ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to honour Gerald Grace’s provocations by looking at the sustainability of Catholic Religious Education as well as Islamic Studies curricula in denominational schools in Malta. Gerald’s work has shown that he is deeply concerned about the future of religious cultures in a world of secular marginalisation and is attentive to the challenges to the faith, moral and social formation of youth and adults. In this chapter, I argue that one such challenge lies in asking how far the Religious Education curriculum invites young learners to engage with faith from a life-centred approach, without jeopardising a sound knowledge base. For a number of years now, Gerald has also encouraged research that incorporates accounts of the educational institutions and cultures of Islam. This chapter takes up Gerald’s appeals by examining the situation in Malta, focusing on how the Religious Education in Catholic schools and the Islamic Studies curriculum are seen by teachers to engage young learners such that Catholic Religious Education and/or Islamic Studies curricula and pedagogies fruitfully contribute to sustaining religious cultures.
