CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION
CONSECRATED PERSONS AND THEIR MISSION IN SCHOOLS
REFLECTIONS AND GUIDELINES
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
I. PROFILE OF CONSECRATED PERSONS
At the school of Christ the teacher
Radical response
In the Church communion
Before the world
II. THE EDUCATIONAL
MISSION OF CONSECRATED PERSONS TODAY
Educators called to evangelise
Go... preach the gospel to the whole creation (Mk16:15)
Faced with modern challenges
An explicit anthropological view
Educators called to accompany
towards the Other
We wish to see Jesus (Jn12:21)
The dynamism of reciprocity
The relational dimension
The educational community
Going towards the Other
Guide in a search for meaning
Teaching religion
Life as a vocation
Culture of vocations
Educators called to teach coexistence
....all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another
(Jn13:35)
On a human scale
Personalised accompanying
The dignity of woman and her vocation
Intercultural prospect
Intercultural education
Coexistence of differences
Sharing with the poor in solidarity
Planning starting from the least
Giving voice to the poor
Culture of peace
Educating for peace starting
from the heart
Educating for coexistence
CONCLUSION
NOTES
INTRODUCTION
At the beginning of the third millennium
1. The celebration of the two thousandth anniversary of the incarnation of the Word
was for many believers a time of conversion and of opening to God’s plan for the
human person created in his image. The grace of the Jubilee incited in the People
of God an urgency to proclaim the mystery of Jesus Christ “yesterday, today and
forever” with the testimony of their lives and, in Him, the truth about the human
person. Young people, moreover, expressed a surprising interest with regard to the
explicit announcement of Jesus. Consecrated persons, for their part, grasped the
strong call to live in a state of conversion for accomplishing their specific mission
in the Church: to be witnesses of Christ,epiphany of the love of God in the world,
recognizable signs of reconciled humanity.[i]
a prophetic task
2. The complex cultural situations of the beginning of the 21st century are a further
appeal to a responsibility to live the present askairós, a favourable time,
so that the Gospel may effectively reach the men and women of today. Consecrated
persons feel the importance of the prophetic task entrusted to them by the Church
in these momentous but fascinating times,[ii] “recalling and serving the divine plan
for humanity, as it is announced in Scripture and as also emerges from
the attentive reading of the signs of God's providential action in history.”[iii] This task requires the courage of testimony
and the patience of dialogue; it is a duty before the cultural tendencies that threaten
the dignity of human life, especially in the crucial moments of its beginning and
its ending, the harmony of creation, and the existence of peoples and peace.
the reason for these reflections
3. Within the context of the profound changes that assail the world of education
and schools, the Congregation for Catholic Education wishes to share some reflections,
offer some guidelines and incite some further investigations of the educational
mission and the presence of consecrated persons in schools in general, not only
Catholic schools. This document is mainly addressed to members of institutes of
consecrated life and of societies of apostolic life, as well as to those who, involved
in the educational mission of the Church, have assumed the evangelical counsels
in other forms.
as a continuation of previous ecclesial guidelines
4. These considerations are within the lines of the Second Vatican Council, the
Magisterium of the universal Church and the documents of the continental Synods
regarding evangelisation, the consecrated life and education, especially scholastic
education. In recent years, this Congregation has offered guidelines on Catholic
schools[iv] and on lay people who
bear witness to faith in schools.[v]
As a continuation of the document on lay people, it now intends reflecting on the
specific contribution of consecrated persons to the educational mission in schools
in the light of the Apostolic Exhortation
Vita consecrata and of the more recent developments of pastoral care
for culture.[vi] This is a result
of its conviction that: “a faith that does not become culture is a faith that has
not been fully received, not entirely thought through, not loyally lived.”[vii]
the cultural mediation of the faith today
5. The necessity for a cultural mediation of the faith is an invitation for consecrated
persons to consider the meaning of their presence in schools. The altered circumstances
in which they operate, in environments that are often laicised and in reduced numbers
in educational communities, make it necessary to clearly express their specific
contribution in cooperation with the other vocations present in schools. A time
emerges in which to process answers to the fundamental questions of the young generations
and to present a clear cultural proposal that clarifies the type of person and society
to which it is desired to educate, and the reference to the anthropological vision
inspired by the values of the gospel, in a respectful and constructive dialogue
with the other concepts of life.
a renewed commitment in the educational sphere
6. The challenges of modern life give new motivations to the mission of consecrated
persons, called to live the evangelic councils and bring the humanism of the beatitudes
to the field of education and schools. This is not at all foreign to the mandate
of the Church to announce salvation to all.[viii] “At the same time, however, we are
painfully aware of certain difficulties which induce your Communities to abandon
the school sector. The dearth of religious vocations, estrangement from the teaching
apostolate, the attraction of alternative forms of apostolate seemingly more gratifying.”[ix] Far from discouraging, these
difficulties can be a source of purification and characterize a timeof grace and
salvation (cf. 2Cor 6:2). They invite discernment and an attitude
of constantrenewal. The Holy Spirit, moreover, guides us to rediscover the
charism, the roots and the modalities for our presence in schools, concentrating
on the essential: the importance of the testimony of Christ, the poor, humble and
chaste one; the priority of the person and of relationships based on love; the search
for truth; the synthesis between faith, life and culture and the valid proposal
of a view of man that respects God’s plan.
Evangelise by educating
It thus becomes clear that consecrated persons in schools, in communion with the
Bishops, carry out an ecclesial mission that is vitally important inasmuch as while
they educate they are also evangelising. This mission requires a commitment of holiness,
generosity and skilled educational professionalism so that the truth about the person
as revealed by Jesus may enlighten the growth of the young generations and of the
entire community. This Dicastery feels therefore that it is opportune to call attention
to the profile of consecrated persons and to reflect on some well-known aspects
of their educational mission in schools today.
I
PROFILE OF CONSECRATED PERSONS
At the school of Christ the teacher
Ecclesial gift for revealing the Word
7. “The consecrated life, deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the
Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his Church through the Holy Spirit. By the
profession of the evangelical counselsthe characteristic features of Jesus
- the chaste, poor and obedient one -are made constantly 'visible' in the midst
of the world and the eyes of the faithful are directed towards the mystery
of the Kingdom of God already at work in history, even as it awaits its full realization
in heaven.”[x] The aim of the consecrated
life is “conformity to the Lord Jesus inhis total self-giving,”[xi] so that every consecrated person is called
to assume “his mind and his way of life,”[xii]
his way of thinking and of acting, of being and of loving.
Identity of consecrated life
8.The direct reference to Christ and theintimate nature of a gift
for the Church and the world,[xiii] are elements that define the identity
and scope of the consecrated life. In them the consecrated life finds itself, its
point of departure, God and his love, and its point of arrival, the human community
and its requirements. It is through these elements that every religious family traces
its own physiognomy, from its spirituality to its apostolate, from its style of
community life to its ascetic plan, to the sharing and participation in the richness
of its own charisms.
At Christ’s school to have his mind
9. The consecrated life can be compared in some ways to aschool, that every
consecrated person is called to attend for his whole life. In fact, having the mind
of the Son means to attend his school daily, to learn from him to have a heart that
is meek and humble, courageous and passionate. It means allowing oneself to beeducated
by Christ, the eternal Word of the Father and, to be drawn to him, the heart and
centre of the world, choosing his sameform of life.
Allowing oneself to be educated and formed by Christ, to be similar to him
10. The life of a consecrated person is therefore aneducational-formative
rise and fall that educates to the truth of life and forms it to the freedom of
the gift of oneself, according to the model of the Easter of the Lord. Every moment
of consecrated life forms part of this rise and fall, in its double educational
and formative aspect. A consecrated person does in fact gradually learn to have
the mind of the Son in him and to reveal it ina life that is increasingly similar
to his, both at individual and community level, in initial and permanent
formation. Thus the vows are an expression of the lifestyle chosen by Jesus on this
earth that was essential, chaste and completely dedicated to the Father. Prayer
becomes a continuation on earth of the praise of the Son to the Father for the salvation
of all mankind. Community life is the demonstration that, in the name of the Lord,
stronger bonds than those that come from flesh and blood can be tied. These are
bonds that are able to overcome what can divide. The apostolate is the impassioned
announcement of he by whom we have been conquered.
gift for everyone
11. The school of the mind of the Son gradually opens the consecrated life to the
urgency for testimony, so thatthe gift may reach everyone. In fact, Christ
“did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Phil 2:6), he kept
nothing for himself, but shared his wealth of being Son with all men. That is why,
even when the testimony contests some elements of the local culture, consecrated
persons try to enter into a dialogue in order to share the wealth which they bring.
This means that the testimony must be distinct and unequivocal, clear and comprehensible
for everyone, in order to demonstrate that religious consecration has much to say
to every culture inasmuch as it helps to reveal the truth about human beings.
Radical response
Anthropological value of the consecrated life
12. Among the challenges that the consecrated life faces today is that of trying
to demonstrate theanthropological value of consecration. It is a
question of demonstrating that a poor, chaste and obedient life enhances intimate
human dignity; thateveryone is called, in a different way, according to
his or her vocation, to be poor, obedient and chaste. The evangelical counsels do,
in fact, transfigure authentically human values and desires, but they also relativise
the human "by pointing to God as the absolute good."[xiv] The consecrated life, moreover, must be able to show
that the evangelical message possesses considerable importance for living in today’s
world and is also comprehensible for those who live in a competitive society such
as ours. Lastly, the consecrated life must try to testify that holiness is the highest
humanizing proposal of man and of history; it is a project that everyone on earth
can make his or her own.[xv]
Charismatic circularity
13. Consecrated persons communicate the richness of their specific vocation to the
extent that they live their consecration commitments to the full. On the other hand,
such a communication also arouses in the receiver a capacity for an enriching response
through the participation of his personal gift and his specific vocation. This “confrontation-sharing”
with the Church and with the world is of great importance for the vitality of the
various religious charisms and for their interpretation in line with the modern
context and their respective spiritual roots. It is the principle ofcharismatic
circularity, as a result of which the charismreturns in a sort of
way to where it was born, but without simply repeating itself. In this way, the
consecrated life itself is renewed, in the listening and interpretation of the signs
of the times and in the creative and active fidelity of its origins.
Constructive dialogue in the past and in the present
14. The validity of this principle is confirmed by history; the consecrated life
has always woven a constructive dialogue with local culture, sometimes questioning
and provoking it, at others defending and preserving it, but in any case allowing
it to stimulate and interrogate, in a confrontation that was in some cases dialectic,
but always fruitful. It is important that such a confrontation continues even in
these times of renewal for the consecrated life and of cultural disorientation that
risks frustrating the human heart’s insuppressible need for truth.
In the Church communion
The Church mystery of communion
15. The study of the ecclesial situation as a mystery of communion has led the Church,
under the action of the Spirit, to increasingly understand itself as the pilgrim
people of God and, at the same time as the body of Christ the members of which are
in a mutual relationship with each other and with the head.
At a pastoral level, "to make the Churchthe home and the school of communion"[xvi]is the great challenge that
we must know how to face, at the beginning of the new millennium, in order to be
faithful to God’s plan and to the world’s deep expectations. It is first and foremost
necessary to promote aspirituality of communion capable of becoming the
educational principle in the various environments in which the human person is formed.
Thisspirituality is learned by making our hearts ponder on the mystery of
the Trinity, whose light is reflected in the face of every person, and welcomed
and appreciated as a gift.
Consecrated persons in the Church-communion
16. Demands for communion have offered consecrated persons the chance to rediscover
the mutual relationship with the other vocations in the people of God. In the Church
they are called, in a special way, to reveal that participation in the Trinitarian
communion can change human relations creating a new kind of solidarity. By professing
to livefor God and of God, consecrated persons do, in fact, undertake to
preach the power of the peacemaking action of grace that overcomes the disruptive
dynamisms present in the human heart.
with the dynamism of the specific charism
17. Whatever the specific charism that characterizes them, consecrated persons are
called, through their vocations, to beexperts of communion, to promote human
and spiritual bonds that promote the mutual exchange of gifts between all the members
of the people of God. The acknowledgement of themany forms of vocations
in the Church gives a new meaning to the presence of consecrated persons in the
field of scholastic education. For them a school is a place of mission, where the
prophetic role conferred by baptism and lived according to the requirements of the
radicalism typical of the evangelical counsels is fulfilled. The gift of special
consecration that they have received will lead them to recognizing in schools and
in the educational commitment the fruitful furrow in which the Kingdom of God can
grow and bear fruit.
A consecrated person educates....
18. This commitment responds perfectly to the nature and to the scope of the consecrated
life itself and is carried out according to that doubleeducational and formative
model that accompanies the growth of the individual consecrated person. Through
schools, men and women religious educate, help young people to grasp their own identity
and to reveal those authentic needs and desires that inhabit everyone’s heart, but
which often remain unknown and underestimated: thirst for authenticity and honesty,
for love and fidelity, for truth and consistency, for happiness and fullness of
life. Desires which in the final analysis converge in the supreme human desire:
to see the face of God.
.... forms
19. The second modality is that regarding formation. A schoolforms when
it offers a precise proposal for fulfilling those desires, preventing them from
being deformed, or only partially or weakly achieved. With the testimony of their
lives consecrated persons, who are at the school of the Lord, propose that form
of existence which is inspired by Christ, so that even a young person may live the
freedom of being a child of God and may experiment the true joy and authentic fulfilment
that spring from the project of the Father. Consecrated persons have a providential
mission in schools, in the modern context, where the educational proposals seem
to be increasingly poorer and man’s aspirations seem to be increasingly unanswered!
in schools, educational communities
20. There is no need for consecrated persons to reserve exclusive tasks for themselves
in educational communities. The specificity of the consecrated life lies in its
being a sign, a memory and prophecy of the values of the Gospel. Its characteristic
is "to bring to bear on the world of education their radical witness to the values
of the Kingdom,"[xvii] in cooperation
with the laity called to express, in the sign of secularity, the realism of the
Incarnation of God in our midst, “the intimate dependency of earthly situations
on God in Christ.”[xviii]
by developing the specificity of all the vocations present in the educational community
21. The different vocations operate for the growth of the body of Christ and of
his mission in the world. The commitment to evangelical testimony according to the
typical form of every vocation gives rise to a dynamism of mutual help to fully
live membership of the mystery of Christ and of the Church in its many dimensions;
a stimulus for each one to discover the evangelical richness of his or her own vocation
in a gratitude-filled comparison with others.
By avoiding both confrontation and homologation, the reciprocity of vocations seems
to be a particularly fertile prospect for enriching the ecclesial value of educational
communities. In them the various vocations carry out a service for achieving a culture
of communion. They are correlative, different and mutual paths that converge to
bring to fulfillment the charism of charisms: love.
Before the world
Accounting for hope
22. The awareness that they are living in a time that is full of challenges and
new possibilities urges consecrated persons, involved in the educational mission
in schools, to make good use of the gift received by accounting for the hope that
animates them. Fruit of the faith in the God of history, hope is based on the word
and on the life of Jesus, who livedin the world, without beingof the world.
He asks the same attitude from those who follow him: to live and work in history,
without however allowing oneself to be imprisoned by it. Hope demands insertion
in the world, but also separation; it requires prophecy and sometimes involves following
or withdrawing in order to educate the children of God to freedom in a context of
influences that lead to new forms of slavery.
Discernment and contemplative gaze
23. This way of being in history requires a deep capacity for discernment. Born
from daily listening to the Word of God, this facilitates the interpreting events
and prepares for becoming, as if to say, acritical conscience.The
deeper and more authentic this commitment, the more likely it will be to grasp the
action of the Spirit in the life of people and in the events of history. Such a
capacity finds its foundation in contemplation and in prayer, which teach us
to see persons and things from God’s viewpoint. This is the contrary of a superficial
glance and of an activism that is incapable of reflecting on the important and the
essential. When there is no contemplation and prayer – and consecrated persons are
not exempt from this risk – passion for the announcement of the Gospel is also lacking
as is the capacity to fight for the life and salvation of mankind.
In schools for educating to silence and to meeting God
24. By living their vocations with generosity and eagerness, consecrated persons
bring to schools their experience of a relationship with God, based on prayer, the
Eucharist, the sacrament of Reconciliation and the spirituality of communion that
characterizes the life of religious communities. The evangelical position that results
facilitates discernment and the formation of a critical sense, a fundamental and
necessary aspect of the educational process. Whatever their specific task, the presence
of consecrated persons in schoolsinfects the contemplative glance by educating
to a silence that leads to listening to God, to paying attention to others, to the
situation that surrounds us, to creation. Furthermore, by aiming at the essential,
consecrated persons provoke the need for authentic encounters, they renew the capacity
to be amazed and to take care of the other, rediscovered like a brother.
for living the Gospel to the full
25. Because of their role, consecrated persons are "a living memorial of Jesus' way
of living and acting as the Incarnate Word in relation to the Father and
in relation to the brethren."[xix]
The first and fundamental contribution to the educational mission in schools by
consecrated persons is the evangelical completeness of their lives. This way of
shaping their lives, based on their generous response to God’s call, becomes an
invitation to all the members of the educational community to make their lives a
response to God, according to their various states of life.
and testifying a chaste, poor and obedient life
26. In this perspective, consecrated persons testify that thechastity of
their hearts, bodies, lives is the full and strong expression of a total love for
God that renders a person free, full of deep joy and ready for their mission. Thus
consecrated persons contribute to guiding young men and women towards the full development
of their capacity to love and a complete maturation of their personalities. This
is a very important testimony in a culture that increasingly tends to trivialize
human love and close itself to life. In a society where everything tends to be free,
consecrated persons, through their freely chosenpoverty, take on a simple
and essential lifestyle, promoting a correct relationship with things and
trusting in Divine Providence. Freedom from things makes them unreservedly ready
for an educational service to the young that becomes a sign of the availability
of God’s love in a world where materialism and having seem to prevail over being.
Finally, by livingobedience, they remind everyone of the lordship of the
only God and, against the temptation of dominion, they indicate a choice of faith
that counters forms of individualism and self-sufficiency.
and expressing their donation
27. Just as Jesus did for his disciples, so consecrated persons live their donation
for the benefit of the receivers of their mission: students, in the first place,
but also their parents and other educators. This encourages them to live prayer
and their daily response to their following Christ to become an increasingly more
suitable instrument for the work that God achieves through them.
The call to give themselves fully to schools, in deep and true freedom, means that
consecrated men and women become a living testimony to the Lord who offers himself
for everyone. This excess of gratuitousness and love makes their donation assessable
over and above any type of usefulness.[xx]
looking at Mary
28. Consecrated persons find in Mary the model to inspire them in their relations
with God and in living human history. Mary is the icon of prophetic hope because
of her capacity to welcome and meditate at length on the Word in her heart, of interpreting
history according to God’s plan, of contemplating God present and working in time.
In her eyes we see the wisdom that unites in harmony the ecstasy of her meeting
with God and the greatest critical realism with regard to the world. TheMagnificat
is the prophecypar excellence of the Virgin. It always sounds new in the
spirit of a consecrated person, as a constant praise to the Lord who bends down
to the least and to the poor to give them life and mercy.
II
THE EDUCATIONAL MISSION OF CONSECRATED PERSONS TODAY
29. A profile of consecrated persons clearly shows how their educational commitment
in schools is suited to the nature of the consecrated life. In fact "thanks to
their experience of the particular gifts of the Spirit, their careful listening
to the Word, their constant practice of discernment and their rich heritage of pedagogical
traditions amassed since the establishment of their Institutes…consecrated persons
give life to educational undertakings"[xxi] in the educational field. This
requires hand the promotion within the consecrated life, on the one, of a "renewed
cultural commitment which seeks to raise the level of personal preparation,[xxii] and on the other of a constant conversion
to follow Jesus,the way, the truth and the life (cf.Jn 14:6). It
is an uncomfortable and tiring road that does however make it possible to take up
the challenges of the present time and undertake the educational mission entrusted
to the Church. While aware that it cannot be exhaustive, the Congregation for Catholic
Education, intends pausing to consider just some elements of this mission. In particular
it wishes to reflect on three specific contributions of the presence of consecrated
persons to scholastic education: first of all the link of education to evangelisation;
then formation to “vertical” relationism, that is to the opening to God and lastly
formation to “horizontal” relationism, that is to say to welcoming the other and
to living together.
Educators called to evangelise
Go …preach the Gospel to the whole creation (Mk16:15)
The educational experience of consecrated persons
30. “To fulfil the mandate she has received from her divine founder of proclaiming
the mystery of salvation to all men and of restoring all things in Christ, Holy
Mother the Church must be concerned with the whole of men’s life, even the secular
part of it insofar as it has a bearing on his heavenly calling.”[xxiii] Both in Catholic and in other types of
schools, the educational commitment for consecrated persons is a vocation and choice
of life, a path to holiness, a demand for justice and solidarity especially towards
the poorest young people, threatened by various forms of deviancy and risk. By devoting
themselves to the educational mission in schools, consecrated persons contribute
to making the bread of culture reach those in most need of it. They see in culture
a fundamental condition for people to completely fulfil themselves, achieve a level
of life that conforms to their dignity and open themselves to encounter with Christ
and the Gospel. Such a commitment is founded on a patrimony of pedagogical wisdom
that makes it possible to confirm the value of education as a force that is able
to help the maturing of a person, to draw him to the faith and to respond to the
challenges of such a complex society as that which we have today.
Faced with modern challenges
The globalisation process
31. The process of globalisation characterizes the horizon of the new century. This
is a complex phenomenon in its dynamics. It has positive effects, such as the
possibility for peoples and cultures to meet, but also negative aspects, which risk
producing further disparities, injustices and marginalisation. The rapidity and
complexity of the changes produced by globalisation are also reflected in schools,
which risk being exploited by the demands of the productive-economic structures,
or by ideological prejudices and political calculations that obscure their educational
function. This situation incites schools to strongly reassert their specific role
of stimulus to reflection and critical aspiration. Because of their vocation consecrated
persons undertake to promote the dignity of the human person, cooperating with schools
so that they may become places of overall education, evangelisation and learning
of a vital dialogue between persons of different cultures, religions and social
backgrounds.[xxiv]
new technologies
32. The growing development and diffusion of new technologies provide means and
instruments that were unconceivable up to just a few years ago. However, they also
give rise to questions concerning the future of human development. The vastness
and depth of technological innovations influence the processes of access to knowledge,
socialization, relations with nature and they foreshadow radical, not always positive,
changes in huge sectors of the life of mankind. Consecrated persons cannot shirk
wondering about the impact that these technologies will have on people, on means
of communication, on the future of society.
schools’ task
33. Within the context of these changes, schools have a meaningful role to play
in the formation of the personalities of the new generations. The responsible use
of the new technologies, especially of internet, demands an appropriate ethical
formation.[xxv] Together with
those working in schools, consecrated persons feel the need to understand the processes,
languages, opportunities and challenges of the new technologies, but above all to
becomecommunication educators, so that these technologies may be used with
discernment and wisdom.[xxvi]
…for the future of man
34. Among the challenges of modern society that schools have to face are threats
to life and to families, genetic manipulations, growing pollution, plundering of
natural resources, the unsolved drama of the underdevelopment and poverty that crush
entire populations of the south of the world. These are vital questions for everyone,
which need to be faced with extensive and responsible vision, promoting a concept
of life that respects the dignity of man and of creation. This means forming persons
who are able to dominate and transform processes and instruments in a sense that
is humanizing and filled with solidarity. This concern is shared by the whole international
community, that is active in assuring that national educational programmes contribute
to developing training initiatives in this regard.[xxvii]
An explicit anthropological view
Necessity for an anthropological foundation
35. The clarification of the anthropological foundation of the formative proposal
of schools is an increasingly more unavoidable urgency in our complex societies.
The human person is defined by hisrationality, that is by his intelligent
and free nature, and by hisrelational nature, that is by his relationship
with other persons. Living with others involves both the level of the being of the
human person – man/woman – and the ethical level of his acting. The foundation of
humanethos is in being the image and likeness of God, the Trinity of persons
in communion. The existence of a person appears therefore as a call to the duty
to exist for one another.
36. The commitment of a spirituality of communion for the 21st century
is the expression of a concept of the human person, created in the image of God.
This view enlightens the mystery of man and woman. The human person experiences
his humanity to the extent that he is able to participate in the humanity of the
other, the bearer of a unique and unrepeatable plan. This is a plan that can only
be carried out within the context of the relation and dialogue with theyou
in a dimension of reciprocity and opening to God. This kind of reciprocity
is at the basis of the gift of self and ofcloseness as an opening in solidarity
with every other person. This closeness has its truest root in the mystery of Christ,
the Word Incarnate, who wished to become close to man.
within the dimension of a plenary humanism
37. Faced with ideological pluralism and the proliferation of “knowledge”, consecrated
men and women therefore offer the contribution of a vision of aplenary humanism,[xxviii] open to God, who loves
everyone and invites them to become increasingly more “conformed to the image of
his Son” (cf.Rm 8:29). This divine plan is the heart of Christian humanism:
“Christ…fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.”[xxix] To confirm the greatness
of the human creature does not mean to ignore his fragility: the image of God reflected
in persons is in fact deformed by sin. The illusion of freeing oneself from all
dependency, even from God, always ends up in new forms of slavery, violence and
suppression. This is confirmed by the experience of each human being, by the history
of blood shed in the name of ideologies and regimes that wished to construct anew
humanity without God.[xxx]
On the contrary, in order to be authentic, freedom must measure itself according
to the truth of the person, the fullness of which is revealed in Christ, and lead
to a liberation from all that denies his dignity preventing him from achieving his
own good and that of others.
Witnesses of the truth about the human person
38. Consecrated persons undertake to be witnesses in schools to the truth about
persons and to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. With their lives they
confirm that faith enlightens the whole field of education by raising and strengthening
human values. Catholic schools especially have a priority: that of “bringing forth
within what is learnt in school a Christian vision of the world, of life, of culture
and of history.”[xxxi]
with cultural mediation
39. Hence the importance of reasserting, in a pedagogical context that tends to
put it in the background, the humanistic and spiritual dimension of knowledge and
of the various school subjects. Through study and research a person contributes
to perfecting himself and his humanity. Study becomes the path for a personal encounter
with the truth, a “place” of encounter with God himself. Taken this way, knowledge
can help to motivate existence, to begin the search for God, it can be a great experience
of freedom for truth, placing itself in the service of the maturation and promotion
of humanity.[xxxii] Such a commitment
demands of consecrated persons an accurate analysis of the quality of their educational
proposal, and also constant attention to their cultural andprofessional
formation.
and commitment in the field of non-formal education
40. Another, equally important, field of evangelisation and humanization is non-formal
education, that is of those who have been unable to have access to normal schooling.
Consecrated persons feel that they should be present and promote innovative projects
in such contexts. In these situations poorer young people should be given the chance
of a suitable formation that considers their moral, spiritual and religious development
and is able to promote socialization and overcome discrimination. This is no novelty,
inasmuch as working classes have always been within the sphere of various religious
families. It is a case of confirming today with suitable means and plans an attention
that has never been lacking.
Educators called to accompany
towards the Other
We wish to see Jesus (Jn12:21)
The dynamism of reciprocity
In the educational community
41. The educational mission is carried out in a spirit of cooperation between various
subjects – students, parents, teachers, non-teaching personnel and the school management
– who form the educational community. It can create an environment for living in
which the values are mediated by authentic interpersonal relations between the various
members of which it is composed. Its highest aim is the complete and comprehensive
education of the person. In this respect, consecrated persons can offer a decisive
contribution, in the light of their experience of communion that characterizes their
community lives. In fact, by committing themselves to live and communicate the spirituality
of communion in the school community, through a dialogue that is constructive and
able to harmonize differences, they build an environment that is rooted in the evangelical
values of truth and love. Consecrated persons are thus leaven that is able to create
relations of increasingly deep communion, that are in themselves educational. They
promote solidarity, mutual enhancement and joint responsibility in the educational
plan, and, above all, they give an explicit Christian testimony, through communication
of the experience of God and of the evangelical message, even sharing the awareness
of being instruments of God and bearers of a charism in the service of all men.
within the sphere of the Church communion
42. The task of communicating the spirituality of communion within the school community
derives from being part of the Church communion. This means that consecrated persons
involved in the educational mission must be integrated, starting from their charism,
in the pastoral activity of the local Church. They, in fact, carry out an ecclesial
ministry in the service of a concrete community and in communion with the Diocesan
Ordinary. The common educational mission entrusted to them by the Church does, however,
require cooperation and greater synergy between the various religious families.
Apart from offering a more skilled educational service, this synergy offers the
chance for sharing charisms from which the entire Church will gain. For this reason
the communion that consecrated persons are called to experiment goes well beyond
their own religious family or institute. Indeed, by opening themselves to communion
with other forms of consecration, consecrated persons can “rediscover their common
Gospel roots and together grasp the beauty of their own identity in the variety
of charisms with greater clarity.”[xxxiii]
The relational dimension
promoting authentic relations
43. The educational community expresses the variety and beauty of the various vocations
and the fruitfulness at educational and pedagogical level that this contributes
to the life of scholastic institutions. The commitment to promote the relational
dimension of the person and the care taken in establishing authentic educational
relationships with young people are undoubtedly aspects that the presence of consecrated
persons can facilitate in schools, considered as microcosms in which oases are created
where the bases are laid for living responsibly in the macrocosm of society. It
is not, however, strange to observe, even in schools, the progressive deterioration
of interpersonal relations, due to the functionalisation of roles, haste, fatigue
and other factors that create conflicting situations. To organize schools like gymnasiums
where one exercises to establish positive relationships between the various members
and to search for peaceful solutions to the conflicts is a fundamental objective
not just for the life of the educational community, but also for the construction
of a society of peace and harmony.
educating to reciprocity
44. Usually in schools there are boys and girls, as well as men and women with tasks
of teaching or administration. Consideration of the single-dual dimension of the
human person implies the need to educate to mutual acknowledgement, in respect and
acceptance of differences. The experience of man/woman reciprocity may appear paradigmatic
in the positive management of other differences, including ethnic and religious
ones. It does, in fact, develop and encourage positive attitudes, such as an awareness
that every person can give and receive, a willingness to welcome the other, a capacity
for a serene dialogue and a chance to purify and clarify one’s own experience while
seeking to communicate it and compare it with the other.
through enhancing relations
45. In a relationship of reciprocity, interaction can be asymmetric from the point
of view of roles, as it is necessarily in the educational relationship, but not
from that of the dignity and uniqueness of every human person. Learning is facilitated
when, without undue straining with regard to roles, educational interaction is at
a level that fully recognizes the equality of the dignity of every human person.
In this way it is possible to form personalities capable of having their own view
of life and to agree with their choice. The involvement of families and teaching
staff creates a climate of trust and respect that promotes the development of the
capacity for dialogue and peaceful coexistence in the search for whatever favours
the common good.
creating an educational environment
46. Due to their experience of community life, consecrated persons are in a most
favourable position for cooperating to make the educational plan of the school promote
the creation of a true community. In particular they propose an alternative model
of coexistence to that of a standardized or individualistic society. In actual fact
consecrated persons undertake, together with their lay colleagues, to assure that
schools are structured as places of encounter, listening, communication, where students
experience values in an essential way. They help, in a directed way, to guide pedagogical
choices to promote overcoming individualistic self-promotion, solidarity instead
of competition, assisting the weak instead of marginalisation, responsible participation
instead of indifference.
aware of the family’s task
47. The family comes first in being responsible for the education of its children.
Consecrated persons appreciate the presence of parents in the educational community
and try to establish a true relation of reciprocity with them. Participating bodies,
personal meetings and other initiatives are aimed at rendering increasingly more
active the insertion of parents in the life of institutions and for making them
aware of the educational task. Acknowledgement of this task is more necessary today
than it was in the past, due to the many difficulties that families now experience.
When God’s original plan for families is overshadowed in peoples’ minds, society
receives incalculable damage and the right of children to live in an environment
of fully human love is infringed. On the contrary, when a family reflects God’s
plan, it becomes a workshop where love and true solidarity are experienced.[xxxiv]
Consecrated persons announce this truth, which does not regard just believers, but
is the patrimony of all mankind, inscribed in the heart of man. The chance of contact
with the families of the children and young people is a favourable occasion for
examining with them meaningful questions regarding life, human love and the nature
of families and for agreeing to the proposed vision instead of other often dominating
visions.
and of the importance of brotherhood as a prophetic sign
48. By testifying to Christ and living their typical life of communion, consecrated
men and women offer the whole educational community the prophetic sign of brotherhood.
Community life, when woven with deep relationships “is itselfprophetic in
a society which, sometimes without realising it, has a profound yearning for a brotherhood
which knows no borders.”[xxxv] This
conviction becomes visible in the commitment to make the life of the community a
place of growth of persons and of mutual aid in the search and fulfilment of the
common mission. In this regard it is important that the sign of brotherhood can
be perceived with transparency in every moment of the life of the scholastic community.
in network with other educational agencies
49. The educational community achieves its scopes in synergy with other educational
institutions present in the country.
By coordinating with other educational agencies and in the more extensive communications
network a school stimulates the process of personal, professional and social growth
of its students, by offering a number of proposals in integrated form. Above all,
it forms a most important aid for escaping various conditionings, especially of
themedia, so helping young people to pass from simple and passive consumers
to critical interlocutors, capable of positively influencing public opinion and
even the quality of information.
Going towards the Other
A lifestyle that questions
50. When involved in the serious search for truth through the contribution of the
different subjects, the life of the educational community is constantly urged to
mature in reflection, to go beyond the acquisitions achieved and to question at
the existential level.
With their presence, consecrated persons offer in this context the specific contribution
of their identity and vocation. Even if not always consciously, young people wish
to find in them the testimony of a life lived as the answer to a call, as a journey
towards God, as the search for the signs through which He makes himself present.
They expect to see persons who invite them to seriously question themselves, and
to discover the deepest meaning of human existence and of history.
Guide in a search for meaning
develop the gift for searching
51. An encounter with God is always a personal event, an answer that is by its nature,
a person’s free act in response to the gift of faith. Schools, even Catholic schools,
do not demand adherence to the faith, however, they can prepare for it. Through
the educational plan it is possible to create the conditions for a person to develop
a gift for searching and to be guided in discovering the mystery of his being and
of the reality that surrounds him, until he reaches the threshold of the faith.
To those who then decide to cross this threshold the necessary means are offered
for continuing to deepen their experience of faith through prayer, the sacraments,
the encounter with Christ in the Word, in the Eucharist, in events and persons.[xxxvi]
educating to freedom
52. An essential dimension of the path of searching is education to freedom, typical
of every school loyal to its task. Education to freedom is a humanizing action,
because it aims at the full development of personality. In fact, education itself
must be seen as the acquisition, growth and possession of freedom. It is a matter
of educating each student to free him/herself from the conditionings that prevent
him/her from fully living as a person, to form him/herself into a strong and responsible
personality, capable of making free and consistent choices.[xxxvii]
preparing the ground for the choice of faith
Educating truly free people is in itself already guiding them to the faith. The
search for meaning favours the development of the religious dimension of a person
as ground in which the Christian choice can mature and the gift of faith can develop.
It is ever more frequently observed that in schools, especially in western societies,
the religious dimension of a person has become alost link, not only in the
typically educational sphere of schools, but also in the more extensive formative
process that began in the family.
Yet, without it the formative process, as a whole, is strongly affected, making
any search for God difficult. The immediate, the superficial, the accessory, prefabricated
solutions, deviations towards magic and surrogates of mystery thus tend to grasp
the interest of young people and leave no room for opening to the transcendent.
Even teachers, who call themselves non-believers, today feel the urgency to recover
the religious dimension of education, necessary for forming personalities able to
manage the powerful conditionings under way in society and to ethically guide the
new discoveries of science and technology.
with a style of interpellant education
53. By living the evangelical counsels, consecrated persons form an effective invitation
to question themselves about God and the mystery of life. Such a question that
requires a style of education that is able to stimulate fundamental questions on
the origin and meaning of life passes through the search for thewhys more
than for thehows. For this reason, it is necessary to check
how the contents of the various subjects are proposed in order that students may
develop such questions and search for suitable replies. Moreover,
children and young people should be encouraged to flee from the obvious and
from the trivial, especially within the sphere of choices of life, of the family,
of human love. This style is translated into a methodology of study and research
that trains for reflection and discernment. It takes the form of a strategy
that cultivates in the person, from his earliest years, an inner life as the place
to listen to the voice of God, cultivate the meaning of the sacred, decide to follow
values, mature the recognition of one’s limits and of sin, feel the growth of the
responsibility for every human being.
Teaching religion
Specialized religious education itineraries
54. The teaching of religion assumes a specific role in this context. Consecrated
persons, together with other educators, but with a greater responsibility, are often
called to ensure specialized paths of religious education, depending on the different
school situations: in some schools the majority of the pupils are Christians, in
others different religious followings predominate, or there are agnostic or atheist
choices.
cultural proposal offered to everyone
Their’s is the duty to emphasise the value of the teaching of religion within the
timetable of the institution and within the cultural programme. Even while acknowledging
that the teaching of religion in a Catholic school has a different function from
that which it has in other schools, its scope is still that of opening to the understanding
of the historical experience of Christianity, of guiding to knowledge of Jesus Christ
and the study of his Gospel. In this sense, it can be described as a cultural proposal
that can be offered to everyone over and above their personal choices of faith.
In many contexts, Cristianity already it forms the spiritualhorizon of the
native culture.
teaching of religion in Catholic schools
In Catholic schools, teaching of religion must help students to arrive at a personal
position in religious matters that is consistent and respectful of the positions
of others, so contributing to their growth and to a more complete understanding
of reality. It is important that the whole educational community, especially in
Catholic schools, recognizes the value and role of the teaching of religion and
contributes to its enhancement by the students. By using words that are suited to
mediating the religious message, the religion teacher is called to stimulate the
pupils to study the great questions concerning the meaning of life, the significance
of reality and a responsible commitment to transform it in the light of the evangelical
values and modern culture.
other formative opportunities
The community of a Catholic school offers not only teaching of religion but also
other opportunities, other moments and ways for educating to a harmony between faith
and culture, faith and life.[xxxviii]
Life as a vocation
Life as a gift and as a task
55. Together with other Christian educators, consecrated persons know how to grasp
and enhance the vocational dimension that is intrinsic to the educational process.
Life is, in fact, a gift that is accomplished in the free response to a special
call, to be discovered in the concrete circumstances of each day. Care for the vocational
dimension guides the person to interpret his existence in the light of God’s plan.
The absence or scarce attention to the vocational dimension not only deprives young
people of the assistance to which they have a right in the important discernment
on the fundamental choices of their lives, but it also impoverishes society and
the Church, both of which are in need of the presence of people able to devote themselves
on a stable basis to the service of God, their brothers and the common good.
Culture of vocations
Reawakening a taste for the big questions
56. The promotion of anew vocational culture is a fundamental component
of the new evangelisation. Through it, one must “find courage and zest for the big
questions, those related to one’s future.”[xxxix]
These are questions that should be reawakened even through personalized educational
processes by means of which one is gradually led to discover life as a gift of God
and as a task. These processes can form a real itinerary of vocational maturation,
that leads to a specific vocation.
Consecrated persons especially are called to promote theculture of vocations
in schools. They are a sign for all Christian people not only of a specific
vocation, but also of vocational dynamism as a form of life, thus eloquently representing
the decision of those who wish to live with attention to God’s call.
sharing their educational charism
57. In the modern situation, the educational mission in schools is increasingly
shared with the laity. "Whereas at times in the recent past, collaboration came
about as a means of supplementing the decline of consecrated persons necessary to
carry out activities, now it is growing out of the need to share responsibility
not only in the carrying out of the Institute’s works but especially in the hope
of sharing specific aspects and moments of the spirituality and mission of the Institute.”[xl] Consecrated persons must
therefore transmit the educational charism that animates them and promote the formation
of those who feel that they are called to the same mission. To discharge this responsibility
they must be careful not to get involved exclusively in academic-administrative
tasks and to not be taken over by activism. What they must do is favour attention
to the richness of their charism and try to develop it in response to the new social-cultural
situations.
becoming privileged interlocutors in the search for God
58. In educational communities consecrated persons can promote the achievement of
a mentality that is inspired by the evangelical values in a style that is typical
of their charism. This in itself is already an educational service in a vocational
key. Young people, in fact, and often also the other members of the educational
community, more or less consciously expect to find in consecrated persons privileged
interlocutors in the search for God. For this type of service, the most specific
of the identity of consecrated persons, there are no age limits that would justify
considering oneself retired. Even when they have to retire from professional activity,
they can always continue to be available for young people and adults, as experts
of life according to the Spirit, men and women educators in the sphere of faith.
The presence of consecrated men and women in schools is thus a proposal of evangelical
spirituality, a reference point for the members of the educational community in
their itinerary of faith and of Christian maturation.
The vocational dimension of the teaching profession
59. The quality of the teachers is fundamental in creating an educational environment
that is purposeful and fertile. It is for this reason that the institutions of consecrated
life and religious communities, especially when in charge of Catholic schools, propose
formation itineraries for teachers. It is opportune in these to emphasize the vocational
dimension of the teaching profession in order to make the teachers aware that they
are participating in the educational and sanctifying mission of the Church.[xli]Consecrated
persons can reveal, to those who so desire, the richness of the spirituality that
characterizes them and of the charism of their Institute, encouraging them to live
them in the educational ministry according to the lay identity and in forms that
are suitable and accessible to young people.
Educators called to teach coexistence
....all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for
one another (Jn 13:35)
On a human scale
Priority attention to the person
60. A school’s community dimension is inseparable from priority attention to the
person, the focus of the scholastic educational programme. “Culture must correspond
to the human person, and overcome the temptation to a knowledge which yields
to pragmatism or which loses itself in the endless meanderings of erudition. Such
knowledge is incapable of giving meaning to life…knowledge enlightened by faith,
far from abandoning areas of daily life, invests them with all the strength of hope
and prophecy. The humanism which we desire advocates a vision of society centred
on the human person and his inalienable rights, on the values of justice and peace,
on a correct relationship between individuals, society and the State, on the logic
of solidarity and subsidiarity. It is a humanism capable of giving a soul to economic
progress itself, so that it may be directed to thepromotion of each individual and
of the whole person.”[xlii]
characterizing concrete choices in that sense
61. Consecrated persons must be careful to safeguard the priority of the person
in their educational programme. For this they must cooperate in the concrete choices
that are made regarding the general school programme and its formative proposal.
Each pupil must be considered as an individual, bearing in mind his family environment,
his personal history, his skills and his interests. In a climate of mutual trust,
consecrated men and women discover and cultivate each person’s talents and help
young people to become responsible for their own formation and to cooperate in that
of their companions. This requires the total dedication and unselfishness of those
who live the educational service as a mission. This dedication and unselfishness
contribute to characterizing the school environment as a vital environment in which
intellectual growth is harmonised with spiritual, religious, emotional and social
growth.
Personalised accompanying
giving precedence to dialogue and attentive listening
62. With the typical sensitivity of their formation, consecrated persons offer personalised
accompanying through attentive listening and dialogue. They are, in fact, convinced
that “education is a thing of the heart”[xliii]
and that, consequently, an authentic formative process can only be initiated through
a personal relationship.
reawakening the desire for internal liberation
63. Every human being feels that he is internally oppressed by tendencies to evil,
even when he flaunts limitless freedom. Consecrated men and women strive to reawaken
in young people the desire for an internal liberation. This is a condition for undertaking
the Christian journey that is directed towards the new life of the evangelical beatitudes.
The evangelical view will allow young people to take an critical attitude towards
consumerism and hedonism that have wormed their way, like the tare in the wheat,
into the culture and way of life of vast areas of humanity.
that is conversion of the heart
Fully aware that all human values find their full accomplishment and their unity
in Christ, consecrated persons explicitly represent the maternal care of the Church
for the complete growth of the young people of our time, communicating the conviction
that there can be no true liberation if there is no conversion of the heart.[xliv]
The dignity of woman and her vocation
The presence and action of women
64. The sensitivity of consecrated persons, so attentive to the need to develop
the single-dual dimension of the human person in obedience to God’s original plan
(cf.Gen 2:18), can contribute to integrating differences in the educational
endeavour to make maximum use of them and overcoming homologations and stereotypes.
History testifies to the commitment of consecrated men and women in favour of women.
Even today consecrated persons feel they have a duty to appreciate women in the
field of education. In various parts of the world Catholic schools and numerous
religious families are active in assuring that women are guaranteed access to education
without any discrimination and that they can give their specific contribution to
the good of the entire community. Everyone is aware of the contribution of women
in favour of life and of the humanisation of culture,[xlv] their readiness to care for people and to rebuild the social
tissue that has often been broken and torn by tension and hate. Many initiatives
of solidarity, even among peoples at war, are born from thatfemale genius
that promotes sensitivity for all human beings in all circumstances.[xlvi] In this context consecrated women are called
in a very special way to be, through their dedication lived in fullness and joy,
a sign of God’s tender love towards the human race.[xlvii] The presence and appreciation of women is therefore
essential for preparing a culture that really does place at its centre people, the
search for the peaceful settlement of conflicts, unity in diversity, assistance
and solidarity.
Intercultural outlook
Contribution of consecrated persons to intercultural dialogue
65. In today’s complex society, schools are called to provide young generations
with the elements necessary for developing an intercultural vision. Consecrated
persons involved in education, who often belong to institutes that are spread throughout
the world, are an expression of “multi-cultural and International communities, called
to 'witness to the sense of communion among peoples, races and cultures' . . . where
mutual knowledge, respect, esteem and enrichment are being experienced.”[xlviii] For this reason they can easily consider
cultural differences as a richness and propose accessible paths of encounter and
dialogue. This attitude is a precious contribution for true intercultural education,
something that is made increasingly urgent by the considerable phenomenon of migration.
The itinerary to be followed in educational communities involves passing from tolerance
of the multicultural situation to welcome and a search for reasons for mutual understanding
to intercultural dialogue, which leads to acknowledging the values and limits of
every culture.
Intercultural education
Education application necessary
66. From a Christian viewpoint, intercultural education is essentially based on
the relational model that is open to reciprocity. In the same way as happens with
people, cultures also develop through the typical dynamisms of dialogue and communion.
“Dialogue between cultures emerges as an intrinsic demand of human nature itself,
as well as of culture. It is dialogue which protects the distinctiveness of cultures
as historical and creative expressions of the underlying unity of the human family,
and which sustains understanding and communion between them. The notion of communion,
which has its source in Christian revelation and finds its sublime prototype in
the Triune God (cf.Jn 17:11, 21), never implies a dull uniformity or enforced
homogenisation or assimilation; rather it expresses the convergence of a multiform
variety, and is therefore a sign of richness and a promise of growth.”[xlix]
Coexistence of differences
67. The intercultural prospective involves a change of paradigm at the pedagogical
level. From the integration of differences one passes to a search for their coexistence.
This is a model that is neither simple nor easily implemented. In the past,
diversity between cultures was often a source of misunderstandings and conflicts;
even today, in various parts of the world, we see the arrogant establishment of
some cultures over others. No less dangerous is the tendency to homologation of
cultures to models of the western world inspired by forms of radical individualism
and a practically atheist concept of life.
Commitment to seek the ethical foundations of the various cultures
68. Schools must question themselves about the fundamental ethical trends that characterize
the cultural experiences of a particular community. “Cultures, like the people
who give rise to them, are marked by the 'mystery of evil' at work in human history
(cf. 1Th 2:7), and they too are in need of purification and salvation. The
authenticity of each human culture, the soundness of its underlyingethos,
and hence the validity of its moral bearings, can be measured to an extent by its
commitment to the human cause and by its capacity to promote human dignity at every
level and in every circumstance.”[l]
In his speech to the members of the 50th General Assembly of the United Nations
Organization, the Pope underlined the fundamental communion between peoples, observing
that the various cultures are in actual fact just different ways of dealing with
the question of the meaning of personal existence. In fact, every culture is an
attempt to reflect on the mystery of the world and of man, a way of expressing the
transcendent dimension of human life. Seen this way, difference, rather than being
a threat, can become, through respectful dialogue, a source of deep understanding
of the mystery of human existence.[li]
Sharing with the poor in solidarity
Preferential option for the poor
69. The presence of consecrated persons in an educational community concurs in perfecting
the sensitivity of everyone to the poverty that still torments young people, families
and entire peoples. This sensitivity can become a source of profound changes in
an evangelical sense, inducing a transformation of the logics of excellence and
superiority into those of service, ofcaring for others and forming a heart
that is open to solidarity.
The preferential option for the poor leads to avoiding all forms of exclusion. Within
the school there is often an educational plan that serves the more or less well-to-do
social groups, while attention for the most needy definitively takes second place.
In many cases social, economic or political circumstances leave no better alternative.
This, however, must not mean the exclusion of a clear idea of the evangelical criteria
or of trying to apply it at a personal and community level and within the scholastic
institutions themselves.
Planning starting from the least
Poor young people at the centre of the education programme
70. When the preferential option for the poorest is at the centre of the educational
programme, the best resources and most qualified persons are initially placed at
the service of the least, without in this way excluding those who have less difficulties
and shortages. This is the meaning of evangelical inclusion, so distant from the
logic of the world. The Church does, in fact, mean to offer its educational service
in the first place to “those who are poor in the goods of this world or who
are deprived of the assistance and affection of a family or who are strangers to
the gift of Faith.”[lii] Unjust
situations often make it difficult to implement this choice. Sometimes, however,
it is Catholic educational institutions themselves that have strayed from such a
preferential option, which characterized the beginnings of the majority of institutes
of consecrated life devoted to teaching.
This choice, typical of the consecrated life, should therefore be cultivated from
the time of initial formation, so that it is not considered as reserved only for
the most generous and courageous.
Identify situations of poverty
71. Following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, consecrated persons should
identify among their pupils the various poverty situations that prevent the overall
maturation of the person and marginalize him or her from social life, by investigating
their causes. Among these, destitution occupies an undisputable place. It often
brings with it the lack of a family and of health, social maladjustment, loss of
human dignity, impossibility of access to culture and consequently a deep spiritual
poverty.Becoming the voice of the poor of the world is a challenge assumed
by the Church, and all Christians should do the same.[liii] Due to their choices and their publicly professed commitment
of a poor personal and community lifestyle, consecrated persons are more strongly
sensitive to their duty to promote justice and solidarity in the environment in
which they are active.
Giving voice to the poor
Considering the least
72. Access to education especially for the poor[liv] is a commitment assumed at different levels by Catholic educational
institutions. This requires arranging educational activity to suit the least, no
matter what the social status of the pupils present in the scholastic institution.
This involves, among other things, proposing the contents of the social doctrine
of the Church through educational projects and requires checking the profile that
the school foresees for its students. If a school listens to the poorest people
and arranges itself to suit them, it will be able to interpret the subjects at the
service of life, and avail of their contents in relation to the global growth of
people.
commitment in formal and non-formal education
73. By listening to the poor, consecrated persons knowwhere to commit themselves
even within the sphere of non-formal education and how to bring the most underprivileged
to have access to instruction. Acquaintance with countries where schools are reserved
for the few or encounter serious difficulties in accomplishing their task could
give rise in the educational communities of the more developed countries to initiatives
of solidarity, among which twinning between classes or schools. The formative advantages
would be great for everyone, especially for the pupils of the more developed countries.
They would learn what is essential in life and they would be assisted in not following
the cultural fashions induced by consumerism.
and in the defence of children’s
rights
74. The defence of children’s rights is another particularly important challenge.
The exploitation of children, in different, often aberrant, forms, is among the
most disturbing aspects of our time. Consecrated persons involved in the educational
mission have the inescapable duty to devote themselves to the protection and promotion
of children’s rights. The concrete contributions that they can make both as individuals
and as an educational institution will probably be insufficient with respect to
the needs, but not useless, inasmuch as aimed at making known the roots from which
the abuses derive. Consecrated persons willingly unite their efforts to those of
other civil and ecclesial organizations and persons of good will, to uphold the
respect of human rights in for the good of everyone, starting from the most weak
and helpless.
willing even to give their lives
75. The preferential option for the poor requires living a personal and community
attitude of readiness togive one’s life where necessary. It might therefore
be necessary to leave perhaps even works of prestige which are no longer able to
implement suitable formative processes and consequently leave no room for the characteristics
of the consecrated life. In fact, “if a school is excellent as an academic institution,
but does not bear witness to authentic values, then both good pedagogy and a concern
for pastoral care make it obvious that renewal is called for.”[lv]
Consecrated persons are therefore called to check to see if, in their educational
activity, they are mainly pursuing academic prestige rather than the human and Christian
maturation of the young people; if they are favouring competition rather than solidarity;
if they are involved in educating, together with the other members of the school
community, persons who are free, responsible andjust according to evangelical
justice.
to the ends of the earth
76. Precisely because of their religious consecration, consecrated persons are pre-eminently
free to leave everything to go to preach the gospel even to the ends of the earth.[lvi]For them, even in the educational
field, the announcement “ad gentes” of the Good News remains a priority.
They are therefore aware of the fundamental role of Catholic schools in mission
countries. In many cases, in fact, schools are the only possibility for the Church’s
presence, in others they are a privileged place of evangelising and humanising action,
responsible both for the human and cultural development of the poorest people. It
is important in this regard to consider the necessity of the participation of the
educational charism between the religious families of the countries of ancient evangelisation
and those born in mission territories, which inspire them. In fact, “the older Institutes,
many of which have been tested by the severest of hardships, which they have accepted
courageously down the centuries can be enriched through dialogue and an exchange
of gifts with the foundations appearing in our own days.”[lvii] Such sharing is also transferred into the field of formation
of consecrated persons, in sustaining new religious families and in cooperation
between various institutes.
Culture of peace
Peace through justice
77. The path to peace passes through justice. “Only in this way can we ensure a
peaceful future for our world and remove the root causes of conflicts and wars:
peace is the fruit of justice . . . a justice which is not content to apportion
to each his own, but one which aims at creating conditions ofequal opportunity
among citizens, and therefore favouring those who, for reasons of social status
or education or health, risk being left behind or being relegated to the lowest
places in society, without possibility of deliverance.”[lviii]
Educating for peace starting
from the heart
Peacemakers in their own environment
78. Awareness that education is the main road to peace is a fact shared by the international
community. The various projects launched by international organizations for sensitising
public opinion and governments are a clear sign of this.[lix] Consecrated persons, witnesses of Christ, the Prince
of Peace, grasp the urgency of placing education for peace among the primary objectives
of their formative action offering their specific contribution to encourage in the
hearts of the pupils the desire to become peacemakers. Wars in fact are born in
the hearts of men and the defences of peace must be built in the hearts of men.
By enhancing the educational process, consecrated persons undertake to excite attitudes
of peace in the souls of the men of the third millennium. This “is not only the
absence of conflict but requires a positive, dynamic, participatory process where
dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding
and co-operation.”[lx]
Consecrated persons cooperate in this undertaking with all men and women of goodwill
sharing with them the effort and urgency to always seek new ways that are suited
for an effective education that “has widened possibilities for strengthening a culture
of peace.”[lxi]
through the education to values
79. An effective education for peace involves preparing various levels of programmes
and strategies. Among other things, it is a matter of proposing to the pupils an
education to suitable values and attitudes for peacefully settling disputes in the
respect of human dignity; of organising activities, even extracurricular ones such
as sports and theatre that favour assimilating the values of loyalty and respect
of rules; of assuring equality of access to education for women; of encouraging,
when necessary, a review of curricula, including textbooks.[lxii]
Education is also called to transmit to students an awareness of their cultural
roots and respect for other cultures. When this is achieved with solid ethical reference
points, education leads to a realisation of the inherent limits in one’s own culture
and in that of others. At the same time, however, it emphasises a common inheritance
of values to the entire human race. In this way“education has a particular role
to play in building a more united and peaceful world. It can help to affirm
that integral humanism, open to life's ethical and religious dimension, which appreciates
the importance of understanding and showing esteem for other cultures and the spiritual
values present in them.”[lxiii]
Educating for coexistence
Educating for active and responsible citizens
80. As a result of the negative effects of uncontrolled economic and cultural globalisation,
responsible participation in the life of the community at local, national and world
levels acquires increasing importance at the beginning of the third millennium.
This participation presupposes the realisation of the causes of the phenomena that
threaten the coexistence of people and of human life itself. As with every realisation,
this too finds in education, and in particular in schools, fertile ground for its
development. Thus a new and difficult task takes shape: educate to have active and
responsible citizens. The words of the Pope are enlightening in this regard:“promoting
the right to peace ensures respect for all other rights, since it encourages the
building of a society in which structures of power give way to structures of cooperation,
with a view to the common good.”[lxiv]
In this respect, consecrated persons can offer the sign of a responsible brotherhood,
living in communities in which “each member has a sense of co-responsibility for
the faithfulness of the others; each one contributes to a serene climate of sharing
life, of understanding, and of mutual help.”[lxv]
CONCLUSION
81. The reflections proposed clearly indicate that the presence of consecrated persons
in the world of education is a prophetic choice.[lxvi]
The Synod on the consecrated life exhorts to assume with renewed dedication the
educational mission in all levels of schools, universities and institutions of higher
learning.[lxvii] The invitation
to continue the itinerary begun by those who have already offered a significant
contribution to the educational mission of the Church lies within the bounds of
the fidelity to their original charism: “because of their special consecration,
their particular experience of the gifts of the Spirit, their constant listening
to the Word of God, their practice of discernment, their rich heritage of pedagogical
traditions built up since the establishment of their Institute, and their profound
grasp of spiritual truth (cf.Ef 1:17), consecrated persons are able to be
especially effective in educational activities and to offer a specific contribution
to the work of other educators.”[lxviii]
82. In the dimension of ecclesial communion, there is a growing awareness in every
consecrated person of the great cultural and pedagogical wealth that derives from
sharing a common educational mission, even in the specificity of the various ministries
and charisms. It is a matter of discovering and renewing an awareness of one’s own
identity, finding again the inspiring nucleuses of a skilled educational professionalism
to be rediscovered as a way of being that represents an authentic vocation.
Starting afresh from Christ
The root of this renewed awareness is Christ. Consecrated persons working in schools
must start from him to find again the motivating source of their mission. Starting
afresh from Christ means contemplating his face, pausing at length with him in prayer
to then be able to show him to others. It is what the Church is called to accomplish
at the beginning of the new millennium, conscious that only faith can enter the
mystery of that face.[lxix] Starting
again from Christ is, therefore, also for consecrated men and women, starting afresh
from faith nourished by the sacraments and supported by a hope that does not fail:
“I am with you always” (Mt 28:20).
in a renewed commitment
Encouraged by this hope, consecrated persons are called to revive their educational
passion living it in school communities as a testimony of encounter between different
vocations and between generations.
The task of teaching to live, discovering the deepest meaning of life and of transcendence,
to mutually interact with others, to love creation, to think freely and critically,
to find fulfilment in work, to plan the future, in one word tobe, demands
a new love of consecrated persons for educational and cultural commitment in schools.
and living in a state of permanent formation
83. By allowing themselves to be transformed by the Spirit and living in a state
of permanent formation, consecrated men and women become able to extend their horizons
and understand the profound causes of events.[lxx] Permanent
formation also becomes the key to understanding the educational mission in schools
and for carrying it out in a way that is close to a reality that is so changeable
and at the same time in need of responsible, timely and prophetic intervention.
The cultural study that consecrated persons are called to cultivate for improving
their professionalism in the subjects for which they are responsible, or in the
administrative or management service, is a duty of justice, which cannot be shirked.
Participation in the life of the universal and particular Church involves demonstrating
the bonds of communion and appreciating the directions of the Magisterium, especially
with regard to such matters as life, the family, the issue of women, social justice,
peace, ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue. In the climate of modern pluralism,
the Magisterium of the Church is the voice of authority that interprets phenomena
in the light of the Gospel.
Thanksgiving for the important and noble task
84. The Congregation for Catholic Education wishes to conclude these reflections
with sincere gratitude to all the consecrated persons who work in the field of school
education. While aware of the complexity and often of the difficulties of their
task, it wishes to underline the value of thenoble educational service aimed
at giving reasons for life and hope to the new generations, through critically processed
knowledge and culture, on the basis of a concept of the person and of life inspired
by the evangelical values.
Every school and every place of non formal education can become a centre of a greater
network which, from the smallest village to the most complex metropolis, wraps the
world in hope. It is in education, in fact, that the promise of a more human future
and a more harmonious society lies.
No difficulty should remove consecrated men and women from schools and from education
in general, when the conviction of being called to bring the Good News of the Kingdom
of God to the poor and small is so deep and vital. Modern difficulties and confusion,
together with the new prospects that are appearing at the dawn of the third millennium,
are a strong reminder to pass one’s life in educating the new generations to become
bearers of a culture of communion that may reach every people and every person.
The main motive and, at the same time, the goal of the commitment of every consecrated
person, is to light and trim the lamp of faith of the new generations, the “morning
watchmen (cf.Is 21:11-12) at the dawn of the new millennium.”[lxxi]
The Holy Father, during the Audience granted to the undersigned Prefect, approved
this document and authorized its publication.
Rome, 28th October 2002, thirty-seventh anniversary of the promulgation
of the statement
Gravissimum educationis of the Second Vatican Council.
+ Zenon Card. GROCHOLEWSKI
Prefect
+ Joseph PITTAU, S.J.
Secretary
NOTES
[i] Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic exhortation
Vita consecrata, 25th March 1996, nn. 72-73,AAS 88 (1996),
447-449.
[ii] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical
letterRedemptoris missio, 7th December 1990, n. 38,AAS
83 (1991), 286.
[iii] John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortation Vitaconsecrata, n. 73, AAS 88 (1996), 448.
[iv] Cf. Sacred Congregation for Catholic
Education,The Catholic School, 19th March 1977; cf. Congregation
for Catholic Education,The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium,
28th December 1997.
[v] Cf. Sacred Congregation for
Catholic Education,Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, 15th
October 1982.
[vi] Cf. Pontifical Council for Culture, Toward
a Pastoral Approach to Culture, 23rd May 1999, L'Osservatore
Romano (English), N. 23,9 June 1999.
[vii] JOHN PAUL II,Letter Instituting
the Pontifical Council for Culture, 20th May 1982,AAS 74
(1982), 685.
[viii] Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata, n. 96, AAS 88 (1996), 471.
[ix] Congregation for Catholic Education,
Circular letter to the Reverend General Superiors and Presidents of Societies of
Apostolic Life responsible for Catholic Schools, 15th October
1996, inEnchiridion Vaticanum, vol. 15, 837.
[x] John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata, n. 1,AAS 88 (1996),377.
[xiii] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium, nn. 43-44.
[xiv] John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortation Vita consecrata, n. 87,AAS 88 (1996), 463.
[xv] Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic
letter Novo millennio ineunte, 6th January 2001, n.30,
AAS 93 (2001), 287.
[xvii] John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata, n. 96,AAS 88 (1996), 472.
[xviii] SACRED CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC
EDUCATION,Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, n. 43.
[xix] John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata , n. 22,AAS 88 (1996), 396.
[xx] Cf.Ibid., n. 105, 481.
[xxi] Congregation for Institutes
of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,Starting Afresh from Christ,
19th May 2002, n. 39.
[xxiii] Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council, Declaration on Christian EducationGravissimum educationis,
Introd.
[xxiv] Cf. Congregation for Catholic
Education, The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium,
n. 11.
[xxv] Cf. Pontifical Council for
Social Communications,Ethics in Internet, 22nd February 2002,
n. 15.
[xxvi] Cf. Pontifical Council for
Social Communications The Church and Internet, 22nd February 2002,
n. 7.
[xxvii] Cf. UNESCO, Conférence générale,
Résolution adoptée sur le rapport de la Commission V. Séance plénière, 12
novembre 1997.
[xxviii] Cf. PAUL VI, Encyclical
letterPopulorum progressio, 26th March 1967, n. 42,AAS
59 (1967), 278.
[xxix] Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council,Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern WorldGaudium et spes,
n. 22.
[xxx] Cf.John Paul II, Encyclical
letter Redemptoris missio, n. 8, AAS 83 (1991), 256.
[xxxi] Congregation for Catholic
Education,The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium,
n. 14.
[xxxii] Cf.John Paul II,Speech
to the Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 13th
November 2000,AAS 93 (2001), 202-206.
[xxxiii] Congregation for Institutes
of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,Starting Afresh from Christ,
n. 30.
[xxxiv] Cf.John Paul II,Homily
for the Jubilee of Families, Rome, 15th October 2000, nn. 4-5,
AAS 93 (2001), 90..
[xxxv] John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata, n. 85,AAS 88 (1996), 462.
[xxxvi] Cf.Congregation for Catholic
Education,The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School,
7th April 1988, nn. 98-112.
[xxxvii] Cf. Sacred Congregation
for Catholic Education,The Catholic School, n. 31.
[xxxix] Pontifical Work for Ecclesiastical
Vocations,New Vocations for a New Europe. Final document of the Congress
of Vocations to the Priesthood and to Consecrated life, Rome, 5th -10th
May 1997, n.13 b.
[xl] Congregation for Institutes
of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,Starting Afresh from Christ,
n. 31.
[xli] Cf. Sacred Congregation for
Catholic Education,Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, n. 24.
[xlii] John Paul II,Jubilee
of University Professors, Rome, 9th September 2000, nn.
3, 6,AAS 92 (2000), 863-865.
[xliii] St. John BOSCO,Circolare
del 24 gennaio 1883, in CERIA E. (a cura di),Epistolario di S.
Giovanni Bosco, SEI, Torino 1959, vol.IV, 209.
[xliv] Cf.Paul VI, Apostolic exhortation
Evangelii nuntiandi, 8th December 1975, n. 36,
AAS 68 (1976), 29
[xlv] Cf. John Paul II,Apostolic
exhortation Christifideles laici, 30th December 1988, n. 51,AAS
81 (1989), 492-496..
[xlvi] Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic
letter Mulieris dignitatem, 15th August 1988, n. 30,AAS
80 (1988), 1724-1727.
[xlvii] Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata, n. 57,AAS 88 (1996), 429.
[xlviii] Congregation for Institutes
of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,Starting Afresh from Christ,
n. 29.
[xlix] John Paul II,Dialogue
between Cultures for a Civilisation of Love and Peace, Message for the Celebration
of the World Day of Peace, 1st January 2001, n. 10,AAS 93 (2001),
239.
[li] Cf. John Paul II,Insegnamenti,
XVIII/ 2, 1995, 730-744.
[lii] Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council, Declaration on Catholic EducationGravissimum educationis, n. 9.
[liii] Cf.John Paul II, Apostolic
letterTertio millennio adveniente, 10th November 1994, n. 51,
AAS 87 (1995), 36.
[liv] See, for example, Office International
Pour L’enseignement Catholique (OIEC), Déclaration de la XIVème Assemblée Générale, Rome,
5th March 1994.
[lv] Congregation for Catholic Education,
The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, n. 19.
[lvi] Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic exhortation
Evangelii nuntiandi, n. 69,AAS 68 (1976), 58.
[lvii] John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata, n. 62,AAS 88 (1996), 437.
[lviii] John Paul II,Jubilee
of Government Leaders, Members of Parliament and Politicians, Rome, 4th
November 2000, n. 2,AAS 93 (2001), 167.
[lix] For example, the United
Nations has promoted theInternational Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence,
(2000-2010).
[lx] The United Nations,Résolution
53/243:Déclaration et Programme d'action sur une culture de la paix,
6 octobre 1999.
[lxi]Ibid., A, art.
1a; art. 4.
[lxiii] John Paul II,Dialogue
between Cultures for a Civilisation of Love and Peace, Message for the Celebration
of the World Day of Peace, 1st January 2001, n. 20,AAS 93 (2001),
245.
[lxiv] John Paul II, Respect
for Human Rights: the Secret of True Peace, Message for the Celebration
of the World Day of Peace, 1st January 1999, n. 11,AAS 91 (1999),
385.
[lxv] Congregation for Institutes
of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,Fraternal Life in Community,
2nd February 1994, n.57, inEnchiridion Vaticanum, vol.14,
265.
[lxvi] Cf. Congregation for Catholic
Education,The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium,
n. 21.
[lxvii] Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata, n. 97,AAS 88 (1996), 473.
[lxix] Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic
letterNovo millennio ineunte, n. 19,AAS 93 (2001), 278-279.
[lxx] Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic
exhortationVita consecrata, n. 98,AAS 88 (1996), 474.
[lxxi] John Paul II, Apostolic letterNovo millennio ineunte,
n. 9,AAS 93 (2001), 272.