WUCT-pag2

sabato 15 luglio 2017

THE TEACHER AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE WORLD OF TODAY - L'ENSEIGNANT ET LES DÉFIS DU MONDE D'AUJOURD'HUI - EL MAESTRO Y LOS DESAFÍOS DEL MUNDO DE HOY - L’INSEGNANTE DI FRONTE ALLE SFIDE DEL MONDO D’OGGI – Profesorul în fața provocărilor lumii de astăzi


2017 COUNCIL-CONSEIL-CONSEJO PROGRAM


2017 Council Oradea Palazzo vescovile

Dear Colleagues, the next Council of the UMEC-WUCT will meet in November in the beautiful and historic city of Oradea (Romania), where we were invited by bishops and school institutions. We advise you to book the flight soon, in order to find opportunities and price savings.  The Council will dedicate one day (Saturday) to a conference (open to Romanian teachers) with conferences by prestigious professors from various universities (London, Manila, Rome, Oradea, Congo) and with a debate on the prospects for training Catholic teachers to respond to multiple Educational challenges of society. Please attach the Program, the registration form and other organizational information. Please kindly wish to spread the invitation to the colleagues of the associations and the schools in which they operate. Best regards. The Executive Committee

Estimados Colegas, el Consejo de la UMEC-WUCT se reúne en noviembre próximo en la bella e histórica ciudad  de Oradea (Rumanía), donde fuimos invitados por los obispos y por las instituciones educativas. Recomendamos reservar vuelo temprano, con el fin de encontrar oportunidades y ahorrar dinero. El Consejo dedicará un día (sábado) en una reunión (abierta a profesores rumanos) con conferencias a cargo de prestigiosos profesores de varias universidades (Londres, Manila, Roma, Oradea) y un debate sobre las perspectivas de formación de maestros católicos para satisfacer las diversas retos educativos de la sociedad. Adjuntamos el programa, el formulario de inscripción y otra información de la organización. Por ello, solicitamos que desea extender la invitación a las collegas, y asociaciones y escuelas en los que opera. Sinceramente. El Comité Ejecutivo

Chers Collègues, le Conseil  UMEC-WUCT se réunira en Novembre prochain dans la belle et historique ville de Oradea (Roumanie), où nous avons été invités par les évêques et par les établissements d’enseignement. Nous vous recommandons de réserver le vol bientot, afin de trouver des opportunités et économiser de l’argent. Le Conseil consacrera une journée (samedi) lors d’une réunion (ouverte aux enseignants roumains) avec des conférences par des professeurs prestigieux de diverses universités (Londres, Manille, Rome, Oradea, cONGO) et un débat sur les perspectives de formation des enseignants catholiques pour répondre aux divers défis éducatifs de la société. Nous envoyons ci-joint  le programme, le formulaire de participation, et d’autres informations d’organisation. Nous Vous prions donc de vouloir diffuser l’invitation aux  collègues, et aux associations et écoles où vous opérez. Sincèrement.  Le Comité Exécutif

 Gentili Colleghe-i,  il Consiglio UMEC-WUCT si riunirà nel prossimo novembre nella bella e storica città di Oradea (Romania), dove siamo stati invitati dai Vescovi e dalle istituzioni scolastiche-universitarie. Nell’invitarVi a partecipare, Vi consigliamo di prenotare i voli al più presto, al fine di trovare offerte vantaggiose. Il Consiglio dedicherà un giorno (sabato 11) alla riflessione su tematiche relative al ruolo e allo stile degli insegnanti cattolici nelle scuole (non solo cattoliche) di fronte alle complesse sfide educative dell’oggi. Avremo il prezioso contributo di docenti universitari provenienti da  Londra, Manila, Roma, Oradea, cOMGO. In allegato, inviamo il programma, la scheda di partecipazione e altre notizie organizzative. Vi preghiamo di voler diffondere l’invito agli altri colleghi e alle istituzioni scolastiche e universitarie che potrebbero essere interessate. Cordiali saluti. Il Comitato Esecutivo

2017 nov – UMEC-WUCT COUNCIL PROGRAM

2017 Council – Booking – Inscripcion – Inscription – Inscriere

2017 Information about the Council UMEC-WUCT in November

giovedì 6 luglio 2017

PEDAGOGIAS AGILES PARA EL EMPRENDIMIENTO

    
En el libro Aprender a emprender: Cómo educar el talento emprendedor definimos un marco teórico de la competencia emprendedora con una serie de indicadores y descriptores para entrenarla con todo el rigor metodológico. La autonomía personal, el liderazgo, la innovación y las habilidades empresariales resumen los grandes indicadores de que se compone la competencia emprendedora.
    Las nuevas formas de gestión del emprendimiento y del management incorporan elementos sumamente interesantes que tienen la razón de ser en el entorno educativo. Una forma de gestión mucho más ágil y adaptada a momentos de tanta incertidumbre es la base de las llamadas «pedagogías ágiles», en las cuales nos hemos inspirado y que hemos adaptado para lanzar las Pedagogías Ágiles del Emprendimiento del programa «Educar el Talento Emprendedor» de la Fundación Princesa de Girona.






lunedì 26 giugno 2017

CONGO. PERE ALBERT KABUGE NOUVEAU PROVINCIAL DES SALESIENS DE LA PROVINCE D'AFRIQUE CENTRALE AFC

UMEC se réjouit de la nomination et accompagne Père Albert par la prière

              
Le 24 juin 2017,
le Père Albert Kabuge 
(membre de l'UMEC-WUCT)
a été installé comme nouveau Provincial de la Province d'Afrique Centrale AFC. Le Père Américo Chaquisse représentait le Recteur majeur pour cet événement. 

Discours Inaugural du Père Albert Kabuge

Supérieur de la Province « Maria Assunta », AFC/ RDC- Lubumbashi, 24 juin 2017
 
Cher Père Americo, Régional d’Afrique – Madagascar, représentant du Recteur Majeur et son Conseil, Cher Père Jean Claude, chères autorités ecclésiales, politico-administratives, chers jeunes, chers membres de la Famille Salésienne, chers amis, bienfaiteurs et bienfaitrices d’ici et d’ailleurs,
En ce jour que nous célébrons la solennité de Saint Jean Baptiste et la reconnaissance mondiale pour dire merci à notre Recteur Majeur Angel Fernandez, je tiens à vous remercier de tout cœur pour votre présence à cet événement. Je saisis aussi l’opportunité pour nous stimuler à tirer à la même corde et surtout dans le même sens pour répondre efficacement à la mission que le Seigneur nous confie. Je rends grâce à Dieu de ce que nous tâchons de faire pour témoigner de notre identité salésienne, dans la vie de chaque jour selon le cœur de notre Père, Saint Jean Bosco. Nous sommes une famille riche des ressources inimaginables, composée des membres consacrés et laïcs, jeunes et adultes…


giovedì 15 giugno 2017

VISIT OF THE WUCT COUNCIL BOARD OF ORADEA

Visit of the WUCT Council Board to Oradea

F. Adrian Podar

How good and pleasant it is
when God's people live together in unity!
Psalm 132


  
Between June 3rd and the 7th, the three members of WUCT boarding council, Professor Guy Bourdeaud’hui - chairman, Professor Giovanni Perrone – general secretary,  and Professor John Lydon – treasurer, paid a fruitful visit to Romania, Oradea.
 WUCT dates back to 1908, as we read in the document issued by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, when the Presidents of the Catholic teachers’ associations of Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany launched the idea, at a meeting organised to deal with problems in education, of creating an international association of Catholic teachers. The project took shape in 1912 with the foundation of the Weltverband katolischer Pëdagogen (World Association of Catholic Teachers). Its work was interrupted by the two world wars, but began again in 1951 with the foundation, in Rome, by the leaders of national associations of 17 countries, of the World Union of Catholic Teachers. Recognised by the Holy See as an International Catholic Organisation, WUCT is a member of the Conference of ICOs. As an NGO, it has consultative status with the Council of Europe, Ecosoc, UNESCO and Unicef.
WUCT is at the service of the national Catholic teachers’ associations. It brings them together, coordinating their study and research work designed to bring the teachings of the Church into the world of education and the school; it fosters and supports the establishment of Catholic teachers’ associations throughout the world; it disseminates knowledge about initiatives and experiences with the religious, moral and vocational training of teachers, and in the field of the apostolate among teachers; it defends and advocates respect for the rights and the educational freedom of Catholic teachers. Its priorities are to create an educational system which involves parents, teachers and students, in order to give everyone proper responsibility within the educational community; to draft a "Teachers’ Charter" for every country, setting out the legal, social and service conditions of teachers, their rights and duties, their cultural and teaching autonomy, and the level of training required to exercise the profession.
 The visit to Oradea is the answer to the last year’s invitation addressed in by His Excellency Virgil Bercea, the Greek-Catholic Bishop of Oradea. The first contact of the Romanian teachers with the association happened between the 18th and the 20th of November 2016, when father Alexandru Dragoș and father Adrian Podar participated at the WUCT annual meeting in London. The theme of the encounter was Ethics And Virtues In Personal And Professional Lives Of Teachers. The two Romanian priests are teachers in the Greek-Catholic High School in Oradea, and they were present among other delegates from different parts of the world.
During their stay, there were many exchanges, but the most important meetings were with the bishops of Oradea. On Monday the 5th, the members of the board met His Excellency the Greek-Catholic bishop Virgil Bercea and on the 6th, the three guests were welcomed by his Excellency László Böcskei, the Roman-Catholic bishop of the same town. The appointments with the head teachers, managers, teachers and students of the Greek-Catholic High School and Don Orione High School were very meaningful. Father Anton Cioba rector of the Greek-Catholic Seminary in Oradea and professor Ionuț Popescu, Head of the Greek-Catholic Faculty also met the WUCT representatives. The intention for further collaboration at a university level was formulated and the guests received invitations to take part in the symposium organised in October 2017, at the 225th anniversary of the Seminary.
It was agreed that the future annual meeting would occur in Oradea, a fertile soil, from the 10th to the 12th of November and that is one of the concrete results of the visit. In autumn, several teachers who unfold activities in Catholic schools will be able to share ideas and experiences with teachers from all over the world. They will attend conferences and open new collaboration opportunities among different educational institutions.
 This important visit was possible with the blessing of the bishop Virgil Bercea, but it would not have happened without the support offered by the Pastoral Office for Laity and father Paul Popa, project initiator. We hope our relations will be long-lasting and resourceful. Teachers in the Greek-Catholic schools, with the Head teachers Mrs. Antonia Nica and Mr. Alexandru Stoica, thank them and pray for the blessing of their work!


martedì 21 marzo 2017

PEDOPHILIA / METER CHARITY PUBLISHES ITS 2016 REPORT

PEDOPHILIA
 METER CHARITY PUBLISHES ITS 2016 REPORT: 
OCEANIA FAVORITE CONTINENT FOR PEDOPHILE WEBSITES. DEEP WEB MORE DANGEROUS THAN EVER, VIOLENCE ON BABIES AND CHILDREN EXPLODES. FR FORTUNATO DI NOTO: "PEDOPHILIA IS TRYING TO HIDE ITSELF ON THE DARK SIDE OF THE NET, BUT PEDOFILES WANT TO BE NORMALIZED. DO WE AGREE PEDOPHILIA IS A CRIME?”

20th March 2017

In 2016 the world of pedophilia and child pornography has continued to flourish. Violence have become more refined and the exchange methods of videos and photos has become "just in time" thanks to the endless (and dangerous) the possibility of deep web, the dark side of the Net. Millions of images (we counted almost 2 millions, to be precise 1,946,898 compared to the about 1 million counted in 2015) and tons of gigabytes continue to show pain and screams of children from a few days up to 12 years old raped and sold countless times by abusers who do not care to hide their faces, not fearful of being prosecuted by the courts of some country. This phenomenon, being global, requires an active and immediate cooperation between police around the world. We hope that the reports, certain and documented, forwarded by Meter, especially through the form present on the corporate websites of foreign Postal Police, can be immediately evaluated.
Fr. Fortunato Di Noto’s Meter Charity 2016 Report makes a trustable sketch of this dramatic reality. The Report has been presented to the press this mornin at National Headquarters of the Chariti in Avola (Siracusa province, Sicily) by Fr Di Noto and the Meter staff. The fight or prevention against pedophilia is a subject which unfortunately does not leave room for improvements and should prompt greater public attention (and consequent pressure by the public opinion on Governments) in order to adopt serious measures to hunt down the Network orcs. They are virtual orcs with real violence.

A SHAMEFUL PICTURE - In 2016, the pedophilia and pedopornography market did not stop. The URLs (web address monitored and reported) are 9,379, a slight decrease compared to the 9,872 of 2015. The Italian references in the deep web are increased: 95 against 70. The decline of the reports does not imply a victory against pedophilia, but its camouflage. Pedophiles have left the social network (155 reports between Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and so on against the 3,414 we reported in 2015), but they chose the most sophisticated ways to hide. We have identified, namely counted one by one, 1,946,898 photos, an increase compared to 1,180,909 in 2015. The videos recorded exploded. We counted 76,200 in 2015, now they are 203,047.

REPORTS, OCEANIA #1 - If you look at the data, the nations that we have considered in 2016 have been 42 (43 in 2015). Pedophiles chose to hide themselves and their rich market (pedophilia and pedopornography didn’t suffer the present financial crisis or economic recession) using the Deep Web, hidden face of the Net. In particular, we recorded the explosion of Tonga (4,156 reports to the Italian Postal Police), followed by Russia (635) and New Zealand (312): this is the podium of shame. Tonga archipelago, which contains a population of about 100,000 people, is the country who scored most of the reports. In 2015 Tonga had 504 reports: now reports account eight times more. Monitored chats doubled: 124 this year against 56 in 2015. From 2003 to 2016 Meter reported 134,744 sites.

THE PODIUM OF SHAME IN THE WORLD – If the look at the domains, in Europe, Russia, Slovakia and the European Union win this infamous competition (635, 111 and 66 reports); Italy stops at 15. For the Americas: Colombia, Greenland, Canada (22, 16, 4 reports); Asia: India, Iran, Japan (56, 16, 5 reports); Africa: Libya, Gabon, Mauritius (167, 43, 32 reports); Oceania: Tonga, New Zealand, Palau (4,156, 312, 62 reports). If we consider an hypotetical podium of the continents, Oceania ranks #1 (4,613), followed by Europe (868) and Africa (259). A question we ask ourselves: do the service providers used by child pornographers bear responsibilities, at least in front of the law?

VICTIMS ARE YOUNGER THAN IN THE PAST - We must point out that the cildren abused are getting younger. The victims from 0 to 3 years are soaring and violence is complete and total. Infants account for a very high percentage: there is an online portal with pictures and videos of abused babies only that offers a multilingual chatroom (also for Italians). Let the data speak for ourselves: in 0-3 years old victims range photos are 9,909, videos account for 2,928 files; 4-13 years old victims we reported 1,936,989 photos, 200,119 videos.

A JUST IN TIME MARKET - The big news in 2016 is that pedophiles have learned to leave fewer traces than in the past. This is possible thanks to services like Dropfile, which allows for the temporary swap file. Pedophiles share a virtual chat and decide to make pictures and videos available for a limited lapse of time (maximuni 24 hours). Then all the stuff is deleted, leaving no traces. In this way the "window" within which the authorities can intervene, shrinks.

SLAVES OF LIFETIME ABUSES - The portraits we report are of children used as slaves of a past and a present abuse Abuse. Very often we find the so-called repeated material, pictures or videos shot years ago which continue to be traded: but we also find fresh shots of babies became children which continue to be abused by the same pedophile. Therefore, as Meter Charity repeatedly reported and argue, there must be a criminal conspiracy which exploits babies and children, sold, used and abused during a lifetime span.

LESS SOCIAL NETWORKS, MORE CLOUD COMPUTING – Reports about social networks have been 3,414 in 2015, now only 30. Pedophiles now like cloud computing services, paritcularly iCloud, the popular service offered by Apple. Total reports are 314 against 80 (2015 Report edition). Has emergency ceased? No: it's just a sign of the surfacing of Deep Web. The podium of the reports in 2015 saw Bitly, Vkontakte and Linkbugs with 3,068, 107 and 80 references; 2016 sees Youtube, Facebook and Twitter with 73, 70 and 9 references. But this does not mean that we can celebrate: the risk now is the deep web.

THE RISK OF DEEP WEB - The main system used in the "deep web" is The Onion Router (TOR), a communication network based on the principle of autonomy of its members and the use of encryption: in this way is difficult to obtain the IP address of every user. In fact, the onion symbol indicates the layers covering this community. Even if TOR was created in order to offer greater security, it is now mostly used for illegal activities such as pedophilia.
Let us give you this case history. On November 2016, Meter reported to the Italian Postal Police a .onion address containing child pornography. This portal contained 82,046 child pornographic videos and 476,914 users downloaded this stuff. On March 10, 2017 we checked again this portal and found 109,535 videos. During four months 27,489 videos have been loaded and 685,590 users  downloaded them. This reveals that in just over four months, the TOR system allowed a sudden and uncontrolled exchange of files. Without a doubt we can assume that there is a criminal conspiracy. That's why we ask a question: is pedophilia a crime?

HELP CENTER – We do not only monitor the Net and report to police. We also offer services for children and the weak people. This year our help center followed 91 cases and provided 1,157 phone consultations. It's a real explosion of phone calls: we also received them from Belgium, America and Switzerland. If we take a look to Italy, we got phone calls particularly from Sicily, Lazio, Lombardy (799, 83, 51 calls).
Cases followed by the centre come from Sicily, Campania, Lazio (40, 10, 9 cases). From 2002 to 2016 we have followed 1,217 cases. This year the hardships concerned specifically sexual abuse, family difficulties, forced prostitution (43, 17, 7 cases). We mainly provided psycological (60 cases) and spiritual counselling (23).

THE MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER - We want to point out that in September 2016 Meter has added a new service. It is the Centre for Childhood, Adolescence and Autism. It is a structure that is characterized by early intervention, innovation and technology. Inside the structure there is a multi-sensory room, the Snoezelen Room. It is a unique example in the Syracuse and Ragusa territory. Amply qualified personnel has allowed from September to December '16 to deliver 82 telephone consultations and follow 47 cases.

SCHOOLS - Even in 2016 Meter has done its work of raising awareness about pedohilia and sexual abuse in Italian schools. We made 36 conferences for a total of 3,087 students and 540 teachers met (total 2002-2016: 102,924). We take pride from an interesting cultural exchange started last year among students of Avola and French Montauban that have linked the Comprehensive Luigi Capuana School and the Institut Familial use of Montauban on the topic of safe Web.

THE POLICE - Meter has set up a partnership with the Italian Carabinieri, organized from spiritual assistance and the Command of the Allievi Carabinieri Legion of Rome led by Brigadier General Antonio Paparella. Among Campobasso, Rome and Iglesias we made classes about online safety and pedophile abuse in front of about 900 Carabinieri students.

ROME FILM FESTIVAL - On the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival, was presented the short movie "Coco" by Veronica Succi, director who worked with Meter in 2014 for the commercial against pedophilia. A second commercial was prepared in 2015 and offered to Pope Francis. "Coco" has an exceptional cast with Pedro Almodovar’s actress Antonia San Juan, Federico Rosati, Flavio Cavaliere, Claudio Botosso, Eva Basteiro. Coco is a spin-off from "Parvus" movie.

METER AND THE CHURCH - We met Dioceses, underscoring our closeness with the Church (202 meetings this year, 1,784 from 2002 to 2016) offering a training course for seminarians, clergy, religious and laity, which aims to raise awareness of child abuse and the practical responses that the Church could give. We met 10 dioceses in 2016 in 120 meetings.

FR DI NOTO: "DO WE AGREE THAT CHILD ABUSE IS A CRIME?” - Fr Fortunato Di Noto, Meter Charity Founder and President, states: “Do we agree that child abuse is a crime? Pedophilia is not a disease, but a crime. It 'important not to confuse pedophilia (intended as psychiatric illness) with the ability of discernment: in 99.9% of cases, pedophile behaviours are lucid and then criminally prosecuted”.
“The Italian Supreme Court, in 2003, - Fr Di Noto adds - said that pedophilia: ‘Is not a mental illness by which pedophiles can get a lighter sentence’ (judgment 11/12/2003 n° 43135). Pedophilia is a new form of slavery linked with human trafficking, abduction, slavery and the horror of the child sexual exploitation. We reaffirm the spread unabated to this current reality and tragic, favored by the indifference of many people and by the economic culture that quantifies in money all that is possible to be commercialized, globally amplified from online pornography and supported by various and numerous pro-pedophile movement, that justify such sexual deviance labelling it as a sexual orientation that society must accept socially, politically, culturally and religiously. The network of traffickers and pedophiles is now well within our own civil society”.
The Sicilian priest points out: “Meter wants to point out pedophilia is a phenomenon that exists and is very present in Italy and abroad. But we must distinguish: when we talk about child abuse, we also speak of young boys and girls aged from 13 to 17 years old. When we talk of pedophilia and child pornography we refer to cases in which the victims are aged under 12 years old.
Pedophilia exploits prepubertal children; Then there is another branch represented by infantophilia, (adults having sex with infants)”.
LET US SPEAK FRANKLY - Meter Charity is not afraid to call things by their name: do we agree that child abuse is a crime? This is the question we have been asking for decades. Because if we do not agree on this, the problem becomes more complicated. Do we agree that pedophile ideology is illegal? Because if we say that this is licit, then everything gets complicated.
Pedophilia is a larger and more dangerous reality than you may imagine. The 2016 Report shows it. Because talking about pedophilia means to prevent, uncover the silence, help the victims and, strange as it may seem, even the abusers. Let all point outtis at this without falsehood: abused children are called during growth and then, as adult, "survivors".This is a reductive term that forgets a slice of these abused babies, these abused children died immediately during the violence. We will not save all the children of the world, but we saved and healed some of them. Pedophilia is a new form of slavery, a crime that requires a comprehensive approach and a radical change in the point of view of all of us in the face of this tragedy.
If there are slaves, someone must defend and free them. Speaking of pedophilia means winning a battle we have been fighting for more than 25 years.

  
WHO WE ARE
Meter is a Greek word meaning “womb”, or “mother”. It was chosen in 1989 by Fr Fortunato Di Noto (in those days a seminarian in Rome) in order to represent the commitment to serve and protect children and save them from sexual abuse. This is the seed of out Charity. If you want to meet us, surf the Net at the address www.associazionemeter.org. You may also phone us at: +39 931564872 or mail us at segreteria@associazionemeter.org or ufficiostampa@associazionemeter.org
Our Charity cares for children and every year, since 1995, celebrates the GBV – Giornata Bambini Vittime della violenza, dello sfruttamento e dell’indifferenza (Children Victims od Abuse, exploitation and indifference Day), celebrated from April 25th until the first Sunday of May. Meter members and friends gather on the last day of GBV in San Pietro Square, in order to attend and greet the Regina Coeli preached by the Pope.


President:
Fr. Fortunato Di Noto
+ 39 342 5341282

Press Officer:
Antonino D’Anna
+ 39 328 5977376


mercoledì 22 febbraio 2017

FAITH AND THE CATHOLIC TEACHER

Faith and the Catholic Teacher

By faith, the Apostles left everything to follow their Master (cf. Mk 10:28). They believed the words with which he proclaimed the Kingdom of God present and fulfilled in his person (cf. Lk 11:20). They lived in communion of life with Jesus who instructed them with his teaching, leaving them a new rule of life, by which they would be recognized as his disciples after his death

The above statement, taken from Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement of the Year of Faith[1] beginning on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, highlights four key themes in the context of faith and the Catholic teacher:

§  The faith of the disciples of Jesus
§  Faith and the teacher – Vatican II and subsequent documents
§  Christian community life
§  Integrity of Life.

The faith of the disciples of Jesus
In a previous article for the Pastoral Review[2] I highlighted the significance of the response of the first disciples of Jesus to His call, encapsulated in the use of the Greek word ‘aphentes’, translated in most texts as ‘they left’ but denoting a radical break with the past and a commitment to a new venture. (Mark 1:16-18). It could be suggested that the word indicates the disciples making a radical break from their former livelihoods and embarking upon an unknown path of discipleship. Following Jesus means rupturing family ties, echoing the promise made by Jesus of the rewards to be gained in return
for faithfully following him in answer to Peter’s question “We have left everything to follow you, what then shall we have?: (Mt: 19:27)

“And everyone who has left  houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or  lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life.” [3]

This notion of trusting abandonment is also present in the account of the call of the first disciples recorded by Luke. This account, referred to sometimes as the ‘miraculous catch of fish’ (Luke 5: 1-11), has several key distinctive features compared to the parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark. There remains, however, the seminal concept that the call marks a new departure in the lives of the future disciples. It is interesting to note that ‘fishers of men’ is one of the two main images for ministry in the New Testament, the other being ‘shepherd’. In the context of vocation the use of the Greek word ‘katartizein’ (‘mending’ the nets) in the parallel accounts is significant. The word is used elsewhere in the New Testament to articulate the concept of building community within the Church (1Cor: 1-10) [4] and John Fenton[5] suggest that the word ‘casting’ reflects the missionary task of the disciple while ‘mending’ reflects a catechetical role.

The Catholic teacher is called to model the faith demonstrated by the response of the first disciples to their initial call and throughout the Gospel. While the ‘Good Shepherd’ discourse encapsulates the notion of modelling discipleship, it is Paul, however, more than any New Testament writer who develops the theme of imitation or emulation in the context of teaching. Paul makes it clear throughout his letters that teaching is one of the key “functions of service”. Teachers are, in fact, placed third in order of importance after apostles and prophets (1Cor12:29). While Paul does insist that there is a specific tradition to be handed on[6], he is more concerned to emphasise the importance of emulation. He is not afraid to encourage his readers to imitate him and this is stated most explicitly when Paul encourages his readers to “be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1).” Imitator translates the Greek ‘mimetes’ and is used by Paul to mean to ‘strive to resemble’ or ‘follow as an example’. Paul is asserting that Christ is the perfect example for all to follow. Since the Corinthians are unable to witness the earthly Jesus, they must therefore strive to follow Paul’s example. This theme of imitating Paul who himself imitates Christ appears with reference to every community which knew Paul personally.

Formation in the early Christian community was dominated by the concept of imitation reflected in St Paul’s letters. As Joseph Grassi puts it “tradition was passed on in the lives of the teachers themselves.”[7] The Christian life was rooted in the standard of teaching about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus which formed an essential part of what would now described as the programme of formation in preparation for, at that time, adult baptism.

The significance of the Second Vatican Council

There are ten references to ‘faith’ in the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Christian Education. While the document reasserts the seminal nature of the role of parents in nurturing the faith received at baptism,, rooted in Western Christian tradition, it emphasise the significance of teachers in supporting parents:
“Beautiful indeed and of great importance is the vocation of all those who aid parents in fulfilling their duties and who, as representatives of the human community, undertake the task of education in schools. This vocation demands special qualities of mind and heart, very careful preparation, and continuing readiness to renew and to adapt.”[8]
 Successive documents on Catholic education deriving from the Congregation for Catholic Education deepen the principles of Vatican II. There are forty four citations of the word ‘faith’ in The Catholic School (1977), particularly in the context of the integration of faith and culture and faith and life. There is, however, a more explicit emphasis on the importance of the life of faith of the individual teacher in the context of the faith development of young people:

“The extent to which the Christian message is transmitted through education depends to a very great extent on the teachers. The integration of culture and faith is mediated by the other integration of faith and life in the person of the teacher. The nobility of the task to which teachers are called demands that, in imitation of Christ, the only Teacher....”[9]

This statement associates an emphasis on the faith of the teacher with the mandate to imitate Christ, a theme which permeates Vatican and other documents of Bishops Conferences internationally[10] and which is revisited in the Congregation’s 1982 document Lay Catholics in School: Witnesses to Faith. In a document in which the marked decline in numbers of religious involved in the teaching apostolate was recognised, officially, for the first time, there is an accent on the importance of lay teachers particularly in the context of maintaining the distinctive character of Catholic school. The faith of the teacher is axiomatic and, among the fifty four references to faith and its cognates, the connection between faith and being a role model is particularly apposite:

“It is in this context that the faith witness of the lay teacher becomes especially important. Students should see in their teachers the Christian attitude and behaviour that is often so conspicuously absent from the secular atmosphere in which they live. Without this witness, living in such an atmosphere, they may begin to regard Christian behaviour as an impossible ideal.”[11]

The centrality of witness in this statement is evocative of Pope Paul VI’s suggestion that “modern man listens to teachers only when they are witnesses[12]”. Thomas Groome sums this up in the aphorism “bringing life to Faith”, ensuring that, in the midst of the doctrines and the dogmas of the Church, the fact that the Person of Jesus is at the core of the Christian faith:

“....our [the teacher’s] approach should be inspired by his [Jesus’] teaching style....his welcome......respect for learners, the way he actively engaged with them...and invited them to discipleship.”[13]

Christian Community Life

There are seventy six references to faith in the Congregation’s 1988 document which, building on previous documents, continues to focus on the relationship between faith and culture/life. One of the distinctive features of this document in relation to the teacher is its emphasis on teachers working collaboratively. While recognising that the school community encompasses parents, students and governors, the document insists that “prime responsibility” for maintaining the distinctive ethos of a Catholic school rests with teachers “as individuals and as a community”.[14]

When speaking of lay teachers working alongside priests and religious, the document also links faith, witness and community in suggesting that “lay teachers contribute their competence and their faith witness to the Catholic school.” (n.37) This witness of the lived faith of teachers should be modelled Christ and should, therefore, have a profound effect on the lives of students:

“Most of all, students should be able to recognize authentic human qualities in their teachers. They are teachers of the faith; however, like Christ, they must also be teachers of what it means to be human.” (n.96)

The theme of the sign-value of witness permeates the Congregation’s 2000 document  and while it is made clear that the focus is specifically on “the specific contribution of consecrated persons to the educational mission in schools”[15], reference is made to the need for consecrated persons to introduce programmes of formation in schools for which they hold the trusteeship. It is made clear that the purpose of these programmes of formation or mentoring focuses on “the vocational dimension of the teaching profession in order to make the teachers aware that they are participating in the educational and sanctifying mission of the Church.” [16] Apart from the reference to the term ‘vocation’, affirming, in common with previous documents, that lay, as well as consecrated persons, are called to share in the educational mission of the Church, there is also an insistence on living the values espoused in formation programmes as opposed to merely engaging in conversations. Such an insistence formed a central feature of programmes introduced by groups of religious in the USA. While including theoretical components such as exploring the concept of vocation and sharing the vision, the programmes focused primarily on the integration of the teachers’ way of life with their lifework, thereby modelling values such as commitment to a common mission.[17]


           
The latest document[18] continues to focus on the value of programmes of formation. While emphasising the role of religious in the Church’s educational mission, the document recognises that responsibility for such programmes in many parts of the world has been transferred to lay teachers. It is in this context that the heightened significance of the role of lay teachers is presented. There is again an emphasis on living their faith, the term ‘witness’ appearing seventeen times within the document. The lay teacher must, firstly, be a witness to “a living encounter with Christ” in order to “demonstrate Christian life as bearing light and meaning for everyone”. (n.15)   While the term ‘sacramental perspective’ is not used in the document, the whole tone is dominated by the notion that Christ is the foundation of all educational enterprises and that commitment to modelling their lives on Christ  is the only effective way in which teachers can translate this vision into practice.
Integrity of Life

In his Apostolic Constitution on ecclesiastical universities and faculties Pope John Paul II stated that:

Teachers are invested with very weighty responsibility in fulfilling a special ministry of the word of God and in being instructors of the faith for the young. Let them, above all, therefore be for their students, and for the rest of the faithful, witnesses of the living truth of the Gospel and examples of fidelity to the Church.[19]

The key themes articulated in this article, witness and linking faith with life, are summed up in this assertion. In a recent study which involved in-depth interviews with a range of Catholic teachers[20], the author found evidence of a deeply held conviction that vocation and commitment, made real in self-sacrifice, were synonymous, with some responses indicative of a convergence between the religious and lay vocation articulated by the Congregation (2007: 20 & 39). Building community was also germane, particularly in the context of solidarity around the school mission realised in practice by engagement in rituals and extra-curricular activities. Several teachers devoted a considerable amount of time to leading liturgy and pilgrimages which represents a critical role in sustaining Catholic culture including celebrating Christian values in Word and Sacrament.

Teachers were, however, slightly more equivocal in regard to what integrity of life, defined here as “combining personal conviction and practice of the faith”[21], might mean and its implications in the context of the leadership of Catholic schools. If Thomas Groome is right in maintaining that the good Catholic school is one in which “Catholic educators allow their faith commitments to shape the whole curriculum”, then it is essential that a core group of Catholic teachers articulate their faith and witness to that faith. Groome goes on to define exactly what putting faith to work in practice might mean in a Catholic school. He insists that such faith is not simply the personal faith of the individual educator which, though important, must reflect the teachings of the Magisterium:
“For what else is Catholic education but an education that reflects the foundational convictions of Catholicism. Following on, Catholic educators must take these deep rivers of faith that define Catholicism and allow them to become operative commitments through their vocation – to put them to work in their teaching.”[22]  

The extent to which Catholic teachers align their faith with operative commitments and its significance for Catholic schools going forward could be the subject of a future article.











[1] Pope Benedict XVI, (2011), APOSTOLIC LETTER “MOTU PROPRIO DATA” PORTA FIDEI, www.vatican.va
[2] September/October 2011
[3] Mk 19:29 cp. Mk10:29-30 – emphasis inserted
[4] “I appeal to you to …..be united in the same mind and in the same judgement” cf. also 2 Cor
13:11; Gal 6:1; Eph4:12; 1Thes 3:10
[5] Fenton, JC., (1963), Saint Matthew, Harmondsworth, Penguin
[6] Rom 6:17 – standard of teaching – tupon didaches
[7] Grassi J., (1973), The Teacher in the primitive Church and The Teacher Today, Santa Clara CA,
University of Santa Clara:54
[8] Pope Paul VI (Second Vatican Council), (1965), Gravissimum Educationis (Declaration on
Christian Education), London, CTS n.5
[9] Congregation for Catholic Education, (1977), The Catholic School, London, CTS: 43 – emphasis in
serted
[10] see, for example, USCCB, (1972), To Teach as Jesus Did, Washington, Daughters of St Paul
[11] Congregation for Catholic Education, (1982), Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, London,
CTS : 32 – emphasis inserted
[12]Pope  Paul VI, (1975), Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, London, CTS : 41
[13] Groome, T H., (2011), Will There Be Faith?, Dublin, Veritas
[14] Congregation for Catholic Education., (1988), The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, London, CTS : 26

[15] Congregation for Catholic Education, (2002), Consecrated Persons and their Mission in Schools, (CPMS), London, CTS: n.4
[16] ‘CPMS’ n.59
[17] Keating, K and Travis, M.P., (2001), Pioneer Mentoring in Teacher Preparation, St Cloud, Minnesota, USA, North Star Press of St Cloud – see especially Chapter 6
[18] Congregation for Catholic Education (2007), Educating Together in Catholic Schools: A Shared Mission Between Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful, (ETCS), London, CTS
[19] Pope John Paul II, (1979), Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana, www.vatican.va  - emphasis inserted
[20] Lydon, J., (2011), The Contemporary Catholic Teacher: A Reappraisal of the Concept of Teaching as a Vocation in a Catholic Christian Context, Saarbrücken, Germany, Lambert Academic Publishing
[21] McMahon, Bishop M., (2009),  Memorandum on Appointment of Teachers to Catholic Schools, published on the Catholic Education Service website www.catholiceducation.org.uk/
[22] Groome, T H., (2003), Forging In the Smithy of the Teacher’s Soul in Prendergast, N., & Monahan, L., (Editors), (2003), Re-imagining The Catholic School, Dublin, Veritas:41