Over three days, they worked on accompaniment, the vocation of young people, and the shared pastoral project
Under the slogan “Calling from Our Roots”, the Pastoral teams of the three Piarist Provinces of the Iberian Peninsula (Bethany, Catalonia and Emmaus) met in Barcelona on 16, 17 and 18 March. Carles Gil, Father General of the Pious Schools; Jacek Wolan, Assistant for Europe; Jordi Vilà, Provincial of the Pious Schools of Catalonia; and Jesús Elizari, Provincial of the Emmaus Province, accompanied the Piarist pastoral leaders.
The aim of this meeting was to recognise, interpret and choose how, from our Piarist charism, to accompany the anthropological, cultural and religious challenges we are living today in our pastoral ministry, and to do so as a team.
First day: Recognising
On Monday 16, the day devoted to Recognising, each team presented two examples of good pastoral practice carried out in their presences, with the aim of sharing them and seeking synergies and opportunities for interprovincial work. From Catalonia, the Cristianismo Vivo formation programme was presented, which will mark its 15th year in the next edition and in which around 300 Catalan educators have already taken part, as well as the Dies Diferentes initiative, aimed at the young people of this Province, which is already celebrating 20 years of life.
Before the meeting, each team had worked on three challenges to be shared during these days, bringing together the major challenges in this field. Topics addressed included the formation of pastoral leaders and agents, the strengthening of teams and structures, the transmission of Piarist identity, and how to make use of experiences on the margins in order to awaken committed Christian vocations, foster the celebratory dimension, and promote vocational accompaniment among young people. Of all these challenges, the participants decided to focus on two for the rest of the meeting, taking into account both the current reality and our Piarist roots: strengthening teams, structures and the shared pastoral project, and the vocational accompaniment of young people, at the origin of the Piarist mission, understanding vocation as that search for meaning and path.
The need for strong, empowered, well-formed teams with dedication was addressed, as well as structures capable of creating the necessary space and time for pastoral work, recognising its importance and placing it at the centre.
With regard to vocational work, there was once again discussion of the need to generate moments and facilitate spaces, together with accompaniment, so that young people may come to know themselves, ask themselves how they wish to live, in a deep sense, and respond to transcendent questions such as what kind of person or citizen they wish to become, what kind of professional life they want to develop, whether they wish to follow a religious vocation or choose instead to build their own family.
In order to focus the work, various outside participants accompanied the teams either in person or online. Eloi Aran, head of Pastoral Ministry at the Christian Schools Foundation of Catalonia; Jorge Sierra, a De La Salle religious responsible for pastoral ministry in Spain-Portugal; Fran Ramírez, a lay member of Catholic Action and director of the Subcommission for Youth and Childhood of the Spanish Episcopal Conference; and José Antonio Rosa Lemus, a layperson responsible for pastoral ministry with adolescents and young people in the four Marist Provinces in Europe, offered some insights into the reality of young people in Spain, their search for meaning, and the projects and initiatives being developed. Likewise, Mayte Ortíz, General Director of the SM Foundation, shared with us her analysis of young people today. At the end of the day, as on the other days, time was devoted to getting to know one another, strengthening bonds, and sharing a moment of reflection and prayer.
Second day: Interpreting
On Tuesday 17, the day devoted to Interpreting, work was carried out on the two challenges in small interprovincial groups, in order later to share, in the large group, the insights and proposals regarding both of them. In the evening, a group of young people from Catalonia Province, linked to different projects, shared their testimony of Piarist life. Sara and Anna explained the transformative experiences they had after spending a year in Tijuana, taking part as volunteers in the educational and community projects of the Vice-Province of the Californias. They shared the spiritual impact of their encounters with the women, the children and the Piarist community in one of the most severely affected neighbourhoods of that city. Roser, a former pupil of Escola Pia, a member of the MOU-TE movement, and currently a member of the Escola Pia Pastoral team, recounted her Piarist journey from childhood to the present day, what she has found in this community, and what she hopes for from it and wishes to contribute. Neus and Claudia, from the Youth Pastoral team, shared their experience in Taizé and made it something lived and experiential for everyone present.
Third day: Choosing
On the final day of the meeting, devoted to Choosing, the Father General, Carles Gil, and the Assistant for Europe, Jacek Wolan, after listening to the participants and contributing their own work to that of the teams, offered their personal reflections, encouraging the participants to take up the shared challenges. Concrete actions were also decided upon, to be planned jointly in order to remain connected as pastoral teams and to accompany one another in the challenges that had been worked on.
These three days of meeting have made it possible, beyond sharing concerns and knowledge, reflecting and debating, building lines of work or giving concrete shape to intuitions and dreams, to strengthen the bonds among the members of the pastoral teams, sharing the Piarist outlook and always placing at the centre our children and young people, their present and their future.
