On behalf of the Colombian bishops, the president of the Episcopal Education Commission, Mons. Juan Vicente Córdoba, addressed a message to teachers to encourage them to fulfill the “so excellent and wonderful vocation God has given them for the future of our society”.
In a video published on the YouTube account of the Colombian Episcopate, Bishop Córdoba indicates that a teacher is not only the one who transmits knowledge, qualifies and takes care of the discipline, but also the one who “accompanies the processes of integral growth” of the students, imprinting on their hearts “values and principles”.
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In the case of Catholic teachers, he points out, they imprint the values and principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“But he impresses them with example, with affection, with demand, with accompaniment, with respect, and he forges personalities, designs minds, polishes emotions and opens the spirit to heaven with spiritualities,” explains the bishop.
In this way, he adds, the teacher “cares for the most needy, the student who goes through pain and difficulties, who has a divided family, who is in poverty, who does not have the same learning capacity as others.”
In that sense, Bishop Córdoba highlights, the “teacher is another Jesus, next to each one. He is like a dad and a mom”, therefore, he invites teachers to see “in each boy, girl and young person a child of theirs, and there you go to give them all your heart”.
In Colombia, Teacher’s Day is celebrated on May 15 thanks to the decree 0996 signed by President Mariano Ospina Pérez on May 4, 1951.
The Ospina government document was based on the proclamation of Saint John Baptist de La Salle—founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools—as universal patron of educators, a decision by Pope Pius XII that was announced on May 15, 1950.
The decree states that “it is advisable to unify the day (of the teacher) throughout the Republic in accordance with the date indicated in the Catholic world,” and recognizes that in Colombia the mission of the Brothers of the Christian Schools “has had splendid achievements.” in all branches of education, in popular culture and technology and in the authentic training of youth.”
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Prensa I have been sent to cover Pope Francis’ trips to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synodality Synod in the Vatican in 2023.