Our vision of evangelising through education

75. Following Marcellin Champagnat we seek to be apostles to youth, evangelising through our life and our presence among them as well as through our teaching: neither simply catechists, nor just teachers of secular subjects. ¹⁴

76. Education in its broadest sense is our field of evangelising: in school settings, in other pastoral and social programmes, and in less formal contacts. In all of these, we offer an holistic education, ¹⁵ drawing on the Christian vision of the human person and of human development. ¹⁶

77. With the active co-operation of the young people themselves, ¹⁷ we seek creative ways:

to develop their self-esteem and inner capacity to give direction to their lives.

to provide an education of body, mind and heart, appropriate to the age, personal talents and needs of each one and to the social context.

to encourage them to care for others and for God’s creation.

to educate them to be agents of social change, for greater justice towards all citizens in their own society, and for more awareness of the interdependence of nations.

to nurture their faith and commitment as disciples of Jesus and apostles to other youth.

to awaken their critical consciousness and assist them to make choices based on Gospel values.

78. We choose to be present among young people in the same way that Jesus was with the disciples on the road to Emmaus: ¹⁸

respectful of their consciences and stages of understanding,

passionately immersed in their concerns,

walking alongside them as their brothers and sisters,

gradually unfolding for them the richness and relevance of Jesus’ transforming vision of the human person and of the world.

79. We welcome young people. We listen to them, we challenge. We see in each one the image and likeness of God, worthy of our respect and love, no matter what his or her circumstances, religious belief, or personal need of conversion. ¹⁹

We give personal and community witness of our joy, our hope and our Christian living.

80. We help the young to grow in personal freedom and a sense of the demands of life. ²⁰ We lead them to freely give of themselves and what they have, and to commit themselves joyfully. We lead them to discover their spiritual dimension: their personal experience of the Spirit, inspiring, encouraging, supporting, consoling; their sense of wonder at the marvels of creation and of new life; their intuitions of the transcendent, of our ultimate destiny to be with God.

We engage young people in a dialogue of life which brings them into touch with the Word of God and the Spirit at work in their hearts. ²¹

81. We build bridges among all the cultures that intersect in our various ministries. With the light of the Gospel as our guide, we affirm what is life-giving and look critically at the underlying values in the behaviour of today’s generation of youth and their choice of priorities. In a true spirit of dialogue, we encourage the young to express their searching faith, with its aspirations and questioning, in their own idiom. ²²

We share in the mission of the Church to evangelise cultures. ²³

82. We present the Good News not only in personal terms but also in the form of Jesus’ vision of the human community: reaching out to the "least" of our society, seeking the common good of all, and taking responsibility for the future of humanity and of God’s creation.

We educate in and for solidarity. ²⁴

83. We lead those who are Christian to deepen their encounter with Jesus Christ. We share how he is the ultimate source of new life, new hope, and new energy for us personally and for all of humankind. We encourage their growth as disciples of Jesus in their experience of the gifts of joy, peace of spirit and overcoming of fear.

We share our faith. ²⁵

84. We provide young Christians with an experience of Church, and foster their sense of belonging to their local Church. We encourage their active participation in communities that celebrate and nourish their faith in Word and Sacrament. We encourage them to be bearers of the Good News themselves in their everyday contacts, in their various cultural and social milieux.

We assist in providing sacramental initiation for those who ask.

We work to build up local Christian communities, specifically to make them welcoming to young people. ²⁶

85. In settings characterised by religious pluralism, we respect the religious freedom of all, valuing positively the richness of God’s presence in the religious traditions of humankind. ²⁷ We help young people of all faiths to live together peacefully in the context of their everyday lives: to be open to one another, to work and pray together. ²⁸ We encourage those of non-Christian faiths in "the sincere practice of what is good in their own religious tradition". ²⁹ We assist those who are Catholic to be clear about our identity and heritage and to avoid the pitfalls of false spiritualities and sectarian attitudes.

We foster ecumenical³⁰ and inter-faith dialogue. ³¹