Living in Christ

An Innovative New High School Curriculum

The Living in Christ series is a comprehensive four-year high school religion curriculum that presents Catholic theology in an engaging, accessible manner for students.

The courses in Living in Christ address the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ high school curriculum framework and provide additional content that expands on the framework.

The Living in Christ series utilizes the best of Saint Mary's Press' nearly 70 years of publishing experience and contemporary educational methodologies to create courses that move the students to a deeper understanding of the content and its life applications.

The second edition of our popular Living In Christ series offers updated navigation, organizing and synchronizing curriculum across both teacher guides and student books.

  • Teacher Guide (TG) aligns with the student book for easy navigation and use.
  • TG provides a visual overview of each unit’s learning plan, including enduring understandings, essential questions, knowledge and skill goals, and key vocabulary.
  • TG includes abundant learning activities to help students master enduring understandings for each unit.
  • TG and online teaching resources provide variety of summative and formative assessments.
  • Reflection questions have been added throughout each chapter in the Student Book to invite the students to apply their learning to their own life and spirituality.
  • Online resources allow easy adaptation and personalization of all student activities and handouts.

Second edition is available for the freshman and sophomore courses: The Living Word, Jesus Christ, The Paschal Mystery and The Church. They are available in multiple formats.  We offer the textbooks in print, as interactive E-Books, and iBooks, so that the students can view their books on multiple devices and in a format that works for them.

iBooks: An iBook is a digital version of a print book that is downloaded to your iPad device through the iTunes store. iBooks offer functionality such as bookmarking, highlighting, copying, note taking, search functionality, and the ability to share content from the iBook with others digitally.

E-Books: A digital version of a print book that can be viewed on multiple platforms, such as iPads, Android tablets, or on a web browser (PC or Mac). Our eBooks are offered directly from Saint Mary's Press. 

Living in Christ:

  • Makes the most of the wisdom and experience of the Catholic high school teacher as they empower and guide students to participate in their own learning.
  • Engages students' intellect and responds to their natural desire to know God.
  • Encourages faith in action through carefully crafted chapter questions, lessons, activities, service learning, and summative projects that address multiple learning styles.
To see all the books in the series, click on the Components tab above.
 

What you will find:

Student book. The student books provide all the catechetical content needed for the course and explain Catholic theology in a clear, accessible, and engaging manner. The learning experiences and the students' understanding are enhanced through the inclusion of a variety of supplemental sidebars. The "Pray It!" sidebars help the students to explore and deepen their prayer lives, the "Live It!" sidebars help the students to connect the teaching to their daily lives, and the "Catholic Wisdom" sidebars provide insight into our Catholic faith, often presented in the words of important Catholic figures from the past and the present. Additional sidebars expand on the content, addressing the Scriptures, doctrine, the liturgy, and more.

Teacher Guide. The guides for teachers have been carefully crafted to assist the teacher in leading the students to a deep understanding of the content. Each guide for teachers presents eight units that build upon each other over the course of a semester. Each unit contains clearly defined objectives, detailed assessment options (with rubrics), clearly explained teaching steps, and engaging learning experiences. The guides for teachers provide a wide variety of exercises to engage the different learning styles of the students. The guides for teachers also offer suggestions on how to use additional resources such as the Bible, primary source documents, music, and movies to enhance the students' experience.

Additional Online Teacher Resources.  Saint Mary’s Press also offers teachers a rich variety of supplemental resources for each course, including backgrounds articles, handouts, activities, PowerPoints, assessments, links, and much more.  This extensive collection of support materials can be found at http://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/books/

"Saint Mary's Press has met the Bishops' framework while keeping the excellent pedagogical approach from their earlier books!"

—James Baird, religion teacher, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, San Francisco, California.

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Features


Unique Features:

The Living in Christ series utilizes the best of Saint Mary's Press' nearly 70 years of publishing experience and contemporary educational methodologies to create courses that move the students to a deeper understanding of the content and its life applications. Living in Christ enables teachers to customize their lessons to accommodate their scheduling needs and the diverse needs of their students.

These are the guiding principles behind the Living in Christ curriculum:

  • Resources should empower the teacher to guide the students' learning.
  • Learning is about both knowing the content and understanding it.
  • Learning is about acquiring both skills and knowledge.
  • Learning is both an individual and a communal activity.
  • Research, reflection, and conversation are essential for the learning process.
  • The Gospel message and Church teaching must be connected to the lived experience.

One of the ways the Living in Christ curriculum addresses these guiding principles is through the use of Understanding by Design, backwards design, and innovative assessments. Understanding by Design, backwards design, and assessments build upon and complement one another in the development of curriculum.

Understanding by Design:

Understanding by Design focuses on the importance of the students' understanding of the key learning objectives and making the connection between what they have learned and their lives.

With this principle in mind, each unit in the Living in Christ curriculum is designed to address the essential topics related to the unit and to present them to the students in a format and organization that enhance comprehension. The key understandings the students are to achieve are clearly stated at the beginning of each unit, and the teacher is encouraged to share these understandings with the students. This enables the teacher and the students to be aware of the ultimate goals of the unit. The key understandings are then explored in the unit through individual and communal learning experiences. At the end of each unit, the students will possess both knowledge of the content and a deeper understanding of how it relates to their lives.

Backwards design is a process for designing a curriculum that begins with the end in mind, and then for developing the curriculum to achieve that end.

The development of each course in the Living in Christ curriculum began by using Understanding by Design to determine what the key understandings for each unit would be and then using backwards design to create the unit. The starting point for the backwards design was to determine how the students would be assessed on their understanding of the topics. The unit was then created to guide the students in achieving the desired outcome.

Assessments:

Assessments are an integral part of the Living in Christ curriculum. Each unit contains a cumulative assessment that is designed to assess the students on the key understanding for the unit. The cumulative assessments are creative assessment options that the students work on over the course of the unit and presented at the end of the unit. These assessments appeal to a wide range of learning styles and enable the students to creatively demonstrate their level of understanding.

Each unit also contains a variety of other assessment options. In addition to traditional assessments, such as a test bank and quizzes, each unit in the Living in Christ curriculum provides preassessment and formative assessment options.

Preassessments are simple ways the teacher can determine, at the beginning of a unit, the knowledge and understandings that the students already possess going into the unit. Formative assessments are exercises that allow teachers to assess students' understanding as the unit progresses. Each of these types of assessments assists the teacher in customizing the unit to the needs of the students as well as to accurately assess student progress and understanding.

Additional Online Teacher Resources:

The Living in Christ innovative teacher resources fully integrates student and teacher components in a dynamic and intuitive format, offering a rich variety of resources, PowerPoints, assessments, and articles.

The Living in Christ Online Teacher Resources enriches and empowers teachers with:

  • Background articles on content covered.
  • Background articles about specific teaching methods and overall educational approaches.
  • PowerPoints to augment the main presentations.
  • Ongoing assessments for each unit to gauge students' learning and understanding.
  • Handouts to enhance learning.
  • A test generator.
  • Online vocabulary quizzes.
  • and much more!

Components


By Robert Rabe

The Living Word provides an introduction to the Sacred Scriptures and to the unfolding of salvation history, with a particular focus on Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of salvation history. Revelation, both Divine and natural, is explored, as are inspiration, interpretation, and exegesis.

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By Carrie J. Schroeder

In Jesus Christ: God's Love Made Visible the students encounter Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity. This course leads the students toward a deeper understanding of Divine Revelation, the Trinity, the Incarnation, Jesus, salvation, and discipleship as a response to God's love.

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By Brian Singer-Towns

The goodness of creation, Original Sin, and the promise of a messiah are the starting points for this course, which explores our salvation through the Paschal Mystery.

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By Martin C. Albl, Christine Schmertz Navarro and Joanna Dailey

The Church: Christ in the World Today guides the students in exploring and understanding the Catholic Church, as well as its origin, structure, and mission. Additionally, the course addresses the roles of the hierarchy, those in religious life, and the laity in supporting the mission of the Church. Particular attention is paid to the global presence of the Church as a light to all people.

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By Joanna Dailey

The Sacraments provides an opportunity to encounter Christ in a full and real way. The focus of this course is to help the students to learn about the Seven Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, in order to enable them to more fully participate in them. The course also explores the history, scriptural foundation, and current practices of the sacraments.

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Student Text

Teacher Guide

By Brian Singer-Towns

Students face countless choices and challenges in their daily lives. This course addresses how a relationship with Christ and the Church can lead to choices that are in accord with God’s plan. The students learn what it means to live as a disciple of Christ and how the Church strengthens this discipleship.

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Student text

Teacher Guide

By Margaret Nutting Ralph, PhD

Edited by Joanna Dailey

The purpose of this course is to provide an in-depth study of the New Testament. Since Jesus Christ’s life, death, and Resurrection are at the heart of the Christian mystery, this course will begin by looking at the four complementary but unique portraits of Jesus that are found in the four Gospels. Next it will trace the spread of the Gospel as told in Acts and the Letters. The course will also consider the challenges faced by the early Church that emerge through a careful reading of the New Testament Letters and the Book of Revelation. 

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Student Text

Teacher Guide

By Brian Singer-Towns

This course will guide students in exploring and understanding the social teachings of the Church. It will address the major themes of Catholic social teaching, what they express about God’s plan for all people, and our obligation to care for one another, especially those most in need in society. The course will work to move students toward a life of service and work for the Kingdom of God.

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Student Text

Teacher Guide

By Gloria Shahin and Joanna Dailey

This course examines the events of the Church's life, the contributions to human life it has made, and studies the challenges the Church has faced over time, from her earliest history.

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Student Text

Teacher Guide

By Jenna Cooper, Fr. Luke Sweeney and Joanna Dailey

This course leads the students toward a deeper understanding of the vocations of life: how Christ calls us to live. In this course, students will learn how all vocations are similar, as well as how they differ. They will learn what it means to live life for the benefit of others, and the value in considering a vocation in service to the Christian community.

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Student Text

Teacher Guide

What people are saying about Living in Christ

Living in Christ is a remarkable new curriculum designed to meet the faith formation needs of today's students while equipping the teacher with an extensive yet flexible array of ideas, resources, and content. This series is student-centered and attentive to the variety of ways students engage the content of their faith. It lays a strong catechetical foundation, integrating Scripture and Tradition through content development, relevant praxis, and reflection. It is well designed to form disciples for the 21st century. The method, approach, and content engage the head as well as the heart. Living in Christ draws upon the experience and expertise of the teacher and provides every tool necessary to lead students into the learning process, providing an encounter with Christ that will lead them to discover the relevance of living their faith for a lifetime.

Review by Sr. Katherine Feely, SND, high school educator

The Living in Christ curriculum is more than another textbook series. Scholarly without being abstract and engaging without being overbearing, it serves as the ideal intersection of bringing the Good News into any classroom while recognizing that students come from diverse backgrounds with unique learning styles. It reclaims the great biographies in the communion of saints while inviting students to examine their own spiritual formation. This is the perfect intellectual companion for the high school classroom: grounded in the Catechism while challenging students to reflect on their relationship with God in a rational and authentic way. For teachers, it serves as the ideal resource for teaching adolescents in the 21st century by laying the foundation for religious instruction in terms of what is essential to know, but still providing numerous options to build upon! From prayer activities and doctrinal clarifications to the unique charism of Catholicism and the individuals that constitute the Church, Living in Christ stands out as the vanguard for what high school theology should look like. Students will be drawn to the concise format of the books and the sidebar topics, covering everything from key historical events to models of spirituality. I would be amazed if this series does not become the benchmark for other religion textbooks.

Review by Patrick Tiernan, Boston College High School

Orders

The Living Word: The Revelation of God's Love, Second Edition

By Robert Rabe

$30.95

Available in digital:

The Living Word: The Revelation of God's Love

By Rita E. Cutarelli and Carrie J. Schroeder

$51.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

Jesus Christ: God's Love Made Visible, Second Edition

By Carrie J. Schroeder

$30.95

Available in digital:

Jesus Christ: God's Love Made Visible

Jesus Christ: God's Love Made Visible

Teacher Guide, Second Edition

By Sister Ann Marie Lustig

$51.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

The Paschal Mystery: Christ's Mission of Salvation, Second Edition

By Brian Singer-Towns

$30.95

Available in digital:

Interactive E-Book:

Apple Books

The Paschal Mystery: Christ's Mission of Salvation

By Rita E. Cutarelli and Carrie J. Schroeder

$51.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

The Church: Christ in the World Today, Second Edition

By Martin C. Albl, Christine Schmertz Navarro and Joanna Dailey

$30.95

Available in digital:

Interactive E-Book:

Apple Books

The Church: Christ in the World Today

The Church: Christ in the World Today

Teacher Guide, Second Edition

By Michael Greene

$51.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

The Bible:  The Living Word of God

By Lauren Lefrancois and Vanessa Sibley Mudd

$41.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

The Church: Christ in the World Today

By Anne Herrick

$41.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

The Sacraments: Encounters with Christ, First Edition

By Joanna Dailey

$30.95

Available in digital:

The Sacraments: Encounters with Christ

The Sacraments: Encounters with Christ

Teacher Guide, First Edition

By Michael Greene

Edited by Joanna Dailey

$41.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

Christian Morality: Our Response to God's Love, First Edition

By Brian Singer-Towns

$30.95

Available in digital:

Christian Morality: Our Response to God's Love

$41.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

The New Testament: The Good News of Jesus Christ, First Edition

By Margaret Nutting Ralph, PhD

Edited by Joanna Dailey

$30.95

Available in digital:

The New Testament: The Good News of Jesus Christ

By Carrie J. Schroeder

$41.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society, First Edition

By Brian Singer-Towns

$30.95

Available in digital:

Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society

By Anne Herrick

$41.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

Church History: Apostolic Times to Today, First Edition

By Gloria Shahin and Joanna Dailey

$30.95

Available in digital:

Church History: Apostolic Times to Today

By Jeanette Fast Redmond and Tina Rosenthal Monosmith

$41.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order

Vocations: Answering God's Call, First Edition

By Jenna Cooper, Fr. Luke Sweeney and Joanna Dailey

$30.95

Available in digital:

Vocations: Answering God's Call

By Michael Greene

Edited by Joanna Dailey

$41.95

Call 800-533-8095 to order