THE 5TH ITAKA-SCOLAPIOS ADVISORY COUNCIL BEGINS ON 27-29 MAY IN ROME, AT THE GENERALATE OF THE PIOUS SCHOOLS.

The 42 participants of the Advisory Council, who have been arriving in the previous days in Rome, began the day with a prayer prepared by the General Congregation in the chapel of the house.

Javier Aguirregabiria, who opened the Advisory Council and shared the vision from Itaka-Escolapios; Father General, Fr. Pedro Aguado, on behalf of the General Congregation; Alberto Cantero, on behalf of the General Council of the Fraternity; and the General Coordinator of Itaka-Escolapios, Igor Irigoyen, with the vision of the Executive Commission from the Strategic Plan.

Javier Aguirregabiria reviewed the history of Itaka-Escolapios, from the initial intuitions that marked its birth, to the present moment in which it constitutes a platform for the shared institutional mission of the Order and the Fraternity. He highlighted the achievements made in these years in many areas (convocation, formation, pastoral processes, as well as the resources obtained for the Piarist mission) but also pointed out some challenges, especially in signifying Itaka-Escolapios as a platform of participation in the Pious Schools that goes far beyond the economic resources exchanged between some places and others in the Network.

In his speech, Fr. General shared the current situation of the Order, with its own moment and plans, as well as those of the fraternity, as a fundamental element for those who have the responsibility of promoting Itaka-Escolapios, explaining the motto of the Advisory Council ‘OUR SHARED place of PARTICIPATION and MISSION’. He closed his speech with a series of considerations on the role of Itaka-Escolapios in the construction of the Pious Schools, pointing out that this is the ultimate aim of the Itaka-Escolapios Network as the main idea of his speech.

The General Council of the Fraternity, in his speech in the afternoon, highlighted the links that unite the Fraternity with Itaka-Escolapios, there being an institutional commitment to collaborate together although taking into account the reality that not all the demarcations participate in Itaka-Escolapios, as well as pointing out some of the certainties and challenges still pending on the road travelled.

The last presentation of the day was given by Igor Irigoyen, General Coordinator of the Itaka-Escolapios Network, who shared the Executive Committee’s analysis of the current state of the Network based on the objectives set out in the Strategic Plan currently in force for the period 2021-2027.

In the final minutes, Joseba Alzola, head of the communication team of the Itaka-Escolapios Network, presented to the participants the proposal for the new corporate image of the Network, which will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

The four initial presentations that were heard on the first day of the 5th Advisory Council served to make a good diagnosis of the current situation of Itaka-Escolapios now that we are halfway through the current Strategic Plan and with three years ahead of us to tackle the challenges that are still pending.

The day ended with the Eucharist presided over by Fr. Javier Aguirregabiria.