By: Jo-ana Minese D. Dulfo, GS Faculty
Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu extended its sense of service and leadership to the greater educational community as it hosted the Teachers’ Congress of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) for both elementary (CEPA) and secondary (CESSPA) teachers last January 31, 2025. The Magis Eagles Arena was brimming with over 1, 658 dedicated educators from 67 Catholic schools across Cebu as they came together to advance in their professional growth and discuss shared challenges in teaching during the CEAP CEPA-CESSPA Teachers’ Congress. With the theme: “Pilgrims and Agents of Hope: Embracing Synodality to Navigate Current Trends and Future Challenges in Catholic Education” at its heart, the teachers’ congress invited educational formators to embark on a pilgrimage of renewal as they listened to the plenary session in the morning and attended one of the 10 concurrent sessions in the afternoon.
The historic event began with a eucharistic celebration presided by Archbishop Jose Palma, DD, who emphasized how synodality allows educators to discuss common concerns and strengthens their shared mission as formators and shepherds of the young. During the mass, the plaques of the CEAP service awardees were also blessed since the congress was also the archdiocesan culmination of the jubilee of Catholic schools for the entire month of January 2025. After which, the CEAP Presidents, Dr. Jovita Augusto (for CEPA) and Mrs. Annie Abucay, who is also the SHS-ADC Senior High School Principal (for CESSPA), formally opened the program with inspiring words and a warm welcome. Mrs. Lea Amores, the SHS-ADC Grade School Principal and also the chairperson of the CEPA Professional Development Committee introduced the plenary speaker, Fr. Johnny Go, SJ, who also happened to author two powerful books (Leading with Depth and Pins of Light) which are being read globally today. Fr. Johnny is the current dean of the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD) at the Ateneo de Manila University.
In his plenary talk, he invited the Catholic formators to think about their mission of Catholic education through conversation pieces and provocations. He then painted a vivid portrait of the current students whom the educators are serving, the Gen Z and the Gen Alpha, who according to his sources, are saturated in technology, antifragile, and may be religiously unaffiliated but spiritual. He also articulated the profound significance of each educator’s mission in guiding students in their quest for personal discovery and in forming students to become fires that feed on the wind (not candles who are afraid of it). With this great mission in mind, he urged teachers and formators to nurture their own well-being as they are light for so many young people in this generation. The plenary talk culminated with a sharing of insights and reaction by Ms. Nancy Toledo, a strand head of the SHS-ADC Senior High School, and Mr. Jonemel Alforque, a subject area coordinator in the SHS-ADC Grade School. Ms. Toledo acknowledged that one’s mission as educators may be challenging, but the struggle is necessary. Mr. Alforque described the educator’s path as a journey; thus, he or she also had to use Catholic education as an explorative map for personal growth.
The morning session ended with the awarding of the Sinag ng Karunungan Service awardees for their significant contributions to CEAP and their long-standing commitment to the organization.
In the afternoon, the teachers branched out to different concurrent sessions held in separate venues of the school. Three Ateneo Hearter formators shared their wisdom and expertise as they transformed into speakers of the break-out sessions. They were the following: Mr. Dani Dillo who talked about preparing the NEXTGEN of transformational leaders for global adaptation, Mr. Noah Acedo who provided insights on empowering educators for a sustainable future, and Mr. Rhoderick John Abellanosa who shared about teaching Catholic social teachings through the lens of the synod on synodality. All in all, the breakout sessions were a vibrant hub for conversations and exchange of ideas, allowing teachers and formators to navigate their current experiences towards their greater mission in Catholic education.
