The inputs were put under the charge of experts on the theme with such well-known speakers as Miguel Ardanaz and Carmen Pellicer, both belonging to the Pedagogical Department of FERE (Spanish Federation of Religious in Education), and Father Agustin Alcalde, newly elected Superior of the Province of Spain of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA) and well-versed in the fields of education and Augustinology.
The first paper, by Miguel Ardanaz, was"The Core Competencies in the Augustinian School: the Spiritual Competency”. His focus was, first, the importance of learning to see reality with new eyes. "Contemplation," argued the speaker, “is one of the skills we can work from this spiritual competency.” A second key element of this spiritual competency is the pursuit of self-awareness and sense of life. "But before that," he reminded the body, “there is a need to recover the sensitivity to values, so distorted today.”
Carmen Pellicer spoke about "Interiority as a primary competency". Interiority
Carmen Pellicer spoke about "Interiority as a primary competency". She began by recalling that the spiritual competency is a basic learning and not something to be relegated to the pastoral field. She also recalled that it is not a fad that has emerged just lately or simply a particular interest of anyone, but something already defined in many educational systems of other countries. The key question raised was: Is man ready for a spiritual experience? To answer the question she stresses that this spiritual competency, like other skills, requires to have neuro-biological bases. For this purpose she recalled several experimental studies focusing on finding part of the brain dedicated to and has propensity for what is spiritual.
On Sunday, Father Isidro de la Viuda, incumbent president of the FAE, presided at the Eucharist in the chapel of Colegio San Agustin. Concelebrating were many Augustinian and Augustinian Recollect religious, among whom were several members of the general and provincial councils. In his homily he stressed the three main pillars of the Augustinian spirituality which must be considered in the field of education: interiority, community and freedom.
After the Eucharist, the last talk of this 2010 edition of the Augustinian Assembly was Father Agustin Alcalde’s. The title of his presentation was "pedagogical criteria in the Augustinian School.” The newly elected Superior of the Province of Spain of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA) offered a practical insight into the implementation of the Rule of St. Augustine within the educational environment. He provided numerous examples and suggestions from his vast experience in this field.