Celebrating God’s Gift of Education

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.