On February 8 and 9, the XXXI Augustinian Education Class took place in Madrid, bringing together teachers and managers of educational centers of the Augustinian Family throughout Spain. This year, the theme was “The mission of the Augustinian teacher: educator and witness.”
Around 450 people, including teachers, members of management teams and religious men and women from the orders and Congregations that own each center, met at the Colegio San Agustín in Madrid to celebrate the XXXI Augustinian Education Class, an annual event that has been organized since 1994.
There were 46 educational centers from all over Spain of the Augustinians, Augustinian Recollects, Augustinian Missionaries, Augustinian Recollect Missionaries, Augustinian Sisters of Amparo and Contemplative Augustinians. Representatives of the three schools of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Augustinian Recollects were present.
On Saturday, February 8, three presentations took place: “Our educational centers and their evangelizing action today,” by Juan Manuel de Alarcón; “Why me? What for me? Who am I for?”, by Óscar Alonso; and “Sharing the God of life through music,” by singer-songwriter Nico Montero, which took place as a concert.
On Sunday, the presentation “And you, teacher, what are you selling? Attitudes of the Augustinian educator,” by Isaac Estévez, and the closing ceremony took place.
The reflections, themes and dialogues have focused on teachers, an essential figure in education and protagonists of good work in the running of any educational center, especially in centers whose ideology follows that of Saint Augustine of Hippo, teacher and pedagogue.
Thus, Juan Manuel de Alarcón focused on the purpose of education and evangelizing action, adapted for all people and each times, which are increasingly fickle and with faster and faster changes.
Óscar Alonso wanted to detail this changing human condition and how the Augustinian charism guides people of all generations, of all times and of all cultures. He encouraged teachers to imbue themselves with and get to know this charism in order to transmit it.
Nico Montero presented his album Corazón inquieto (Restless Heart), based on the figure of Augustine of Hippo, in which some of his best-known texts are set to music. He stressed the value of music as a tool to reach the hearts of young people.
The Augustinian Isaac Estévez focused on the relationship between teaching, dignity and decency, from the value of interiority, the driving force of life. It was a deeply experiential presentation, with three witnesses who brought admiration and surprise to the audience with their testimonies, including those of a blind champion and an artist who found his life project and direction in music.
