Educational Pastoral Service in Notre Dame Schools, Canoas, Brazil

October 31, 2022

The Notre Dame Schools of Our Lady Aparecida Province are committed to providing a solid education grounded in Christian values. Therefore, it is supremely important that Educational Pastoral Service[1] is integrated into the Educational Plan.

In order to achieve such integration, the ND Schools have planned and carried out concrete and diverse activities throughout the school year in order to reach out to various audiences. These activities have enabled Educational Pastoral Service to be integrated into the daily school dynamics.

One of the purposes of the Notre Dame Ministry of Education is the promotion and celebration of values that foster the quality of life within the school community. Therefore, the Province has organized an interconnected team of Sisters and lay teachers who are committed to the Pastoral Service in the ND Schools.

This year, the Educational Pastoral Service team welcomed a new member, Mr. Alex Sandro Bastos Ferreira. During the week of October 17-22, Mr. Ferreira visited all the ND Schools to learn how Pastoral Service has been implemented in each of them. On October 21, he gathered with the extended Pastoral Service Team – Sister Renete Maria Coco, Educational Director of the ND Schools, and Mr. Sérgio Stringhini, Administrative Manager – to provide feedback on his visits and offer suggestions to the school Pastoral Service Team for future planning.

It is a great joy for the Sisters of Our Lady Aparecida Province to realize that, at a time when Pope Francis calls us all to a Global Compact on Education, by integrating the Educational Pastoral Service into the daily school routine, the Notre Dame Schools are on a synodal path with the Church, and the people of God, thereby helping everyone to embrace a solid commitment to life, a precious gift from God.

[1] ‘Pastoral Educacional’ has a formative and evangelizing role in the school environment in Brazil.