TAGUM CITY—A conference of catholic educators here under the Diocesan Apostolate on Catholic Education in Tagum (DACET) underscored the role of Catholic educators to promote and evangelize young people.
More than 1, 200 catholic educators and school administrators came to the activity which started with a thanksgiving mass on Friday morning celebrated by Tagum Bishop Wilfredo Manlapaz and con-celebrated by Dacet Schools Superintendent Rev. Fr. Tomas Avila, among other members of Tagum clergy.
Dubbed as DACET Educators’ Congress 2014 and held last Friday at Saint Mary’s College of Tagum, the gathering carried the theme: “Catholic Educators: Choose to be brave, Called to be saints, Sentforth as heroes.”
In his 40-minute speech, Archbishop of Davao Most Rev. Romulo Valles, exhorted that catholic educators must be committed to catechesis and evangelization.
“Our teachers do excellent job but they need a new approach to education that must strengthen the teachings of the Roman Catholic faith,” Bp. Valles said.
Bp. Valles, also the incumbent Vice-President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said that catholic education “must respond to changing world both in historical and cultural context that is undergoing constant transformation.”
In his homily, Tagum Bishop Wilfredo Manlapaz, expressed gratitude to all the efforts of the catholic educators “for being part of church’s mission of evangelization.”
Manlapaz also urged each educator “to deepen their faith and live God’s gospel in the circumstance of our times.”
“All catholic schools are essential to the new evangelization as well as the new evangelization is essential to the living mission of the catholic schools,” said Manlapaz.
Lotus Bancale, 35, a teacher in a diocesan-owned school, said that “education truly forms human beings and it is especially the duty and responsibility of the church who is called to serve mankind from the heart of God and in such away that no other institution can.”
Ryan Melendrez, a 25-year old private school teacher, told Davao Today that “the new evangelization aims to reinvigorate the ancient and apostolic tradition by finding fresh and effective ways to help youg people hear andrespond to God’s gospel.”
Meanwhile, CBCP President Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, D.D., in a statement said, that catholic educators must have a sense of maturity in faith.
“Thus, we urge you to promote a continuing education towards maturity of faith among our people, starting with our Christian families. But even more importantly, we ask you to make your faith bear on your day to day decisions and activities.”
“It is only an integral faith, a faith that believes, a faith that worships, and a faith that works in love that will serve as God’s way “to make all things new” in our beloved country,”said Villegas. (davaotoday.com)
