Pedro Martínez Roig. Provincial Pastoral Coordinator. Piarists of Betania
The program is implemented throughout the Betania Province in each of its locations. It is one of the stages included in the Arjé Pastoral Framework Project for the MCal.
Specific Objectives:
Within the general objectives of the MCal, the Belén Stage is characterized by the following:
- Involve families in their own process of evangelization, as well as that of their children.
- Make a first/second proclamation of the Gospel.
- Initiate and accompany the religious awakening.
Origin: With the launch of the new Arjé Pastoral Framework Project in September 2014, a new MCal itinerary was proposed for the entire province. A key innovation of this itinerary was the inclusion of a new stage in the overall process focused on the youngest children and their families. This initiative sought to embody the Calasanctian insight that “if from the earliest childhood a child is imbued with piety and learning, a happy development throughout their life is to be expected” and aimed to respond to Pope Francis’s evangelizing impulse and his proposal for a missionary and outgoing Church.
Development: As mentioned, the Bethlehem Stage is a phase within the MCal itinerary which, in our Province, aims to accompany children and young people from the age of three through to young adulthood (around twenty-four years old) in their journey of faith and in the search for their place within the Church. A distinctive feature of this stage is that children are invited along with their families, to participate in a monthly program from age three (when they enter our schools) until age eight. This experience allows us to accompany the religious awakening of the youngest children and the faith journey of the family unit, which may be at very different stages: from an initial introduction to the faith to a deep sharing with those who are well-established in the Church.
The content areas designed for the entire program and addressed in the various sessions are as follows:
- Inviting participants to discover the Piarist Christian community as a place where families can live out their faith.
- Discovering the Church as the People of God.
- Introduction to prayer and liturgical life.
- Exploring people’s existing images of God and the image of God revealed by Jesus Christ.
- Application of the baptismal journey.
- Baptism, an invitation to a way of life.
- Understanding the faith-culture dialogue.
- Proposing the Gospel as a way of life.
- Introduction to the Christian perspective on life.
- Basic elements of the experience of God.
- Introduction to physical, musical, and artistic expression in the personal journey of faith.
- Linking religious experience to emotional life.
The methodology used is flexibly adapted to the location and group, focusing on these key areas:
- One meeting per month. Parents and children meet separately to discuss the same topic.
- Shared moments for parents and children: during the opening prayer and the closing discussion.
- Homework for the time in between: not so much intellectual in nature, but rather a practical application of what was worked on in the sessions.
- Include guidelines for this at-home work for the family (educational and clearly useful) and offer various resources to support this effort: digital media, social media, and other resources.
All materials are available on our pastoral resources website https://pastoralbetania.org/etapas/belen/, although each center, based on its experience, has adapted the activities and sessions to its specific needs.
The initiative involves collaboration with teachers from the educational stage corresponding to these age groups, who serve as the true institutional points of reference for the families who come to our centers. Even so, we always strive to enrich the team of catechists with other diverse profiles (including, in many cases, families who have already gone through the process with their own children).
Review:
I started at Belén with the simple intention of teaching my daughter values and respect for others, but I soon discovered it was so much more. I found a group of people who not only share my concerns but also listen, accompany, and support without judgment. Over time, that monthly gathering became something very special: an hour of true peace—perhaps the only one of the month—when everything stops and we can be alone with our thoughts and with God our Lord. Thanks to this experience, my way of understanding and living my faith has changed profoundly; now I see it through different eyes—closer, more mindful, and full of meaning.
María Luz Gordillo Cabezas (mother of a 5-year-old preschool student)
Belén is a space dedicated to the family, focused on enjoying a moment of calm, of listening, of sharing… The little ones begin by getting to know Jesus. All of this is done through carefully prepared activities. They are very special and allow you to spend beautiful moments with your children. A wonderful experience.
Irene Torres Ávila (mother of a 5-year-old preschool student)
The Belén Stage began more than ten years ago as the great unknown within the new MCal curriculum, in which, despite the major methodological revolution, the other stages were heirs to the approaches of the previous process. The beginnings were difficult in some places because the teachers, key agents in this initiative, did not feel qualified to accompany adults as the proposal suggested. A great deal of pedagogical work was needed to help everyone understand that the proposal does not seek to catechize participants on specific topics, but rather to create spaces for dialogue and fraternal sharing around family and church-related themes that affect us all. The initiative does not require experts in specific subjects, but rather generous facilitators willing to humbly share their personal journeys while facilitating and guiding family discussions. Over the years, in most places, fears have gradually faded and been replaced by enthusiasm and a precious experience of Piarist Christian fraternity and community. We observe with gratitude how the experience has also been able to spark interest in many families who have wished to continue their connection with the Pious Schools in other settings (Calasanz Adult Groups, Piarist Christian Community…). Belén has thus become a privileged gateway for many families to an experience of faith lived in community.
Pedro Martínez Roig (Provincial Pastoral Coordinator and father of a 5-year-old preschool student)
