Third International Meeting of Redemptorist Schools and Colleges, Passo Fundo, 20-24 May
The Redemptorist Institute Menino Deus hosted the 3rd International Meeting of Redemptorist Schools and Colleges in Passo Fundo, Brazil. The event, which took place from 20 to 24 May, brought together Redemptorist Missionaries, lay people, teachers, and educators from ten countries. It promoted an exchange of experiences in the field of education and reinforced Redemptorist values for educational evangelisation.
Fr Rogério Gomes, Superior General C.Ss.R., opened the meeting with his inspirational talk, which was followed by a Eucharist led by the Brazilian team and the Redemptorist Institute Menino Deus.
The meeting was characterised by prayer and spirituality, sharing of experiences, joy, and fraternity, as well as participation in various conferences and group work. The discussion focused on the prevention and care of children and adolescents in educational institutions, the Redemptorist school as a place for inclusion, and Redemptorist leadership in schools and colleges in the style of Jesus.
Collaborative activities marked the meeting and presentations of the studies systematised in the educational institutions of the participating countries, as well as work carried out in groups. The Menino Deus Institute team presented its pedagogical proposal for the humanisation of education, highlighting the integration of pastoral ministry, social assistance and knowledge development. The participants also reflected on Morals and Ethics in the school, an area proper to the Redemptorist charism.
The meeting programme also included a warm welcome by the parents’ association and the teachers of the Instituto Menino Deus, accompanied by artistic and cultural presentations by the students.
The tour and activities included a lecture on the Fraternity Campaign 2024 and the Instituto Menino Deus’s pedagogical proposal. Within the framework of the visit to the institution, a guided tour of the institution’s facilities took place, during which the educational project and the innovative proposal of accompanying the students through personalised processes were presented.
During the activities, the participants worked in groups to synthesize the meeting’s experiences and revise the final draft of the Guidelines for Education, which will give identity to the educational proposal in Redemptorist schools and colleges.
The III International Meeting of Redemptorist Schools and Colleges strengthened the bonds between the participating institutions and renewed their commitment to an education based on the Redemptorist principles of faith, justice, and solidarity.
In summary, there was a historical overview of the work done by the organizing committee of the meetings, the choice of the place – country, venue for the IV Meeting of Redemptorist Schools and Colleges and the election of the new committee 2024 to 2026.
It is worth highlighting that the assembly requested the General Government of the Redemptorist Congregation to create an education commission for the Congregation. It will act in connection with the Secretariat of Formation. Subsequently, the assembly requested that the Guidelines for Redemptorist Educational Institutions developed at the three meetings of Redemptorist schools and colleges (Peru—2018, Argentina—2022, and Brazil—2024, will be approved “ad hoc” for two years.
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