Teachers and educators from around the world gathered in Rome to participate in the Jubilee of the Educational World, with the goal of meeting the Holy Father to rediscover the value of Catholic education and its purpose: to educate for holiness.
“Education, from the Christian perspective, helps everyone become saints. Nothing less than that. I pray that Catholic education helps each person discover their vocation to holiness,” emphasized Pope Leo XIV.
Among the key points for good Catholic education, the Pope referred to interiority: “It is a mistake to think that teaching only requires beautiful words or good classrooms, laboratories, and libraries. These are just means and physical spaces, certainly useful, but the Teacher is within.”
Speaking about unity, he also recalled his motto: “In the one Christ, we are one,” reminding that only in Christ do we truly find unity, as members united to the Head and as companions on the journey of lifelong learning.
“Sharing knowledge is not enough to teach: love is needed. Only then will knowledge, not only in itself but especially through the charity it conveys, be beneficial to those who receive it,” he said about love.
Finally, the indispensable ingredient for every educator: joy. “True teachers educate with a smile, and their destiny is to awaken smiles in the depths of their students’ souls.”
Shalom School: Educating for Holiness
The Educational Center of the Shalom Community was represented at the Jubilee by Josefa Cristina Maia, General Director; Elisabeth Helen Araújo, Pedagogical Director; and Ana Paula Rocha, Financial Director of Shalom School in Fortaleza, Brazil.
“As Shalom School, it is a great grace to be here, to glimpse the strength of education based on Christian values worldwide through the people from various countries present, knowing we are not alone in this mission. It was also an opportunity to receive the blessing of the Church and the Pope to continue our work with much love, faith, and hope. We brought each of our students, families, educational missionaries, teachers, in short, the entire educational community in our hearts. We feel confirmed in our mission to educate the mind and the heart in the light of God, the Gospel, the doctrine of the Church, and the Shalom charism,” affirms Josefa Cristina, school director.
For Elisabeth Araújo, as pedagogical director: “We have experienced days of true renewal of faith and trust in God, feeling it intensely in every celebration and in every encounter with people from many parts of the world. It was moving to see that the Church is alive, full of hope and joy. It was also an experience of returning to the essentials, an invitation to restart and look to the future with hope. Listening to Pope Leo is inspiring. I leave here with my heart full of enthusiasm to continue following Christ toward heaven!”
