How can we educate for hope in a time marked by profound cultural, social, and technological transformations? What contribution can consecrated life offer today to the Church’s educational mission?

These questions gave rise to “A Time of Listening”, a forum promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education together with the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the Union of Superiors General (USG). The gathering brought together women and men religious, as well as educators from different parts of the world, to share experiences, challenges, and perspectives on the future of Catholic education.

The document we present brings together the main insights that emerged from this journey of listening and discernment: the reflections of Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, testimonies from different continents, the challenges facing educational institutions today, and the opportunities opening up for renewed collaboration between the Church and consecrated life.

Through an authentically synodal approach, the forum highlighted the value of education as a privileged space for evangelization, human development, and peacebuilding. In a world marked by fragility, inequality, and new cultural challenges, religious life continues to be a prophetic presence, capable of fostering relationships, safeguarding human dignity, and accompanying new generations toward the future.

This material is intended as a resource for reflection and shared commitment, helping to strengthen educational networks, deepen collaboration among different charisms, and contribute together to drawing new maps of hope for today’s world and for generations to come.

To read the document in different languages, click here.