Kategorie: Upcoming Events

Founded in 1974, upon the initiative of Monseigneur DAELEMANS, the initial aim of the CEEC was to represent Catholic Education in the European region – in particular within the International Office of Catholic Education (OIEC). The 5 founding member countries rapidly increased in number, enabling the association to represent today no fewer than 29 countries in Central, Eastern and Western Europe. The afternoon of 16 November 2024 in Strasbourg will be an opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the association through testimonies, meetings and exchanges between CEEC members and their external partners. More information will be given at the start of the 2024–2025 school year.

In the year 2002/03 the study project „Sustainability and Religion(s) – a Pilgrimage” was initiated by the Austrian Ministry of Science and Education. It was the starting point of PILGRIM, an international educational network that stresses a fourth dimension of sustainability: spirituality. Ecumenism and interreligious dialogue were main values from the beginning. On 6th June 2023, the big celebration of 20 years of PILGRIM will take place in Vienna putting its pedagogical concept and the many participating schools around Europe in the spotlight.

With a workshop held on 4^th October 2022 with the director of the Vatican “Laudato si Action Platform”, John Mundell, PILGRIM already started the festivities of its 20 years. A fruitful exchange developed as the Vatican platform highlights similar goals as PILGRIM: “Sustainable Pedagogy” and “Ecological Spirituality”.

After the General Assembly 2021 had only taken place digitally, also the symposium on “Challenges of digitalisation for religion and education in Christian schools“ could not be organised as planned in Riga this spring. Corona and in addition the Russian war in Ukraine made the situation during March/April too unsafe for planning and travelling into the Baltic states.

Although there is no end of war in sight at the moment, we want to risk a new attempt to meet in Riga for the General Assembly in autumn 2022. A sign of closeness and connection with our Baltic friends and colleagues seems important right now! The board of IV discussed it in May and decided to organise the General Assembly from 4^th to 6^th November 2022 in Riga. But the topic of the symposium will be changed into: “Dare to hope!? – How Christian schools accompany the growing up of youngsters in times of crisis”. Theological and pedagogical questions on peace education and peace ethics, concepts of religious education and school pastoral care to strengthen students in times of crisis as well as practical experiences with war refugees in our schools will be the centre of attention during the symposium.

We really hope to succeed this time to meet in Riga for exchange and encounter! All members of IV as well as interested non-members are cordially invited! A detailed program will be published in time.

This is the mission declared for the upcoming World Congress of OIEC on 1-3 December 2022 in Marseille, France. OIEC ist the international office for Catholic education representing Catholic Education institutions worldwide, of which CEEC represents the European secretariat.

Educators, persons responsible and speakers from all over the world will gather in Marseille to discuss, exchange and celebrate under the headline „The Catholic School as a body of Hope to change the World“.