UMEC-WUCT – Guy Bourdeaud’hui – Congress Educat - 2015
Teach all nations ...
A moment of silence, please Dia 1 Before presenting my text, may I ask you for a few moments of silent respect for all our colleagues, their families and all the people who died, some as real martyrs in senseless conditions in so many places all over the world. Thank you!
Dia 2 I also want to give you a positive sign of our “kath’ holos”. So, I present to you one of our colleagues from Burundi, Africa. Throughout all the difficulties in her country, Mrs. Justine represents one of the flowers of hope in very difficult circumstances. As a Catholic teacher, she firmly believes in the values of the Gospel and Education. She is trying to create and support a group of Catholic teachers in her country. We wish her a lot of success!!
Dia 3 Teach all nations… These are pretty clear marching orders. It seems to be a mandate, loud and clear. But is it a mandate, a challenge, or even an ordeal ?
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UMEC-WUCT – Guy Bourdeaud’hui – Congress Educat - 2015
How, what, when, where? In any case, it provides us with something to think about, to consider, to plan or a way to enter into an uncertain future with our eyes wide open. Shall we do it alone, together, all together as God’s people towards the future? Should there be flags and drums or … the silence of the lambs?
Dia 4 What is it we teach? What do we imagine we do? ‘Dichtung und Wahrheit (poetry and truth)’ or ‘Wahrheit oder Dichtung’ (truth and poetry)? The Lord said: “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, then ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” (1) Have times changed and is it time to look at everything relative to today’s environment? The past Catholic education and Catholic schools have never been unambiguous concepts. In countries where Catholics have gone through an emancipation process, the process has been totally different from countries where Catholics practice their religious beliefs and Catholicism- influenced by political life, and art and culture are quite self-evident. In the same countries, the Catholic schools struggled for their very existence with a state network which was generally liberal or socialist, and in most circumstances anti-religious. In traditionally Catholic countries, Catholic private schools were very often educating the elite although social differences were as obvious in the state-controlled schools. In all these countries, the aim was to give the children an education in the spirit of the gospel, religious tradition, and culture. The difference with non-Catholic countries was the requirement children had for protection against an aggressive, or at least a family or church unfriendly outside world, 2
UMEC-WUCT – Guy Bourdeaud’hui – Congress Educat - 2015
which was obviously absent in traditionally Catholic countries. Even in pluralist societies such protection was dependent on circumstances, but not less necessary.
Dia 5 The future… O tempora, o mores… (O times, O customs!) Nowadays, languages, means, dedication, faith and religious practices and teaching are clearly different from the common, relatively unopposed, apparently easy objectives of dozens of years ago or at the time of ‘Gravissimum Educationis’. The situation is therefore clearly different for the teachers and, of course for our Catholic Church! Changed mentalities appear to be the main handicap rather than a deficiency of commitment, attention, dedication or structure. There is more to it. Too often, one encounters mere indifference… We have to address that together. Not each of us individually, nor organization for organization, nor country for country, but all together.
Dia 6 Therefore we need now an unconditional and strong support from all those who have in any matter some responsibility with Catholic education. I’ll say it loudly and clearly: it will be a ‘To be or not to be’ for Catholic education and schools, without any place for infertile discussions about the sex of the angels.
Catholic education Catholic schools Catholic teachers 3
UMEC-WUCT – Guy Bourdeaud’hui – Congress Educat - 2015
Indeed, one cannot deny that the Christ has overcome (‘Christus vincit’) mentality of the fifties has made way for a growing apathy. Many people still feel some relationship to the Catholic faith, because of family background, education and their years at a Catholic school.
Dia 7 But they have often forsaken all ideological commitment, maybe for opportunistic reasons, or because they are afraid of an aggressively secular environment. Even worse, it is sometimes perceived to be fashionable “de bon ton” (of good form) to ridicule the childish and naïve beliefs of one’s early years, now foresworn to relativism, quasi-scientific and presumed ‘adult’ insights.
Dia 8 The danger of these disengaged, ideologically less and less committed generations is obvious: there will be less and less Catholic schools for their children, or they will choose ‘low profile’ Catholic schools, most probably schools without religious services or rituals, where tradition and revelation are de-emphasized. Indeed, it is said that educators are children of their environment, and possibly partly embarrassed by some, not so pretty practices, also from religious people in the past. Now people distance themselves even from minimal religious practices, and their beliefs are gradually being diluted. In matters of religion, sometimes legitimate criticism leads all too often to the baby, being thrown out with the bath water. Add to this the threat, or at least the perception of being threatened (rightly or wrongly) by an unprepared invasion of often intolerant culturally foreign religions. So, the already not too optimistic outlook turns rather bleak. I do not pretend to express an opinion about the success of Catholic organizations in motivating and training their members ‘in a moral, religious and professional sense’. Maybe most of them suffer from the same ailments as the surrounding world. Educators are human, as are popes, bishops and priests, past and present. 4
UMEC-WUCT – Guy Bourdeaud’hui – Congress Educat - 2015
Dia 9 But the basic mandate is clearly stated in the Gospel: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations!” Human failings do not negate our ideals and they should not prevent us from educating our children and preparing them for their place in a better world. Human failings, including those of our Church as an organization and a community do not remove the need to cooperate across geographical, religious and cultural borders. The essential meaning of the evangelical message is not restricted by location or time, although the language used to bring that message will be specific.
Dia 10 Our common didactic and pedagogic objectives are universal, as is our religious community, and are our human rights. What essentially binds us in our existential outlook is that there is more between heaven and earth that unites us than that divides us, including religious and cultural matters. We are not any better than others, we are different, and we may have other treasured history, values and dreams.
Dia 11 It is necessary and good to introduce our children and adolescents to other faiths, customs and cultures in a comprehensive, open-minded and respectful way, but we have to do it without losing our own culture, values, identity!
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UMEC-WUCT – Guy Bourdeaud’hui – Congress Educat - 2015
Opening our minds and doors too much as some now want to do, for example in ‘new Catholic open-minded schools’, will dramatically result in an irreversible lose of our own Catholic culture, values, identity and, of course: faith!! The fact that – as Catholics - we are open-minded, is possible and valuable in our universal church, with sacraments, that in their external rites help us to understand the internal beauty, riches and messages, full of hope.
Dia 12 Even in the 21st century, we deserve a place with our valuable faith, splendid liturgy, worldwide culture, centuries old art, traditions and also because of our care for the weak and the helpless. The world has an urgent need for people with good-will and who respect everyone, without condemnation, discrimination regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, skin colour or culture.
Dia 13 Some ‘benevolent’ people can or will try it, but it can be done better, faster and in a loving way, if they do it together with faithful, Catholic educators, together with the inspiration of the Pope, cardinals, bishops, religious congregations, priests, associations and concerned people, all over the world.
Dia 14 We can do it better, not only because we learned a lot from each other, but also because we want to keep believing in the uniting force of this one Man, Jesus. We don’t have to hope for doing something, neither do we have succeed to keep trying ! (Il ne faut pas (dés)espérer pour entreprendre, ni de reussir pour persévérer ! ) 6
UMEC-WUCT – Guy Bourdeaud’hui – Congress Educat - 2015
Giving up, closing down organizations, washing out the name ‘Catholic’ in the name of several organizations or waiting passively for a possible renaissance has never been proven to be effective. Must not the farmer keep ploughing to get the proceeds of his labour, over and over again?
Dia 15 We must revert to a “Yes, we can!” mentality. We must radiate confidence and enthusiasm when presenting our identity with a message of belief, hope and peace; a peace which we strive for in word and deed. It remains the mandate of all Catholics, to follow without fear the Pope and all Catholics responsible to further disseminate this hopeful optimism and positive message. Not by sterile discussions and not by apathy, but by supporting firmly and proudly ‘our’ educational system and the values in which we believe. We can do this with the means we have: sincere belief, creativity, timely action, use of modern communication techniques, human input and necessary financial resources. Only then we can achieve the “teach all nations” mandate. Every organization sharing our ideals is needed and welcome! Warmly welcome! And, dear people all together, so are you! You are a real and necessary part of that chain! Together we are emphasizing the influence of the rapid ideological and technical developments with school and education; Dia 16 : le Pape qui tend ses bras vers le public We will prove that Catholic education can contribute to support the activity of the school in this new situation; We will show how Christian education can be sensitive to those changes by maintaining certain values as well as by positive participation in developments, ideas and attitudes; and we revoke concrete initiatives showing Christian education cannot adapt to new situations without losing its identity or quality! Join the team! Yes, you can ! Yes, we can!!
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UMEC-WUCT – Guy Bourdeaud’hui – Congress Educat - 2015
Guy Bourdeaud’hui President UMEC – WUCT “Educar hoy y mañana” Una pasion que se renueva 18- 21 November 2015 – Vatican/ Castel Gandolfo
3) Matthew, 10.14
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