about US:

CATHOLIC CENTER OF CIVIC AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

PINAR DEL RIO DIOCESE
CUBA

HOME

* Foundation and origin

* The Church teachings we base upon

* What the Pope Jonh Paul II said about the civic education during his visit to Cuba.

* The way the C.F.C.R.* is organized. About the purposes and services it pays.

* Who can participate?

The Civic and Religious Education Center of Pinar del Río Diocese was founded with the purpose of letting the catholic laics and other good-willed persons be instructed and exercise the civic, ethic-religious and cultural principles that will allow them to be active and responsible in society and in the church, according to their own human and christian vocation. Mr. Bishop supported this project which had been proposed by the XV Diocesan Pastoral Council, in July 1992. It started on 29th January 1993.

The Church teachings we base upon

We are going to breifly cite some documents from the Curch Social Teachings and from the eclesial reflection by cuban catholics which support the need to found this Civic and Religious Education Center for the laics and other good-willed persons.

The II Vatican Council, in the Constitution "Gaudium et Spes" in its number 75 states: "It is necessary to pay a great attention to the civic and political education which is relevant for the people at present, and above all for the joung, so that everybody can fulfill his mission".

In the document "The Laic Education" from the Pontiff Council of the Vatican Laics, in its purpose No. 8 advises us:

"The diocese has an important task to fulfill in this area: To efficiently coordinate, the program works; to organize proper education programs... Many laic education programs are made mainly to train laics for the service to the Chutch. This training is important. However, we must not forget the peculiar character of the laic vocations, and that it's indispensable and necessary to prepare them to serve society. This kind of education is vital to the mission of the church in the world. Therefore, the education for political, social, economic, cultural and international life should be considered as a paramount part of the education work that the church undertakes. The institution of catholic teaching, the movements, the associations and organizations of laics are specially qualified to train the laics for this testimony and this service in the world.

Specially the associations and professional organizations represent advanced positions of vital importance for the church in the world of culture, of science, of economics, business, politics, etc. The ecclesial community, priests, religious men and laics must undertake a joint action in order to create these institutions in the areas where they don't exist". (Proposal 8).

What the Pope Jonh Paul II said about the civic education during his visit to Cuba

Let's remember now the five exhortations from the Pope in Cuba regarding this kind of education: -

"Parents must not expect others to replace them in their responsibility about their children's education and must choose for them the pedagogic style, the ethical and civic contents and the religious inspiration for their overall education. ( Homily to the Families. Held in Santa Clara. No. 6).

"The church has the duty of giving a moral, civic and religious education, which helps the cuban young to grow up in human and christian values, without fear and with the perseverance of an educable task which takes time and needs the means and institutions which are proper for that setting of virtue and spirituality for the sake of the church and the nation" ( Homily to the young. Held in Camagüey. No. 3).

"The best legacy we can bestow to future generations is the transmision of hihger spiritual values. The important thing is not only to save some of them, but to favor a civic and ethical education which contribute to include new values, to rebuild the own character and the social soul based on the education for freedom, the social justice and responsibility. On this path, the church, which is "an expert in humanity", offers itself to escort the young..." (Message to the Cuban young, No. 4).

"The State, appart from any excessive fanaticism or secularism should promote a serene social atmosphere and a proper legislation that allows each person and each religious discipline to profess its faith freely, to express it in public life environments and count on the necessary means and enough spaces to give the national life the civic, moral and spiritual wealth of that faith". ( Homily in Havanna. No. 4).

"We have to take a special care of this part of the population, by giving it a proper education on catechism, and on moral and civic values which can give the young the necessary "suplement of the soul" and solid human and christian education that will compensate the loss of values and life-meaning they have experienced". (Message to the Cuban Bishops, No. 5).

The way the C.F.C.R.* is organized. About the purposes and services it pays.

The main responsible and sponsor of the Center is Mr. Bihop who is the Rector of the Center.

Mr. Bishop from the Diocese will appoint an advisor priest who will be his representative and will support the diocesan staff spiritually and in the teaching work.

Mr. Bishop from the diocese will appoint one laic as the Director of the Civic and Religious Education Center.

The Director of the Center and the advisor Priest, after consulting whoever they think proper, will propose a diocesan staff to be approved.

It is a responsibility of the members of the diocesan staff the sponsoring of the Civic and Religious Education Center, its functioning, the coordination with other education centers, its continuity and efficiency in the service it will give to parishes, groups and communities of the Diocese.

It works through workshops or weekly encounters in the church and parish places..

The sponsors are periodically trained in methodological seminars offered by the diocese.

The style adopted is the education from the action, with cyclical encounters, dynamics of participation, looking for the self-taught education, going to the books available.

The methodology chosen is generally the following: SEE-JUDGE-ACT-EVALUATE. This comes from the analysis of reality which is illumined by the social teaching of the church, the different disciplines that coincide with the civic and ethical religious education and by the own personal and communitarian experience until guidelines of personal and group acting are reached, making the necessary evaluation.

The educators will provide themselves with their own personal improvement and will use methods of participation and creation for the perfectioning of their classes and exercises. All of them: educators and participants, slould give an example of a healthy pluralism, respecting the diversity of ideas and choices, without imposing their philosophical, political or aesthetic criteria.

For its maintenance, functioning and continuity, the Center of Laical Education will try to obtain financial support only from the eclesial intitutions devoted to these services.

Who can participate?

The Civic and Religious Education Center services can be received by the catholic laics who wish to. They must present their request to the priest of the place, through some laical organization or pastoral group, or through the very sponsors.

Also the good-willed persons who are interested to register and accept the general purposes and functioning of the center can receive these services. These persons should request their registration to the priest, a laical organization or to the Center sponsors.

Either the ones who request their registration or the ones who offer this service must take into account the topical profile, the goal and the style of this center. Thus the persons who receive this service will have the opportunity to be previously informed about the purposes and can choose one or another kind of training according to their personal vocation and charismas, taking into account that this is not the only way of education for the laics of this diocese, but its way of training concerns specially the civic, ethic, religious and political qualification for the participation and responsibility in the church and in society.