The EDUCAR Network: An educational project rooted in the Gospel and Augustinian Recollect spirituality

At the heart of the educational proposal of the EDUCAR Network, the educational centers of the Order are not simply centers of teaching, but spaces of evangelization. José Manuel Cambero, an Augustinian Recollect religious, director of the Sacred Heart School of Guadalajara and coordinator of the International Pastoral Team of the network:

“One conviction we have in the EDUCAR Network is that our schools are centers of evangelization.”

Catholic education is much more than the transmission of academic knowledge; it is an evangelizing work in itself . Fr. José Manuel highlights how Pope Francis reinforces this vision: “Now we have a great ally, Pope Francis, who, if you listen to any of the things he says about education, is impressive. He is making us aware of how our work is authentic evangelization.” In this context, every detail within a Catholic educational center takes on a special meaning, from the morning welcome to the treatment in the dining room or extracurricular activities. ” The man or woman who greets the students when they enter, the cafeteria, the classrooms, any of the teachers, the extracurricular activities, the management team, everything has to speak of God in our schools,” he stresses.

The pillars of education in the EDUCAR Network

The educational philosophy of the EDUCAR Network is based on several fundamental pillars. “One of the pillars, logically, has to be the Gospel,” Fr. José Manuel emphasizes. To this essential element is added the spirituality of the Augustinian Recollect Order, which permeates the formation of the students and the atmosphere of the centers. But evangelization depends not only on the formation of the students, but also of the teaching and administrative personnel, as well as of the families: “We have to take great care of the personnel of the center, of all those who work with us, select them very well, take good care of them.

Another of the most important aspects is the one that encompasses the families with whom we work. And all this has to be impregnated with spirituality, with the Gospel.

This integral approach requires an essential ingredient: joy. “And to all these legs you have to put a seat, and the seat is joy and a pinch of humor too, which is also very Augustinian,” says Fr. José Manuel, recalling that education must not only transmit values, but also generate enthusiasm and hope in the new generations.

Student profile: spirituality, freedom and sense of humor

The students who pass through the classrooms of the EDUCAR Network schools not only acquire knowledge, but also develop a profile that is distinguished by three major characteristics: “Our students leave with a profile, and in that profile there are three things that stand out . One, a very deep spirituality. Another is that they are very free people, and another is that they know how to think with a sense of humor”.

These values do not arise spontaneously, but are the result of a joint and committed work between teachers, families and religious community.

“In our Augustinian family, the mission cannot be only of the friars or of the religious, the mission belongs to all of us. I understand that today, our mission, if it is not shared, how do you do it? It would be meaningless”, concludes Fr. José Manuel.

The EDUCAR Network thus demonstrates that Catholic education is not only a matter of curriculum, but of living and witnessing, a common commitment that forms people with hearts open to the world, with faith, freedom and an ever-present smile.