Rome — Two Vice-Chancellors of Catholic Universities from India will present papers at the Vatican organized World Congress on “Educating Today and Tomorrow: Renewing A Passion” scheduled to start in Rome today, from 18 to 21 November 2015.
Salesian Fr (Dr.) Stephen Mavely, Vice-Chancellor of Assam Don Bosco University (estd 2008) at Guwahati will present a paper on “Goals of Formation and the Educating Community” on Thursday (19 Nov) at the session for universities to be held at Centro Mariapoli, Castelgandolfo.
Carmelites of Mary Immaculate Fr Thomas Chathamparampil Vice-Chancellor of Christ University Bangalore (Estd.2008) will present a paper on “Goals of Formation and the Educating Community” on Thursday (19 Nov) at the session for Schools also at Castelgandolfo.
According to the Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education Archbishop A Vincenzo Zani the goal of the Congress is “to re-energize the Church’s commitment to education.”
Structured in three sessions the Congress opening and closing sessions will take place in the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican.
The central session takes place on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 November 2015 will be held at the Centro Mariapoli in Castel Gandolfo.
At the same time, the International Office for Catholic Education (OIEC) is holding its general assembly at the Auditorium on Via Conciliazione in Rome.
With this Congress, the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education is celebrating 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration Gravissimum Educationis (Declaration on Christian Education – 1965) and 25th anniversary of the Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae (Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Higher Education).
As part of these celebrations, the Congregation aims to re-energize the Church’s commitment to education, by means of this World Congress.
“These documents really set the Church’s expectations of Catholic education,” says Dr Stephen Mavely who is also a Board Member of the International Salesian Universities.
Explaining the timeliness of the congress Dr Mavely states, “I think that Catholic educational institutions may often lose sight of the ultimate mission of the educative community – students, teachers and family members -journeying together to the truth.”
“The above two documents,” Dr Mavely says, “are like two pillars of Catholic Education, highlighting the grave nature of education and the serious responsibility educators have in the faith formation of their students.”
Dr Mavely asserts saying, “In fact, Catholic centres of education are not only ‘professional expertise providers’ by their very nature, but they are also places of encounter, dialogue and mutual enrichment.”
Dr Mavely insists, “Catholic educational institutions foster education for living, in openness to others, embracing diversity and tolerance with a view to the common good.”
There are over 214,000 Catholic Schools with some 59 to 60 million students, 1,365 Catholic Colleges and Universities and another 500 plus Pontifical Universities across the globe.