More than one hundred and fifty students participated in the 1st Marist Theological Conference
More than one hundred and fifty students from the Marist Badajoz School, in Spain, have actively participated in the 1st Marist Badajoz Theological Conference “Inspira”, carried out by the Seminary of School Religious Education (E.R.E.) of Maristas Badajoz, at the end of the academic year 2020/2021, with the support of the EDELVIVES Foundation and the CHAMPAGNAT Institute of Pastoral Studies, linked to the Marist Cardinal Cisneros University in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid).
During the 20 virtual talks, students from 1st and 3rd year of secondary school talked and reflected, together with their religion teachers and the panelists, on topics related to Ecclesiology, Theodicy, Bible, Christology, Ethics and Morals, other religions, the value of the transcendent, faith-culture and science. The themes were developed through content and questions such as: How and where God makes Himself known, why does evil exist, who is Jesus and who is God, religion as a way of salvation, the Beatitudes and happiness, Church Communion, among others. Blue Marists, among others.
The themes were focused on the 1st and 3rd levels of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO), as this is where the INSPIRA project of the EDELVIVES publishing house has been implemented. In the next academic year, we will be introducing them in the whole of Secondary Education, as the whole stage will have this material which has “inspired” us so much about Religion in 2020/2021.
In total, more than two hundred people, including students, teachers and panellists, attended the talks, which were given on a voluntary basis. The videoconferences were conducted through the TEAMS application, with an open and free channel, in addition to a videoconference channel for each course. At the end of the talks, the Champagnat Institute of Pastoral Studies gave a certificate of participation to the speakers.
The experience has been so positive that the 2nd Marist Theological Conference Badajoz “INSPIRA” is already being planned. The possibility of other educational centres joining these talks is being explored, together with the possibility, if circumstances permit, of taking part “live and direct”.
You can access some of the talks in the following links: