Jul 252 min read

Venezuelan Schools of the Order Celebrate the End of the School Year with an Inter-School Meeting

Venezuelan schools of the Order of Augustinian Recollects gathered to celebrate the end of the school year with an inter-school meeting, fostering community and shared learning experiences. The event included various activities that emphasized the Order's educational values, promoting unity and mutual support among students and staff from different institutions.

In this way, the workers of the Fray Luis de León, San Judas Tadeo, Cristo Rey, Santo Tomás de Villanueva, and San Carlos Borromeo schools shared this day together, starting with the Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Vicar of the Santo Tomás de Villanueva Province in Venezuela, Fr. Eddy Omar Polo. In his address to the attendees, he highlighted gratitude for the work done throughout the course and the need to live the synodal experience also during the educational mission. Additionally, each of the schools prepared different moments of the celebration in detail, 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, it was led by the president of the EDUCAR Network, Fr. Antonio Carrón, who conducted the courses in person as 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. He especially highlighted the recent experience in Sierra Leone, where the Order's educational work 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, held in Guatemala in November 2023. As he explained, this meeting was particularly significant because it introduced several novelties. Among them, the presentation of the renewed version of the Order's Institutional Educational Project, the Augustinian pedagogical bases, the novelties of the Competency Dictionary, and the MELIOR excellence certification.

Lastly, Fr. Antonio developed two topics that were also presented during the VII EDUCAR Meeting and are very current in the educational landscape: the challenge of the ethical and technical use of artificial intelligence in education, and the promotion of the culture of good treatment and abuse prevention.

"Pilgrims of Hope"

Next, the rector of the Fray Luis de León school and pastoral coordinator of the EDUCAR Network in Venezuela, Fr. Alejandro Martínez, presented the pastoral motto for the next 2024-2025 school year, which will adopt the same as the Jubilee Year: 'Pilgrims of Hope.'

In his words, he highlighted “the opportunity presented 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 motto.

These meetings give meaning to the experience of being an educational family.

Before concluding the event and moving on to a meal accompanied by live music, the rector of the Cristo Rey School, this year's host center, Fr. Alfredo Sánchez, thanked everyone for attending, wished all educational teams a happy vacation break, and recalled that these meetings "give meaning to the experience of being an educational family."