Within a shared reflection between the General Team of Young People and the Pious Schools and the General Calasanz Movement, we have seen that one of the themes being worked on in several places is international Piarist volunteering, and that we can connect in order to share the experience, even though these initiatives may have different characteristics. Seven Provinces have already been in contact with one another on this matter.
We believe that international volunteering is a strongly pastoral, social and educational commitment for many young people and adults who take part in the Pious Schools, provided that it is well accompanied, and that it is worthwhile to foster it and make it more visible from a specifically Piarist perspective.
Calasanz himself was an international volunteer when he began in Trastevere and, as the document “The Calasanctian Identity of Our Ministry” of the General Congregation (2012) tells us, we wish to continue along this path in order to “encourage Piarist volunteering by making use of the network that the Pious Schools have throughout the world” (p. 20).
For our general teams, one objective is to encourage exchanges of young people between Provinces in order to know one another better as Pious Schools, to offer meaningful experiences at a personal and vocational level, and to feel co-responsible for building up the Pious Schools in the many realities of mission and poverty where we are present as Piarists. Connecting with one another on this matter can enrich the experiences we are already carrying out or suggest new ones, help us to share resources and good practices, generate a stronger shared Piarist identity, and encourage more Provinces to send or receive people.
For this reason, we are convening an online formation meeting next 6 May, at 15:00 Rome time, for all Provinces that wish to share or learn about experiences of international Piarist volunteering.
Two moments will be developed during the meeting:
- Reflection on international Piarist volunteering from the key perspectives considered fundamental by the General Congregation, with Father General Carles Gil, and by the General Fraternity, with Carolina Paredes from the General Council of the Fraternity. We shall have a dialogue with them and we shall edit this recording so that it may also serve all of us as material for the formation of those who accompany and/or of international Piarist volunteers.
- Proposal for drawing up a common framework document on international Piarist volunteering. We shall begin this process at this meeting by agreeing on the general outline of the document, for which we ask you to come having reflected on the essential points that you believe this outline should contain.
The link for the meeting will be:
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/32034298013954?p=lJyNy1N7PZEu25gC5Z
Date and time: 6 May, from 17:00 to 18:30 Rome time.
This meeting is an open general invitation for people from any Province who wish to join and learn about these short- or long-term experiences, whether for sending or hosting people sent as volunteers or professionals, and as an opportunity for growth in the charism within the Provinces.
There will be translation into English for those who need it.
We ask you to confirm your attendance beforehand to the person responsible for the General Calasanz Movement, markus.roland@piarista.hu, or to the person responsible for the General Team of Young People and the Pious Schools, joncalleja@escolapiosemaus.org.
