TOUR

Planning
Branch Six
Diocese of Shrewsbury
The resource has been produced to support training in the Diocese of Shrewsbury. It remains
the intellectual property of the author.
 Principles behind branch six

• Branch Six is based on a worldviews pedagogy. It is not just about learning facts but about authentic
encounter.
• When planning the curriculum, teachers should be mindful of the principles of interreligious dialogue
and that they are seeking to enable students to develop a grammar of dialogue. That is a way of
listening to different views, spending time in discernment, and sharing responses to the religion or
worldview being studied. Christian students could also consider where they may discern ‘seeds of the
Word’ within other religious traditions and all pupils should reflect on how different faiths can work
together for the common good.
• In ‘Ecclesiam Suam’ (1964), Pope St Paul VI envisaged that interreligious dialogue should take the form of
concentric circles. First, Catholics should look to Christian denominations and then the Abrahamic
traditions before reaching to religions that had cultural and historical origins in Asia and Africa.
Therefore, the Encounter and Dialogue branch for Key Stage 3 contains two elements, learning more
about Christianity and encountering different religious and non-religious worldviews. The structure of
teaching about different religions and worldviews is intentionally not specified to enable teachers to
match the content to the profile of pupils in their school and to decide which year group will address
different content.
• Meeting God in friend and stranger’ (2010) highlights the following areas of dialogue for schools
⚬ The dialogue of life – what it means to be a good neighbour.
⚬ The dialogue of action – how Christians and others collaborate for justice and freedom for all people.
⚬ The dialogue of religious experience – how people share their spiritual riches.
• Teachers may choose to teach aspects of branch Six at other times of the year and consider how best to
support pupils to experience neighbourliness, collaboration, and sharing spiritual riches. This could be
practically in projects (such as focusing on caring for our common home in their school), learning about
the lives of those committed to interreligious dialogue or charitable organisations that work for justice
and freedom.
 Core elements of dialogue in KS3

Can be integrated into other branches Needs to be taught discretely How can a worldviews pedagogy help
teach about the Universal Church and
Year 7: Councils of the Church Christianity as a global religion?
What and Why of a council
Year 8: Church teaching on dialogue Where are the diverse Christian worldviews
Council of Jerusalem
Vatican II in your (school) community?
A Council that resulted in a schism
Ecclesiam Suam How can you draw on them to enrich
Links with branch 3 Y7
The Universal pupil’s experience of dialogue.
Year 9: Meeting God in Friend and Stranger
Catholic Church
Implications of this in living to promote the
Christianity
common good
Links with live lens Branch 1 Y7
Could be incorporated into the live lens
throughout
 Core elements of encounter in KS3

Religious worldviews pupils should What non-religious worldviews do pupils How can a worldviews pedagogy help
encounter encounter? teach about the Universal Church and
Christianity as a global religion

Judaism Do pupils encounter people who hold these How do you teach these in relation to your
Islam worldviews? locality?
A Dharmic pathway Do pupils explore non-theistic worldviews? Do pupils encounter people who hold these
How do you teach these in relation to your Do they explore non-religious world views worldviews?
locality? (such as ethical veganism) that are not Do pupils have the opportunity to study
Do pupils encounter people who hold these incompatible with religious belief? indigenous religions?
worldviews? Do pupils Explore non-Trinitarian, bible
based religions, such as Evangelicalism?
Starting with someone’s worldview
About two years ago, I had a unique opportunity to visit a rural French village called Taizé, in eastern Burgundy, along with elder monks from my Buddhist order. It is
an ecumenical, Christian monastic community, where monastic brothers, live according to the Bible. Taizé is famous as a Christian pilgrimage site, each year,
attracting more than 100,000 young adults from all over the world. The pilgrims usually spend several days in the community while participating in morning,
midday, and evening, prayers, as well as quiet, reflection, and small group discussions. I was already familiar with the Taizé Community’s soul, stirring chance and
was looking forward to attending their wonderful prayer service.

When we arrived at beautiful, Taizé, the brothers came out and greeted us warmly. Clad in white robes, they had gentle smiles, and a peaceful presence, almost as
if they were angels, incarnated. Our light, grey monastic robes looked quite similar to the white ones, and it was as if we had become one large family. The brothers
gave us a tour of the community and, to officially welcome as chanted “Confitemini Domino” – one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in my life. We were
invited to the living quarters and had a nice chat followed by midday prayers in the Church of Reconciliation. The more time we spent in Taizé, the more I could see
the similarities to bodice monastic living. The brother spent hours in silent prayer as a way to turn their attention to God within, not unlike our silent meditation
practice. Another similarity was that the brothers wore a ring to signify their vows to God; monks from my order “wear” a small incense burn on her left arm when
we receive our full precepts.

Some may think that life in such a community is repressed, strict and difficult, but that is not the case. A monastic life id characterized by simple beauty and
unexpected joy. Monks find happiness in things that may seem trivial to those who pursue the material trappings of success. Watching the seasons change-the
blossoming of the magnolias, the dazzling fall foliage, the first snowfall-brings indescribable joy and gratitude. A simple meal made with fresh ingredients from the
nearby mountains is a source of great contentment. Because our monastic brothers are our friends, teachers and family we are never lonely…

Although we were from a different religion and country, they welcomed us with consideration and love. When we left Taizé, we felt as though we’d visited our long-
lost cousins. I knew I would cherish this bond for the rest of my life.
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down – Haemin Sunim p236-238