On July 20, the five schools of the Order in Venezuela met in Caracas to celebrate the end of the 2023/2024 school year.
This meeting, which is held annually, is an opportunity for educators and members of the administrative staff of the schools to share a day of coexistence and formation.
In this way, the workers of the schools Fray Luis de León, San Judas Tadeo, Cristo Rey, Santo Tomás de Villanueva and San Carlos Borromeo, shared together this day that began with the Eucharistic celebration, presided over by the Vicar of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova. Province of St. Thomas of Villanova in Venezuela, Fr. Eddy Omar Polo.
En sus palabras dirigidas a los asistentes destacó el agradecimiento por el trabajo realizado a lo largo del curso y la necesidad de vivir la experiencia sinodal también durante la misión educativa.
In addition, each of the schools was in charge of preparing in detail different moments of the celebration, which was concelebrated by the religious who work in the Educational Apostolate of the Vicariate of Venezuela.
Training: EDUCAR Network, Artificial Intelligence and the culture of good treatment
After the Eucharist and breakfast, it was time for training.
On this occasion, the president of the EDUCAR Network, Fr. Antonio CarrónThe courses were given in person, since he was in the country.
During his speech, he reviewed the origin and trajectory of the EDUCAR Network and showed its objectives, structure and recent activities.
In particular, he highlighted the recent experience in Sierra Leone, where the educational work of the Order is very important and with whom collaboration ties are being strengthened.
The president of the Order’s education network also presented the conclusions of the VII EDUCAR meeting. VII EDUCAR MeetingMeeting, held in Guatemala in November 2023.
As he explained, this meeting was especially relevant because it introduced several novelties.
Among them, the presentation of the renewed version of the Institutional Educational Project of the Order, the Augustinian pedagogical bases, the novelties of the Dictionary of Competencies and the certification of excellence MELIOR.
Finally, Fr. Antonio developed two topics that were also presented during the VII EDUCAR Meeting and that are very topical in the educational panorama: the challenge of the ethical and technical use of artificial intelligence in education, and the promotion of the culture of good treatment and prevention of abuse.
“Pilgrims of hope”.
Then, the rector of the Fray Luis de León school and pastoral coordinator of the EDUCAR Network in Venezuela, Fr. Alejandro Martinezpresented the pastoral mottofor the next academic year 2024 – 2025, which will be the same as that of the Jubilee Year: ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.
In his remarks, he highlighted “the opportunity to join the Church’s journey with the celebration of this event” and reminded the teachers that the EDUCAR Network offers pedagogical and pastoral resources each year to facilitate the presentation and implementation of the theme.
These encounters give meaning to the experience of being an educational family.
Before concluding the event and giving way to a meal accompanied by live music, the rector of Colegio Cristo Rey, this year’s host school, Fr. Alfredo SanchezHe thanked everyone for attending, wished a happy holiday break to all the educational teams and recalled that it is these meetings that “give meaning to the experience of being an educational family”.
