THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Stating that education is a primary mission of the Church in India, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and Archbishop of Goa and Daman Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão said the Church is committed to providing quality education to future generations.
He was addressing a gathering after officially unveiling the CCBI’s set of 115 school textbooks along with electives/non-core curriculum books for Catholic CBSE and ICSE schools at an event in the St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, on Tuesday.
The textbooks were unveiled in the presence of 40 bishops attending the CCBI Executive Committee meeting, along with educationists, major superiors, secretaries of the CCBI Commissions and other dignitaries.
The meeting, which was presided over by Cardinal Ferrão, was marked by speeches from several prominent ecclesial figures, including Archbishop of Bombay Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Hyderabad Cardinal Anthony Poola, Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore and Archbishop Elias Gonsalves of Nagpur.
"Education is a primary mission of the Church in India. With numerous schools across the country, we are committed to providing quality education to future generations. This new series of textbooks will further strengthen our education apostolate," said Cardinal Ferrão.
Cardinal Gracias praised the initiative, congratulating those involved in the monumental task of publishing the textbook series for Catholic schools.
Archbishop Peter Machado emphasised the Church’s responsibility in shaping future citizens who uphold both human and constitutional values, referring to the CCBI's value education textbooks, launched in 2022, as an essential tool in this mission.
Rev. Dr Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General of the CCBI, welcomed the gathering, while Nigel Fernandes, CEO of Arclight Global, later delivered the vote of thanks.
The textbooks were published by Arclight Global, the CCBI's publishing arm, which was established in 2022. This launch marks a significant step forward in the Church’s efforts to enhance educational resources in its schools across India.
