Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). On 22 May 2021, the University Pastoral Care of the Higher Education Institutes of the Educational Center Our Lady Help of Christians (ISECENSA) organized the second edition of the event “Your family is ours,” a time of reflection and prayer with school staff, teachers, students, and families.
The Vice Director of ISECENSA, Elizabeth Landim, explained the purpose of the meeting, carried out via a digital platform due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The delicate moment requires even more care. It is essential to feel welcomed, united, in solidarity. Together we are stronger.”
The meeting began with the greeting of the General Director, Sr. Rosa Idália Pesca, Daughter of Mary Help of Christians, Animator of Mary Help of Christians Community in Campos, Rio De Janeiro, of Mother Mazzarello Province (BMM). Elizabeth Landim and Fr. Murialdo Gaspareti led the event, which saw about 200 logins.
A significant moment was the testimony of faith of a couple who, together with their two daughters, recounted the strong change in daily family life caused by an accident, highlighting the value of forgiveness, trust in God, and the perception of His presence in every small or big goal. One employee shared: “It was a life lesson. We came out strengthened and full of hope.”
In the video message to the participants in the Forum “At point are we Amoris Laetitia? Strategies for the pastoral application of the Exhortation of Pope Francis”, the Holy Father underlines the co-responsibility of families in the proclamation:
“To bring God’s love to families and young people, who will build the families of tomorrow, we need the help of the families themselves, their concrete experience of life and communion. We need spouses next to pastors, to walk with other families, to help those who are weaker, to proclaim that, even in difficulties, Christ makes himself present in the Sacrament of marriage to give tenderness, patience, and hope to all, in every situation of life. How important it is for young people to see with their own eyes the love of Christ alive and present in the love of the spouses, who testify with their concrete life that love forever is possible!”
“ISECENSA is a family; the Salesian spirit leads us to take care of each other, of our emotional well-being, of consolidation in the faith. We believe in prayer as a support for every moment,” commented Elizabeth Landim.
“The Synod wanted to highlight the importance of Catholic schools, which play a vital role in assisting parents in their duty to educate their children.”
Pope Francis, in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, recalls the importance of “reviving the alliance between families and the Christian community, to foster integral education: Catholic schools should be encouraged in their mission to help pupils grow into mature adults who can view the world with the love of Jesus and who can understand life as a call to serve God.” (AL 279)
