Bangalore (India). On 15 May 2021, International Family Day, the Auxilium College of Education in Kidangoor, Angamaly, Kerala in India of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Sacred Heart of Jesus Province (INK), organized a Webinar for staff and students of the Institutes of Higher Studies of Asia (ISS-FMA-ASIA) on the theme: “Ignite… Become who you are”.
Sr. Mercy Abraham, Principal of Auxilium College of Education, greeted the participants and gave the floor to the Provincial of the INK Province, Sr. Celine Jacob who, recalling the Conferences organized during the year by various institutions of the ISS-FMA – ASIA, underlined the commitment to improve the quality of Higher Education. She spoke of the role of the family in education, based on Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
Sr. Runita Borja, Councilor for Youth Ministry, dealt with the theme recalling St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello, “The verb ‘to turn on’ evokes heat, fire, evokes a process. One of the qualities of Mary Domenica was the ability to accept the reality of her life, positive or negative, happy or sad, victorious or defeated. In every event, she tried to find the message that it carried as a teaching for life”. Sr. Runita, quoting Blessed Carlo Acutis, “All are born as originals but many die as photocopies”, explained that all have personal and unique abilities that God has given them. For this, she wished the participants to live a meaningful experience of self-discovery with the help of God, with the support of people, and through work.
Fr. Varghese Pulickal, Pastor of the Church of the Child Jesus of Kidangoor, Angamaly, Kerala (India), spoke of being reborn as new people, recognizing their gifts and what they received from the family. With quotes from the Bible and Martin Luther King’s speeches, he encouraged giving one’s best in everything done. He stressed the importance of the family to learn the ability to work as a team and build human relationships that facilitate inclusion, meeting, dialogue, and mutual respect.
“What does it mean to be yourself? Is it something we inherit, or do we learn it in the first years of life? ” Sr. Ivone Goulart, Coordinator of the Youth Ministry Sector for the ISS-FMA Network, spoke of a process that requires one to go deep into self-knowledge, rediscovering the value of one’s individuality as a gift from God. One is not alone by oneself, one is in relationship with other people and with the environment. “The accompaniment that the community lives and offers is above all to prepare the environment, making it a welcoming ‘home’ for all, weaving a web of relationships with significant adults. A planning and educational intentionality is necessary to live in the presence of God, becoming an experience of the Church that accompanies the personal encounter with Christ. The educational practice of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello expresses a particular attention and art in welcoming young people, capable of creating empathy and deep relationships”.
“The family is the primary setting for socialization, since it is where we first learn to relate to others, to listen and share, to be patient and show respect, to help one another and live as one”.
(Amoris laetitia, n. 276)
