{"id":30579,"date":"2026-05-05T16:33:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T23:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=30579"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:33:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T23:33:56","slug":"listening-to-educate-consecrated-life-at-the-service-of-the-churchs-educational-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/05\/05\/listening-to-educate-consecrated-life-at-the-service-of-the-churchs-educational-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Listening to Educate: Consecrated Life at the Service of the Church\u2019s Educational Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Vatican City, May 4, 2026) <\/strong>\u2013 In the field of education, listening is an art that must be cultivated together in order to respond to the challenges of our time. This is the central message that emerged from the international meeting titled \u201cA Time for Listening in the Church\u2019s Educational Mission,\u201d<\/em> jointly promoted by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), the Union of Superiors General (USG), and the Dicastery for Culture and Education. The event, held at the General Curia of the Society of Jesus in Rome, was a significant moment of fraternal and synodal dialogue on the Church\u2019s educational mission in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Synodal Listening for the Educational Mission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More than 100 participants attended in person, with an additional 150 joining online, including superiors general and those responsible for education across various religious congregations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative is part of a journey that began over a decade ago through the UISG\u2013USG Commission for Education in ongoing dialogue with the Dicastery for Culture and Education. It was described as a true synodal exercise of listening and discernment, aimed at rethinking the educational mission of consecrated life in light of contemporary challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Salesian Congregation was represented by the Youth Ministry Sector through Rafael Bejarano and Jerry Matsoumbou, representative for Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardinal Jos\u00e9 Tolentino de Mendon\u00e7a: A Prophetic School<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The keynote address was delivered by Jos\u00e9 Tolentino de Mendon\u00e7a, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education. He emphasized the urgency of listening to youth culture and understanding consecrated life as a service to the Church\u2019s universal educational mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe school must be a place of dialogue in a secularized world,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Catholic school is a meeting place for cultures, generations, and traditions; it is a place of credibility and, above all, of prophecy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for a renewed prophetic transformation to rediscover the ethos of Catholic education. He also urged religious congregations not to abandon their foundational commitments: the Gospel of Jesus, love and openness to all, and acceptance of every person in their diversity. Listening, he stressed, is a demanding process that requires time and commitment. Only by overcoming routine and stagnation can the educational challenge be fully addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He described religious congregations as a \u201cplural constellation of hope,\u201d diverse in charisms but united in mission, concluding with a powerful image: to become \u201ca sky full of stars for new generations,\u201d embracing the \u201cmysticism of the whole\u201d in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revisiting the Global Educational Pact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cardinal Tolentino invited congregations to embrace three key priorities from the Global Educational Pact, recently renewed by Pope Leo XIV:<\/p>\n\n\n\n