The Pious Schools of Mexico, through the Secretariat of Formal Education, convened and held a congress for the teachers of the educational centres of our province.
The theme of this day of reflection, work and exchange was “Humanism and Spirituality”. The provincial event took place at Casa Calasanz in Oaxaca City, Mexico, where teachers from the following schools came together: Escuela Calasanz de Veracruz; Instituto Fray Pedro de Gante, Apizaco, Tlaxcala; Instituto José María Morelos de Santa Ana Chiautempan-Ocotlán, Tlaxcala; Instituto Carlos Pereyra, Puebla; Instituto Carlos Gracida, Oaxaca.
The first part of the congress was dedicated to work in the human field with the presentation “The personalised care of the educator” with the support of psychologist Gabriela Joaquín Avendaño. This presentation offered a comprehensive perspective on the important areas that must be cared for and attended to for a better integration of the person in their educational role. Through personal and collective work, this theme was strengthened and left fruit in the being and action of the Piarist teachers.
On the evening of the first day, there was a fraternal dinner accompanied by music to enhance the atmosphere and share the gifts that each participant brought. The morning of the second day began with the Eucharist presided over by Fr Sergio Fernando Hernández Avilés, Provincial of Mexico, to give thanks for the vocation as Piarist educators.
The second day was dedicated to work and reflection on the dimension of Piarist spirituality. In the first part, we had a video call from Father General Pedro Aguado, who gave us some explanations on “How to live Piarist spirituality today in our works”. These were very valuable keys for our experience as teachers. After his talk, there was time for questions and the conclusion of his talk.
The second part of the same day was led by Fr Javier Alonso Arroyo, Sch. P., Rector of the Cristobal Colon University of Veracruz, Mexico. The reflection centred on the theme “Educators with a great spirit”, using the letters of our Holy Father Joseph Calasanz in which he mentions the word spirit. He challenged all participants to reflect on the profile of Calasanz’s educator who cultivates the virtues. He reminded us that a virtuous educator is one who, through education and practise, acquires skills or qualities that enable him or her to excel. After his address, we worked in teams to summarise the moment.
We thank God for this space to share joys, challenges and new proposals to strengthen our being and doing as Piarist teachers.
For the greater glory of God and for the benefit of others.
F. Carlos Arturo Guerra Chávez, Sch.P.
