The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit hosts a meeting of the clergy and consecrated persons of the Catholic churches in the central region, and the goal: Christian education

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit hosts a meeting of the clergy and consecrated persons of the Catholic churches in the central region, and the goal: Christian education
“Christian education is not a job, but a calling.” The words of His Holiness Pope Francis formed the starting point for a meeting of the clergy and consecrated persons of the Catholic churches in the central region, at the invitation of the Christian Education Committee in the central region, and under the patronage and presence of His Eminence Mar Julian Yacoub Murad, responsible for Christian education in Syria, and Mar Youhanna Abdo Arabsh, Metropolitan of Homs, Yabroud and the surrounding area for the Greek Catholics, in the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese – Al-Hamidiyah – Homs.

After the opening prayer, there was a speech by Bishop Mar Julian Yacoub Murad, head of the Episcopal Committee for Christian Education in Syria, in which he stressed that Christian education is a major mission in the church and contributes to creating an effective and active parish, considering that the priest’s fidelity is embodied in three pillars: celebrating the sacraments, Christian education, and visiting families.
He stressed that Christian education is based on the words of Jesus Christ, hence the call to focus on deepening knowledge of the Holy Bible and its content, stressing that the mission of priests, monks, nuns, educators and teachers is not only to convey information but also to convey personal experience, prostrate before the Eucharist and make Jesus the focus of our lives and participate in the sacraments.

Bishop Murad pointed out the formation of a central committee at the level of Syria emanating from the “Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Syria” whose mission is to find answers to new dilemmas and issues facing work in Christian education. And providing its requirements of sustainable upbringing, securing curricula and books, and studying the best ways to advance the path of Christian education and convey the good news in a manner that suits the era, the changes of time and mentalities, as well as forming and reviving and developing committees in various regions of Syria (Damascus – Aleppo – the central region – the coast and valley – Hauran – Al-Jazeera) that follow up on the ground the achievement of this great service, so this meeting came to revive the work of the committee in the central region, which was halted during the years of war.

The meeting included a presentation entitled “The Purpose of Christian Education” by His Holiness Pope Francis, which emphasized the role of missionaries in carrying Jesus to others, and that preaching the Gospel goes beyond the stage of education, and that education must be regular and based on a curriculum that touches on the reality of life, and the application of spiritual and faith-based truths and changing personality and habits, in addition to the necessity of choosing leaders who are witnesses and good role models who are alert and attentive to the integrity of the entire faith content based on the Christian teaching of the Catholic Church.
The meeting also included a dialogue within groups, gathering opinions and discussing them to put them into effect in the parishes, with a closing speech by His Eminence Bishop Youhanna Abdo Arabash, the most respected. The meeting concluded with a table of love… and everyone departed, accompanied by our pure mother, the Virgin, to their holy service in the Christian education centers in the Catholic parishes of the central region.