By: Albert C. Danan
Education plays the most significant role in developing a total personality in every individual. It is the foremost role of all academic institutions, especially Catholic schools, in order to ensure that all individuals within their sphere of commitment be constantly oriented with the values and virtues that will enable them to live life in harmony with God.
The Order of Augustinian Recollect takes a renewed stance in strengthening its commitment to further quality Catholic Christian education by declaring 2011-2012 as the Recoletos Education Year carrying the theme “Kindling the Heart, Empowering the Mind for Responsible Stewardship”.
Taking the initiative to bring the thrust clearer and closer to all the Recoletos community in the country is no less than Rev. Fr. Lauro V. Larlar, OAR.
In his talk held last August 3 and 6 at San Sebastian College-Recoletos Manila Auditorium, he was introduced by Rev. Fr. Renie C. Villalino, OAR as “a well-respected Recollect leader and school administrator who could harmonize freedom with order and firmness with amiability”. Fr. Larlar was also described further as “a highly-spirited, intelligent, self-driven fellow who has the gift of expressiveness, dynamism and self-assurance”.
Speaking before the crowd of faculty , administrators, students, parents and guardians in three different Formation Sessions of SSC-R Manila and Canlubang, Fr. Larlar took this series of talks as an opportunity to engage in order that the “integral formation” that the Recollect educators envision will lead directly to the community’s being “responsive and value-laden members of the society”. He divided his talk in three parts, namely, “Finding the Treasure Within”, “Dynamics of Studying” and “Caritas et Scientia in Reading and Discerning”.
Why engagement? Fr. Larlar set his talk according to the perspective of St. Augustine on education whose thinking on EDUCATION relates to what it means to be HUMAN. St. Augustine, according to him, offers no recipe but an APPROACH involving (a) being with others and (b) being at their service of listening to the Teacher of all, and with a sense of (c) being “at school” with all human beings. He talked about FORMATION as a process which embraces the whole life of the person and as a way which can only end in the definitive encounter with the Lord. He stressed that FORMATION happens within the historical dimension of the person; all human dimensions, biological, psychological and spiritual, mutually influence one another, requiring the person to grow and advance.
The seminar intended to engage everyone in strengthening their practice of education and/or formation. He even encouraged the participants, through a workshop, to reflect on social realities and provided inspirational thoughts through powerpoint presentations.
The Formation Series were organized by the Campus Ministry Office through the leadership of its Campus Minister Rev. Fr. Renie C. Villalino, OAR.