Community living in the Catholic Higher Education Institution as key component of the formation of agents of social transformation.
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Date
2013
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Paulines
Abstract
Social transformation is a necessary part of the Church’s mission to help bring about the
reign of God in the world. Catholic Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) take their inspiration
and guidance from the Gospel of Christ, and have an obligation to help the Church to better
understand and attend to the need for transformation in the social settings in which they are
active. Such institutions may approach the task in multiple ways, key among which is the
formation of the agents of the said social transformation.
Social transformation is here understood as a process by which a critical mass within a
community commits itself to constantly discerning, agreeing and renewing the living of their
values. Such commitment is not static, nor is it a destination that can be reached once and for all.
It is, rather, a way of engaging the processes of history though which the community lives.
Social transformation raises questions touching on universal principles of human dignity and
eco-justice, but needs to be applied locally. It is not enough to subscribe to general principles.
We need to be committed to an ongoing effort to understand and live these with due regard to the
social and cultural realities of the particular situation in which we find ourselves. Resilient and
focused leaders are needed. A Catholic HIE, such as Tangaza University College, aims to
contribute to the formation of such leaders, the agents of the hoped-for social transformation. This paper underscores that the mission of formation of the agents of social
transformation is primarily a communitarian one. A conscious and cultivated community
approach is necessary as a component of the overall formation of graduates who will participate
actively, with an evangelical spirit, in communities that, with their contributions, will become
increasingly open to transformation. This paper focuses on the community in the HEI as a locus
of preparation of the agents of social transformation in future ministerial settings. In brief, it
posits that the Catholic HEI itself needs to be a community open to social transformation in order
to succeed in its mission. While this paper takes Tangaza University College as its example of a
HEI, it is hoped that the reflections it poses are applicable to many African Catholic and indeed
Christian HEIs. The paper uses the terms “Catholic” and “Christian” interchangeably.
Tangaza University College is committed to preparing agents of social transformation in
line with the Gospel. As stated in the mission statement of the College, it is anticipated that these
agents will minister in various social and ecclesial settings since the College “reaches out into
the world”. For a person to be an effective agent of social transformation, ongoing personal
transformation is essential. In tandem with social transformation, personal transformation is the
genuine and continuous openness of an individual to choices that lead him/her to be more open
to the fullness of life. Such fullness of life includes, but is not limited to, personal development
and service to society. It is presumed that the career of the student in the College is organized to
facilitate openness to such personal transformation. To this, the quality of community life lived
in the college inevitably makes an impact, whether positive or negative. It is therefore imperative
that the community life of the College be the subject of reflection and action in the self-
assessment and self-improvement plans of the College.
On this occasion of the Silver Jubilee, it is an opportunity to look back on various ways in
which the College community has grown, at the numbers of students, and at faculties and
programs in the College. It is also an opportunity to assess the inner life and culture of the
College insofar as this can be done. A look at the community life lived in the college and its
impact on members of the College, can be fruitful in positioning curricular choices in the future.
To contextualize our subject, we can begin with a look at some of the cultural, historical and
socio-economic background, and at the opportunities and impacts of these on community living
in Africa and in HEIs there.
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Keywords
Community living, Catholic Higher Education Institution, formation of agent, social transformation