The Christian faith is not defined simply by a series of doctrines or traditions. It is centred on the Person of Jesus Christ, a personal God Who wants a relationship with each of us. Christianity is, at its core, a covenantal religion based on encountering God and others, sharing our lives with the Persons of the Trinity and the members of Christ’s Body, the Church.

When Jesus rose from the dead, He did not tell the apostles to write the Bible before He ascended into Heaven. He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a). The emphasis was on personal encounter, a teacher-disciple relationship.

The Ethiopian eunuch admitted to St Philip that he needed guidance in understanding the scriptures (Acts 8:31). We do not leave students to teach themselves from textbooks; we have experienced teachers who guide them through intellectual frameworks and concepts, who model to them what it is to be a mathematician, a writer, a historian, a scientist. So it is with the faith. We learn from others how to be Christians, to live as followers of Christ.

The word “disciple” is from the Latin discipulus, meaning “pupil, student, follower”. A disciple is one who follows another for the purpose of learning. This in turn is derived either from discere, “to learn”, from the root dek-, “to take, accept”; or from discipere, to grasp intellectually or analyse thoroughly, from dis- (“apart”) and capere, “to take hold of”. The word “tradition” is also from a Latin word, tradere, “to deliver or hand over”. The Gentile apostle Luke tells us that his Gospel is “an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word” (Luke 1:1-2). St Paul says, “I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

The written tradition of the Bible, along with the oral traditions of the early Church, have been handed down faithfully to us from generation to generation. Think of how you first came to know about Jesus. Didn’t someone tell you about Him? Even if you simply picked up a book about Jesus, somebody wrote it. Christianity is based on the Incarnation, the God-Man. God chose to establish a Church led by the Apostles, despite their weaknesses, and He continues to work through human nature today, even in its brokenness.

The Catholic education system is based on Christ’s call to make disciples of all nations. School founders like St Jean-Baptiste de la Salle (known as the Father of Modern Education, who created the first training school for teachers), Bl. Nicholas Barré, St John Bosco, Ven. Mary Ward and Maria Montessori dedicated their lives to the education of impoverished youth, seeking to form them in virtue, giving them the tools to live fruitful and purposeful lives. Christians recognise that every person is made in the image and likeness of God, and the cultivation of our faculties for reason, knowledge and compassion helps us grow into healthy, flourishing human beings, contributing to the overall welfare of our communities.

The Catholic Education Conference 2021 reflects the wonderful reality that: “Through teaching and learning, praying and playing, and growing up and becoming wiser, God encounters everyone in school, regardless of race, language or religion, in myriad ways to shape our lives for better. Each encounter reminds us that we are in God’s holy presence.”

May this conference be a time for educators to be rejuvenated, so that they may reflect the loving face of Christ to others, and recognise the lovable face of God in each person they serve through their noble vocation.

The 2021 Catholic Education Conference will take place online on Monday, 15 March. The conference centres on celebrating God’s presence in our lives, particularly through His gift of education.

The word “education” comes from the Latin words ex– (“out”) and ducere (“to lead”). A holistic education leads us out of ignorance to truth. A Catholic education leads us to the ground of all truth, God Himself, the Logos. As humans, we are gifted with the virtue of faith and faculty of reason, allowing us to know, love and serve God, recognising His daily presence in our lives.

Through encountering and embracing the Word of God, Jesus, we are invited to participate in the life of the Holy Trinity, the essence of which is love and community. Thus, our Catholic schools are called to be communities of love and service, ever magnifying the light of Christ throughout the world, proclaiming the truth that each human being is made in the image and likeness of God, worthy of profound respect, created to give and receive love.

Educators have an opportunity to honour God’s gift of Himself through their everyday lives and vocations as teachers and school leaders. Through teaching and learning, praying and playing, and growing up and becoming wiser, we offer an experience of the Lord in myriad ways, shaping young lives for better.

CEC2021 is a time of grace for educators to take a break from their busy lives, to pause, and become aware of God’s presence. By renewing themselves at the well of living water, our educators will be better equipped for the challenges of the school year, drawing their strength from the Holy Spirit so that they may be blessings to everyone they meet and serve. When we act according to our graced nature as living icons of Christ, we naturally attract others to come to know and love God, the ultimate source of human flourishing.

Several workshops have been planned for the conference, employing a variety of media to facilitate participants’ encounters with God. Be sure to join us for this time of renewal. In preparation for the conference, various teaching orders and priests have prepared a novena starting on 22 February, focusing on the theme of Celebrating, Encountering, Creating Our God Experience. The novena videos will be available at the CEC2021 page.

This year’s Commencement of School Year (COSY) Mass was held at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd on Sunday 31 January, the feast of the wise and loving educator St John Bosco. This followed the December 29 Appointment and Appreciations Ceremony for Principals by the Ministry of Education, where forty-three new principals received their letters of appointment during the Ministry’s annual reshuffle exercise.

Archbishop William Goh commissioned eleven newly appointed Principals of Catholic schools and preschools, instructing them to “be the light of truth, justice, freedom and love to all.” Eight newly appointed Vice-Principals were also presented to the congregation, comprised of more than a hundred educators, Sponsoring Authorities and members of the education fraternity.

In his homily, Archbishop Goh encouraged school leaders and educators to lead like Moses and Jesus, with a personal authority based on firm belief in their vocation, manifested in being truly present to their staff and students, providing genuine care and hope to everyone around them. “As educators, all of us are called to be leaders, not just in imparting knowledge, but to be educators of life, of love and of truth,” he contended.

His Grace contrasted the transformative power of personal authority with the hollowness of mere juridical authority, based solely on the position held by a person, or professional authority, from one’s paper qualifications. He emphasised that true authority is required “to form people and to get things done.”

Archbishop Goh pointed out that a Catholic school is not one which simply teaches academic subjects with an optional extra subject of religion. Rather, he declared, “If a teacher is imbued with the Gospel and convinced that what he is teaching has great importance in the lives of our students and the future generation, he would, in a very subtle or unconscious way, inject the values of the Gospel, his convictions, her convictions, into what he or she is teaching.”

His Grace spoke of the importance of teaching with passion and conviction, providing a consistent, inspiring example to students by “walking the talk”. He asserted: “If you are focused on the Lord and you are focused on your vocation, I can assure you you’ll be the greatest educator and your life will impact the lives of everyone, including your fellow teachers.”

Together, the educators pledged in the Prayer of Commitment to instil Gospel values in their schools, that they may be “places of justice and integrity, gentleness and compassion”. They prayed for God to fill their hearts “with compassion for those on the margins of life”, and that their “leadership in Catholic Education may bring forth [God’s] kingdom of love”. The Principals received a lighted candle with the words “Called to Serve”, a symbol of their call to be the light of Christ to their respective schools.

Echoing the Archbishop’s sentiments, various Principals shared their holistic vision with Catholic News. Timothy Goh of St Stephen’s School said, “My hope and dream for the school is to have the boys… become men of integrity and men for others.” Valerie Pinto of CHIJ St Joseph’s Convent stated that she wants to “grow a more close-knit Christ-centred school community” with staff and stakeholders. Shawn Lim of St Gabriel’s Secondary School aims to form “servant leaders, ever ready to lead and serve the community and make a difference to the lives of people around them.”

Eric Leong of St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) Junior explained, “Education is not just a process of giving knowledge, but a lifelong process which creates an understanding of moral and ethical values to guide one’s life in the right path.” Stephen Chin of Assumption Pathway School quoted their founder, St Louis Marie de Montfort: “Those whom the world rejects, should move you the most.” He expressed his confidence in his students’ ability to succeed in life despite all challenges.

At the end of the Mass organised by the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS) and the Council of Catholic School Principals, Archbishop Goh thanked two retiring Principals for their lifelong service. One of them, non-Catholic Principal Liu Seok Noi of CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity (2003-2009) and Holy Innocents’ Primary School (2010-2020), reflected: “Catholic schools have always been well-known for their character formation. I was very blessed… to help each and every child grow to their fullest potential.”

Principal Magdalene Chin, who served in three different CHIJ primary schools (Katong, Toa Payoh and Kellock convents), along with Temasek Primary, mused: “[O]ne word encapsulates this journey – passion! … When we, as a school community, are passionate about teaching our children to walk as children of light… when we can be the light of Christ to all by the way we passionately use our gifts for the glory of God, then the journey of serving as a Catholic educator keeps us alive and helps us and others grow in faith and hope too.”

Archbishop Goh exhorted everyone to uphold the legacy of their schools’ founders, especially during this Catholic200SG year, commemorating the significant contributions of mission schools and other Catholic institutions in forming Singapore over the past two centuries.