Pope’s Ambassador to the U.S. Will Moderate Education Forum in St. Petersburg
Teachers, Parents, and Advocates Are Encouraged to Participate in this Free Event on Jan. 24th
Teachers, Parents, and Advocates Are Encouraged to Participate in this Free Event on Jan. 24th
Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who has served as Apostolic Nuncio, or ambassador to the U.S. since 2016, will be visiting St. Petersburg to draw attention to the issue of education and how to ensure that young people are able to thrive in the modern world.
Cardinal Pierre will serve as moderator for an event titled, “Education and the Road to Destiny,” that will be held on Wednesday, January 24th at St. Petersburg Catholic High School from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Diocese of St. Petersburg will host the Forum and four different educators from various backgrounds will share their experiences, followed by a question-and-answer period.
The panel will be discussing, The Risk of Education, a book published by Father Luigi Giussani, an Italian priest and educator who founded a large Catholic movement called “Communion and Liberation.”
“Our goal is to broaden people's understanding of what education is, to help parents and educators to recognize that education is more than just the accumulation of information, but it’s about understanding our purpose in life and what is truth, and providing young people the tools to verify what is true for themselves,” said Father Ralph D’Elia, one of the organizers of the event.
The idea for the Forum originated when local members of Communion and Liberation were at the Vatican in 2022 for a gathering with 80,000 other members of the movement. Pope Francis told the participants to let, “prophetic and missionary restlessness burn in your hearts.” This Forum is a result of that missionary desire to spread faith and an inspired vision for education with others.
"This event aims to help us--parents and teachers-- see our responsibility to accompany students by nurturing their need for purpose in life, helping them to discover the connection between their work and the meaning of their lives, "said Joseph Poole, who leads the Communion and Liberation community in the Tampa Bay area.
This event is free but advance registration is requested. Click here to reserve your space for this special event.
