The priest as an educator to the faith

THE PRIEST AS AN EDUCATOR TO THE FAITH

Cl. Mario D’Couto sdb

            It is quite common to find people associating priests in schools or involved in teaching as educators. On the contrary, every priest by virtue of the sacrament of ordination is an educator to the faith be it a diocesan or a religious.

            Education is a very broad term. The word ‘education’ comes from the Latin word, ‘educere’ which means to draw out. Hence it is not something where we try to fill the child with knowledge as though he or she was a vase to be filled but rather each child is a lamp to be lit as Albert Einstein once said, “The purpose of education is to train the mind to think and for that reason it is priceless.” Keeping this in mind, we can truly say that each priest is an educator, if not in the school then in the Church. He is first and foremost an educator to the faith; all other subjects are secondary. This obviously does not undermine the importance of secular subjects but if a priest is not able to do what he is really called for then there is no point of his priesthood.  






















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