vital to continue its mission "to form the hearts and minds of every learner in the light of the religious education and the spirituality of the founder and to promote virtuous Christians and excellent citizens".

This study used a descriptive, evaluative research design to assess the respondents' knowledge and manifestation of learning about the life, teachings, and virtues of St. Joseph Marello. The researcher chose one of the private schools in Padre Garcia Batangas with 80 Senior High school students as respondents who completed four years of Junior School in the locale. The researcher asked permission of those involved in the study and adhered to the privacy and anonymity in data gathering.

Based on the gathered data, most respondents knew little about St. Joseph Marello's life as a priest, bishop, and founder of OSJ schools. Discussing the value of Simplicity (60%), Charity (only 35%), and humility (52.5%) of the respondents were knowledgeable and very knowledgeable. The following overall weighted mean was obtained: in terms of Simplicity, 2.67, Charity is 2.54, and humility is 2.93, interpreted as Manifested. This study proposed a Spiritual Formation Program for Senior High School students about the life and teaching of Saint Joseph Marello.

The output of the survey, St. Joseph Marello's spirituality formation program, was inspired by the pattern of the life of Saint Joseph Marello, starting from his priestly vocation, his dedication, and his love for service, helping the poor and the elderly, educating the youth to be morally good, becoming a gem among bishops and his becoming a saint in the Catholic Church.