HISTORY
Education has always been the core in the development of individuals and the world
around them. The Church has always recognized the importance of education in her
mission. Pope John Paul II in Redemptor Hominis (14) spoke of the human person
as the fundamental way for the Church, the way traced out by Christ himself. Hence,
everyone engaged in evangelization cannot but experience the challenge of education
in all its facets. The work of the school is irreplaceable and the investment of
human and material resources in the school becomes a prophetic choice for everyone
involved in evangelization.
Vatican II in Gravissimum Educationis says, “Education is, in a very special
way, the concern of the Church… because… it has the duty of proclaiming the way
of salvation to all men, of revealing the life of Christ to those who believe”(GE
3).
In order to be of greater service to the Church in its mission of education, the
CBCI set up the Commission for Education and Culture in 1984, which is renamed as
Office for Education and Culture on 1st April, 2011. The decision for setting up
the Education Commission however, was taken at the General Meeting of the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of India held in Delhi on October 13-20, 1966. Most Rev. L.
Raymond, Archbishop of Nagpur, was then elected as the First Chairman of the Commission.
VISION
“Vita in plenitudine.” That is the fullness of life for every individual, respecting
each one’s human dignity and human rights.
OBJECTIVES
- To gather in the rich and wide-ranging experience of the church in India in the
field of education
- To involve fully in the process of social change
- To reach out, especially to the poor and the marginalized
- To commit to the work of justice and enlightening the consciences of human beings
with the message of fellowship and love.