Several people gathered as a ‘Teresian Association family’ to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the pontifical approval of Pedro Poveda’s association, in the port city of Chimbote, located in the department of Ancash in northern Peru. This is the chronicle of the event held on 7 September, which was sent to us.
The centenary celebration is a time to thank the Lord for the dissemination of the charism to so many places and people; to give thanks for its arrival in Peru, in 1943 in the city of Huaraz (Sierra Ancashina) and in 1963 in San Jacinto and later in 1983 in Chimbote.
As part of this celebration, a discussion was held entitled ‘The Pedagogy of Pedro Poveda in Chimbote Today’. Elena Mannucci de Cárdenas, a member of the Teresian Association and former teacher in the Chimbote school, was the main speaker. The commentators were Guadalupe del Carmen Balta Sevillano, current principal of the Escuela de Educación Pedagógica Pública Chimbote, and Víctor Manuel Mendoza Barrantes, friend of the TA and member of various local, regional and national groups related to human rights, culture, the defence of democracy and care for creation.
The event was attended by teachers, former teachers, students and alumni of the Escuela de Educación Pedagógica Pública Chimbote and friends and co-workers of the TA.
The debate
Elena Mannucci, based her talk on ‘A pedagogy centred on the person, social transformation and the person of the educator’. She presented quotes from Pedro Poveda that touched the hearts of the attendees.
She raised questions that challenge us as educators and citizens in Chimbote today:
- How have we lived out this ‘true humanism’ here in Chimbote?
- In our daily work, do we give priority to the individual person? In what way?
- Do we create spaces to ‘value justice as much as life’?
- Do we cultivate kindness and gentleness? They ‘conquer the world’.
- Are we educators with a vocation?
The commentators focused their input on telling us how Poveda's insights are so current in this place today. Guadalupe Balta said that Poveda's philosophy is current in the training of future teachers. She spoke of teachers who graduated from the School and who in their daily practice are consistent with educational practice that is focused on the person and on social transformation, people who ensure a more humane world and care for nature.
Victor Mendoza, for his part, commented that getting to know the TA allowed him to experience true community life where everyone felt like part of a family, where there was true fellowship, which is light and salt in the world.
Mass
The event culminated with Mass in the chapel of St Pedro Poveda, located in the Escuela Pedagógica. It was presided by Fr Matías Siebenaller and other priests who are friends of the TA in Chimbote.
About 100 people attended. It was an intimate gathering and, as the school's Facebook page says, it was ‘unforgettable’. We are grateful for the presence of members of the TA who came from Lima to be part of this beautiful celebration.
Olenka Rodriguez.
ACIT Perú.
Published in News