This period continues the series of working groups of religion teachers from Suceava, methodical, cultural and spiritual meetings of collaborative and experiential learning, which aim to instrumentalize joyful learning, in religion class, increasing motivation for lifelong learning and resizing the teacher-student didactic dialog in order to development of general and specific key competences desirable, interconnected and lasting.
Working group of religion teachers from the Suceava area, Motivation and innovation in creative teaching of religion, was held, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Calinic and with the support of the Mother Abbess, the Abbess Superior Dr. Maria-Magdalena Gherghina, in Conference room - „St. Paisie” House” of the Dragomirna Monastery, a medieval church that impresses by its cultural value, the antiquity and value of the construction, elegance, volumetry and originality of the architectural style, about which our great historian Nicolae Iorga, in his work The Romanian nation in Bukovina, says: „The sight of the church is a wonder of joy. It is high and narrow as a box of holy relics and is one of the most brilliant monuments of our ancient architecture, and for Crimca an everlasting title of glory”.
The program of the working session was, this time again, dense and complex, totaling six hours of professional and personal training of teachers, multidimensional and interactive: guided tour of the monastery - Within the fortress walls, the history of Dragomirna between legend and truth - the hermitage church, the big church, the museum, the fortress and the egumeny; Spiritual ascent to the pulpit of Metropolitan Anastasie Crimca, book presentation - Anastasie Crimca - a wise metropolitan, Stavrofora Maria Magdalena; four open-space, collaborative working and learning sessions; review of the latest volume of Crimca Publishing House, The Lord's Prayer, a commentary for the man in a hurry, bearing the signature of His Eminence the Most Reverend Father Calinic; presentation of conclusions by session, summarization and follow-up.
To discover and to rediscover, from the wealth of information and emotions with which Mother Abbess unceasingly enveloped us, the cultural, liturgical, historical, literary, artistic and spiritual treasure of Dragomirna was an ever-repeated astonishment, delight and joy. It is a highly profound experience to discover the true story of such blessed places, filtered through the erudition of a once dedicated and passionate history teacher, to which a doctorate has been added in the meantime, and through the spiritual depth of a teacher of humble and humble joy, as Sister Maria Magdalena proves to us time and again. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fz6ek8w02o)
And among the repeated astonishments, the encounter with the few manuscripts from the school of calligraphers and miniaturists of Dragomirna, with the Gospel book sealed in 1557, or the ebony cross with admirable wood carvings, sealed in 1542, but also with many other objects hidden by the vault-museum. And - it seems as if - every breath, merged with the disturbing scent of the past, but hard to forget.
The open-space, collaborative learning and working sessions were facilitated by members of the Suceava County School Inspectorate's Advisory Council for the subject of religion, Prof. Oana-Diana Onesim (Technical College „Petru Musat” Suceava), Prof. Tamara-Loredana Bujorean, (Secondary School Bosanci), Prof. Irina Buta (Secondary School No. 4 Suceava), Prof. Pascal Mitu (Secondary School „Miron Costin” Suceava) and aimed to aggregate a methodical collection of tools to increase motivation for and in learning, methods and ways of operationalization to achieve desirable competences by students, taxonomy of interactive methods suitable and relevant in the creative teaching of religion, focus-group on the rigor of innovation in teaching-learning-evaluation, in our discipline.
Finally, already rooted in our meetings over the last two years, the methodical dialog around books that can support both academic and spiritual teaching-learning-evaluation in the religion class. First, the presentation of the biographical volume „Anastasie Crimca, a wise metropolitan”, published by the Crimca Publishing House of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților, on the occasion of the 420th anniversary of the founding of Dragomirna Monastery and the 393rd anniversary of the death of the worthy Metropolitan of Moldavia, and launched at the International Symposium „Anastasie Crimca - Founder and Philocalic Father”, earlier this year.
Also, the review of the most recent publication bearing the signature of His Eminence Calinic, The Lord's Prayer, a commentary for the man in a hurry, an elevated catechism on the spiritual meanings of the Lord's Prayer, emphasizing in the cadence of the prayer an archiepiscopal exhortation of the author: The beginning of eternal life begins here on earth; if we do not begin eternal life here on earth, Christ remains unknown to us, through the striving of faith and good works.
The event also had a component of recognition and celebration. The Mother Prioress, Stavr. Dr. Maria Magdalena Gherghina and Fr. Doru Budeanu, protoprioress of the Suceava I Deanery, were awarded Diplomas of gratitude on behalf of the Suceava County School Inspectorate, for its steadfast support of the cultural, educational and social-philanthropic initiatives of the religion teachers from the diocese of Suceava and Rădăuților and for the significant contribution in organizing National interdisciplinary Olympiad „Romanian Culture and Spirituality”, national stage, held in Suceava, from May 11-15, 2022.
The working meetings of the religion teachers will continue, in a symmetrical format, for the other pedagogical circles in the county, at other emblematic monasteries in the diocese of Suceava and Rădăuților.
