The Holy Father Meets with the Members of the Calasanzian Family in 2024

The Holy Father Meets with the Members of the Calasanzian Family

In his address to the members of the Calasanzian Family on Thursday morning, 28 November 2024, the Holy Father encouraged them to educate young people in a holistic way, integrating faith and knowledge, and combining spiritual formation with intellectual education.

Hong Thuy – Vatican News

The Calasanzian Family is composed of several male and female religious institutes as well as lay faithful, who collaborate and share experiences within a network of charity in service to the poor, especially through the educational charism of Saint Joseph Calasanz, the universal patron saint of all free Christian schools throughout the world.

At the beginning of the audience marking the 75th anniversary of the Calasanzian Family, the Holy Father recalled Saint Joseph Calasanz’s dedication to the education of young people, particularly the smallest and the poorest, describing him as their “guardian angel.” This mission of being a “teacher” has been carried on by the members of the Family for centuries and has spread across four continents. The Pope then shared two aspects which he considers essential for the members and for their future.

The Courage to Trust in Divine Providence

First of all, the courage to trust in Divine Providence. The Holy Father recalled that Saint Joseph Calasanz was born into a wealthy family and might have pursued an ecclesiastical career. However, upon arriving in Rome, he did not hesitate to overturn his life plans and outlook, dedicating himself entirely to the street children he encountered in the city. From this commitment, the “Pious Schools” — free Christian schools — were born.

The Pope observed that this sprang from the courage of a good priest who responded to the needs of others that God placed before his eyes. On this basis, he invited the members of the Calasanzian Family to “remain open and prompt in their choices, without excessive calculation, overcoming fears and hesitations, especially when faced with the many new forms of poverty in our time” (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 210). He encouraged them not to be afraid to embark on paths different from those taken in the past, in order to respond to the needs of the poor.

Care for the Integral Development of the Human Person

The second point shared by the Holy Father was care for the integral development of the human person. He recalled that a key innovation of the Pious Schools was teaching young people the truths of the faith alongside general academic subjects, combining spiritual and intellectual formation in order to prepare them to become mature and competent adults. He emphasized the importance of fostering unity within the person—between intellect, heart, and hands—“so that they think what they feel and do, feel what they think and do, and do what they feel and think” (CSR_5226_2024).

Source: Vatican News

The Holy Father meets with the members of the Calasanzian Family – Vatican News