Opening the Door of Transformative Education: A Fruit of the Second Vatican Council

Assumption College of Davao (ACD) was one of the few Catholic schools in the Philippines which took seriously the call of the Second Vatican Council to make adaptation to the modern world in 1965. By a stroke of grace, I joined the school in 1961 and retired in 1994. At that time when the FMA sisters were grappling on how to respond, I was already handling the directorship of the school, thus was in the vortex of starting the response with the sisters.

Jopriz Bueno, an administrative head of ACD, in 2018 wrote a good article on the six-decade journey of ACD towards transformative education. I got his permission to have it printed along with this write-up. His article will be Part 1 and the reflection of my own transformation in ACD constitutes Part 2.

My Growth Towards Transformative Education with Colleagues

I grew up in a small interior Iloilo town in a conservative Catholic way. I was a member of the Legion of Mary at 11 years old, cleaned the altar, brought little children to mass on Sundays, did the assigned household chores, reaped some honors because of studying enough, and respected and obeyed the elders. Staying virtuous and knowing catechism were what Catholicism was all about. It was like this until I taught in Assumption. As a consequence, I was awarded Best Teacher of the Year during my first year of teaching much to my surprise. I rose up the ranks in two decades.

In the late seventies, the social unrest was brewing in the city especially in Agdao where the school is located. The old catechism did not seem to address the situation so much; it was leaving a void in one‘s person as to what to do in the situation. Helping the poor and the oppressed was not accepted in the faith as a form of evangelization. However, the sisters and some of us faithful joined the NGOs in order to help the poor.

Then came the Vatican Council 2 teachings for the Modern Church. Since the Vatican Council 2 teachings were new and modern (non-conservative), the skepticism in many minds including those in the hierarchy of the government and the church was expected but it was a welcome relief for many others too. The Assumption sisters, especially the MAs, and many of us in the school belong to the latter group. The Spirit who guided the Council was also doing the same to the faithful and hence the response started to take place, very difficult. It needed pleadings to the Holy Spirit through Mary for her intercession to sustain the breakthrough. Integral evangelization was interpreted in school to mean teaching of justice, equality, fairness, and compassion to the students and integrating this into the curriculum, both curricular and extra-curricular. Exposure to the indigenous groups and poor communities was scheduled. Joining the oppressed in their mass actions was allowed after deliberation. Gender-fair modules were used in appropriate topics.

Harassments came frequently. The parents and other sectors were given regular briefing on the programs of the school. Feedbacks were processed to make operation better understood, appreciated and carried out. Keeping the best of the pre-Vatican Council 2, spirituality was blended with the call for solidarity with the poor. This made the response different from activism.

Simplicity of lifestyle, oneness with God’s creation, and international solidarity express themselves, among others, with prohibition of selling junk food in the canteen, respect for creation, promotion of indigenous culture, and the school running a techvoc institute and two extension grade schools for lumad children in Kibalatong and Toruyan in Malabog, Paquibato District.

ACD has started ahead and had gone farther than others. Inherent in the process is high respect for persons, democratic setting, participation, and dialogue.

While I may have retired decades ago I still find the joy of serving the school board now. My stay in ACD gave me the satisfaction of being involved with the disadvantaged groups parallel to the school’s option. I owe my transformation as a person to my 33 years in ACD.

Vatican Council teachings are still being studied and implemented. This will go on for so many more years to come. The whole Catholic Church is groaning towards relevance in this complex modern world led by our beloved Pope Francis. With the Spirit prompting us, we keep pace with him. (Ma. Iris Meliza, Ph.D.)