On February 8 and 9, 2025, the San Agustín School in Madrid was the epicenter of pedagogical and pastoral reflection in the 31st edition of the Aula Agustiniana de Educación. Under the motto "Mission of the Augustinian teacher: educator and witness", this event reaffirmed the importance of education as a vocation and testimony of Christian faith and the charisma of Saint Augustine.
Organized by the Education Commission of the Spanish Augustinian Federation (FAE), the conference attracted teachers from Augustinian educational centers throughout Spain. This year, in an extraordinary way, representatives of the EDUCAR Network from other countries were present, including Josefa Guzmán (Ciudad de los Ninos, Costa Rica) and Jessica Alba (Colegio Santa Rita, Peru). Through four presentations, participants reflected on the evangelizing dimension of education and the impact of their work on the formation of new generations.
Evangelization at the heart of education
The congress opened with the presentation "Our educational centers and their evangelizing action today", by Juan Manuel de Alarcón, who stressed that "today we have the challenge of converting evangelization and educational pastoral care into the central core of our educational centers." Alarcón highlighted the need to offer a pedagogy focused on God and the values of the Gospel, adapting to the challenges of a society in constant change.
«Today, in a context of loneliness, isolation, individualism, community is profoundly a call to a new lifestyle. And Christians have it in their vein that nothing is done if it is not in the context of the community, nothing is understood, nothing is lived, nothing is saved, nothing is healed if it is not in the context of the community.
The vocation of the Augustinian teacher
In the second session, “Why me? What me for? For whom am I?”, Óscar Alonso delved into the identity of the Augustinian educator as a witness of faith. «We need educators who bear witness to someone, not ourselves. We bear witness to Jesus of Nazareth, through the prism of Augustine and the rest of the founders," he stated. His intervention placed emphasis on the pedagogy of interiority and the need to "take care of what defines us as Catholic and Augustinian schools", inviting attendees to rediscover their vocation and mission within the educational community.
Music as an educational and evangelizing tool
One of the most innovative moments of the meeting was the presentation-concert "Sharing the God of life through music", starring Nico Montero. With a mix of reflection and art, the singer-songwriter demonstrated the power of music as a tool to connect with feelings, reason and faith: "Education is my passion and I have discovered with many data, also empirical and observable, that music has a tremendous capacity to connect with feelings, with what the senses are and also with thoughts, with reason." Furthermore, he shared his experience of reunion with the Augustinian charism, stating that, despite his Salesian vocation, "I already feel Augustinian."
The authenticity of the educator: a living testimony
The closing of the congress was given by Father Isaac Estévez with the presentation “And you, teacher, what do you sell? Attitudes of the Augustinian educator. In his speech, he highlighted the importance of authenticity and coherence in teaching work: «The task and function of an educator is to stimulate, provoke and draw; It is to teach, delight and move. "That is the great challenge we have as educators." Likewise, he highlighted that "in our schools, the day we lose a little of the north of this evangelizing dimension, we will have lost the total meaning of existence and of what Saint Augustine wanted, at some point."
A meeting that reinforces the Augustinian educational identity
Year after year, the Augustinian Education Classroom continues to consolidate itself as a space for training and reflection for Augustinian teachers, offering a forum to share experiences and strengthen the identity of their centers.
"After 31 editions, the Aula Agustiniana de Educación continues to be a beacon that illuminates the path of those who assume the noble task of educating with passion, hope and faith," says Juan Luis Gonzalez, one of the organizers. In the words of Isaac Estévez: "In the end, what must be transmitted is the good news, the good news that is Jesus Christ."