Protagonists and transformers
Dear family! We are already in the final stretch of this journey that we undertook as Claretian educators transformers of the world.
Today has been a very special day, we have been accompanied at the beginning with the prayer in Guarani by the CLARETIANA MARÍA DOLORES SOLÁ school of Paraguay where the Missionaries of the Claretian Institution evangelise.
Then we listened to two speakers who focused their enlightenment on the theme: “Claretian educator forms protagonists and transformers of reality”. They were: Kevin Balla, cmf, educator in Gabon and Fernando Soriano, lay educator of the Claret School of Seville, Spain. Each one of them, from their experience, helped us to remember the essential identity of a Claretian educator, what differentiates him from the rest, what he can contribute to the Church from the charism inherited from St. Anthony Mary Claret. They highlighted that a Claretian educator is a leader in education, but not so much for his intellectual knowledge as for his capacity to know how to guide and accompany, because he is: “someone who is capable of teaching how to live the faith twenty-four hours a day”. (Kevin,cmf).
Then Fernando invited us to carry, like Claret, an “hatillo”. And this “hatillo” should have seven essential elements for a Claretian educator:
- A text of the Word because the Bible always accompanied Claret.
- An image, because Claret liked and was helped by praying in front of images.
- A prayer, because Claret was a man of deep and continuous prayer.
- An example, because Claret had the ability to use everyday examples to get his message across more effectively to all audiences.
- An experience, because Claret, although he looked a lot to heaven, had his feet firmly planted on the ground and in the concrete reality in which he lived.
- A commitment, because Claret was a man of continuous and renewed resolutions that he made every year in his spiritual exercises.
- A small and great secret, because… well… for now I will not explain anything because… a secret is a secret… I will reveal it at the end.
Listening to these two talks, our hearts were grateful for the charism received and how it enriches us in our educational work.
Then we continued with the second stage of this day with the workshops proposed for this day, which, like yesterday, the congress participants had to choose to take part in.
We thank God for all that He is allowing us to experience in this congress, as a gift of His love and mercy.
We meet tomorrow for the closing of the Congress.
