Today, history is made. The Universal Church agrees with a single person. Poor children and youths were given values, and education was approved. Voice is given to the voiceless. Calasanz, “old as he was, and with a poor health condition”, began to worry about the future of his Schools. In 1614, he thought that the religious of Our Lady of Luca could guarantee a proper future for them, but the experience was unsuccessful. After series of struggles, He finally listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit and decided to found his own Religious Institute, convinced of the fact that this will lead to the acquisition of good teachers, who in turn would be more constant in their ministry and education of the children. In 1617, Pope Paul V gave his approval to the “Pauline Congregation of the Poor of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools” AD EA PER QUAE… the most worthy of thanks, the most noble and the most angelic work was made flesh… Memorandum to Cardinal Tonti. 

The creation of a world starts with a personal conviction… To us followers of Calasanz, we are simply called to agree with one another, and take the work ahead, irrespective of our indifferences, cultural backgrounds and various challenges. Let us then celebrate those diversities, for we have a great Founder who was attentive to the signs of time. His secret was simple: He was reliable to the Divine Providence and the strength of those that surrounded him. History reminds us that the Church revitalized and fostered the life to the young and the children through the inspiration of Calasanz. we are therefore called to be givers of life in our various fields of work. 

Pope Francis in addressing the young people in Christus Vivit, called them the NOW of God… that which had long been predicted by Calasanz. Thus, in building up our faith, we should never get discouraged because the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step… 

Therefore, I invite all those who are attracted by the educational charism of Saint Joseph Calasanz to come closer, and get to know not only the mind and thoughts of the Founder, but also the works carried out by the Piarist Fathers through history, which have contributed in keeping alive and flourishing the inspiration Calasanz received. As this changed and adapted with time, there is no doubt that we are able to see the work of the Holy Spirit. It remains our task to discern between those “real adaptations” and “healthy traditions” on the one hand, and those which are not on the other, because we too have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.1 

Uwanuakwa Isidore Chinemelum Johnberchmans of the HandMaid of the Lord Sch.P 

1 ANTONIO LEZÁUN, The History of the Order of the Pious Schools (A Handbook), 2010, P16.

Cuando a una persona cualquiera le presentamos tres palabras (dos sustantivos y una conjunción) y le pedimos que dentro de ellas la palabra más importante, sin duda la inmensa mayoría de los consultados optará por alguno de los dos sustantivos, nadie o casi nadie elegiría a la conjunción. Una respuesta similar o incluso más contundente en favor del sustantivo ofrecería con seguridad un gramático. Al fin y al cabo, cuando recorremos el índice de contenidos de la Nueva gramática de la lengua española (manual)[1], en su apartado de sintaxis / clases de palabras y sus grupos sintácticos, encontramos que el flamante sustantivo aparece en la página 209, mientras que la pobre conjunción está relegada a la página 603.

Una lectura calasancia de esta misma realidad ofrece una respuesta diametralmente opuesta. Las Escuelas Pías en su conjunto, y cada una de las obras que las representan en el mundo con su testimonio, responden a dicha pregunta que la palabra más importante es la conjunción. Y utilizan como ejemplo para ilustrar su respuesta el lema: Piedad y Letras.

Que si la palabra Piedad es importante. ¡Claro que sí! Importantísima. Toda la hondura de la formación espiritual cristiana y de la formación humana está representada por ella. En la Piedad se concentra la apuesta de las Escuelas Pías para hacer de los niños, niñas y jóvenes personas de bien, transformadoras de una sociedad compleja y felices de ser quienes son.

Que si son importantes las Letras. Indudable. La educación intelectual constituye la base sobre la cual se accede a la realidad, se la reconoce en verdad y se puede operar su transformación. Además, en la educación intelectual integral está la posibilidad de lograr que cada estudiante explore y desarrolle sus propios talentos.

Ahora bien, el poder del lema: PIEDAD Y LETRAS radica en la fuerza que imprime la conjunción. Es en la integración armónica entre fe y ciencia como la escuela puede “prever (para el niño, la niña y el joven) un feliz transcurso de su vida entera”.

Alejandro Mesa Mejía

[1] Real Academia Española. (2010). Nueva gramática de la lengua española (manual). Bogotá: Editorial Planeta

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