Translated and republished with permission from RSCJ Spain: https://www.rscj.es/i-congreso-del-modelo-pedagogico-xti-de-la-fundacion-educativa-sofia-barat/
Claire Castaing rscj, Superior General, attended the First Congress on the Xti Pedagogical Model of the Sofía Barat Educational Foundation, along with two of her General Councilors, Noellina Namusisi rscj and Paqui Rodríguez rscj, who are responsible for the apostolic priority of education.
The event took place on July 2 and 3 at the Espacio Pablo VI in Madrid, bringing together educators, religious sisters, families, and members of the 15 schools that are part of the Sofía Barat Educational Foundation network. They were joined by Teresa Vives, President of Escuelas Católicas, and Jesús Avezuela, President of the Board of Trustees of the Sofía Barat Educational Foundation, who delivered inspiring words of welcome at the gathering.
Over the course of the two days, Claire Castaing spoke on education; the participants prayed together; and they discussed the importance of accompaniment and care, guided by María Dolores López Guzmán, head of the Congregation’s Protection and Care department in the Spanish province, and Xavi Serret, head of the personnel development department at the Sofía Barat Educational Foundation. They spoke with retired teachers and former students, and heard how our roots are a fundamental part of our future, thanks to Concepción Mateos Brito, RSCJ, who traveled from Mexico to join this gathering.
Education is always an act of hope.
We cannot educate if we do not believe in the future.
We cannot educate if we do not believe in a young person’s ability to grow, to rise again after setbacks, and to become fully the person he or she is called to be.
We cannot educate if we do not believe that our world can be healed and transformed.– Claire Castaing
The music of Gaudea inspired the schools’ new motto for the coming school year as participants danced to the tunes of previous years’ mottos. Alfredo Hernando, a researcher, offered insight into the challenges and future of education, and Virginia Cagigal from Comillas University spoke about the importance of the relationship between school and family.
The conference featured an afternoon of hands-on activities, including workshops, interactive panels, and experiences with diverse perspectives, which helped explore how a passion for education can be transformed into educational action. Without a doubt, these two intense days celebrated all the progress made.
You can read Claire’s speech in its entirety and watch a video of the congress below.
Claire speaks from minute 37:00 to 55:00
Section |International News
Province |Mother House|Spain
