The OIEC World Congress of Catholic Education will take place on June 5th – 8th, 2019 at Fordham University – Lincoln Campus in New York City.

The theme of the congress is “Educating to fraternal humanism to build a civilization of love” and invites participants to exchange on the issues of today’s education.

“Educatio Si” is the motto of the congress and can be translated to «Be educated». Through this message, the OIEC wants to symbolize the link between 2 guidelines of the Catholic Education: the United Nations’ Education 2030 plan and the Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si.
Therefore, Educatio Si is the symbol of the strong commitment of the OIEC towards the achievement of education for all, associated to God’s word.

The regularly updated congress website hosts the most up-to-date information related to the Congress, including programme, speakers, travel information, etc.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 2019 World Congress of Catholic Education, and to Fordham University, the Jesuit University of New York. It is both humbling and hope inspiring to host the roughly 1,000 delegates to this Congress, representing as you do more than 200,000 Catholic schools, and millions of students and educators in communion with wisdom and learning.

I cannot overestimate the importance of a Catholic education, and your work in bringing that gift to the widest audience possible. The schools and educators you represent do holy work every day, and in that work, they transform the lives of young people around the globe. Those young people in turn change the world.

Welcome from Joseph M. McShane – President of Fordham University

Led by the International Office of Catholic Education, we join our minds, hearts, and souls to celebrate the gift of education that the Church continues to give to others. We are called by our faith to care for the most afflicted among us. That care takes many forms in different parts of the world, serving the needs of different populations struggling with unique challenges. There may be no greater universal need, however, than to educate the faithful so they may grow, develop, and flourish to fulfill the promises of Christ. What a blessing it is to be charged with such a transformative responsability!

Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan – Archbishop of New York

The congress is organised by the International Office of Catholic Education (OIEC).

Some of the main objectives of OIEC are:

• To participate in the Church’s mission to promote a worldwide Catholic-inspired educational project.
• To promote research on the specific contribution of Catholic school to the field of education and on the school’s adaptation to the needs, realities and aspirations of the environment in which it is integrated.
• To promote the creation, alongside schools and educational institutions, of «Educational Communities» in which all partners work together responsibly, for educational and cultural progress, as well as on developing the evangelical spirit, by bringing special attention to the deprived and welcoming, with respect to conscience, all those who put their trust in this school.
• To create and develop links of mutual assistance and active, responsible solidarity amongst members.
• To serve as a network of exchange amongst members for their own information and that of educators, by means of developing communication.
• To collaborate with the bodies of the universal Church, with the Episcopal conferences and other international Catholic education organizations.
• To ensure the representation of Catholic Education in international bodies, particularly those concerned with education.
• To defend and promote the active exercise of freedom of education in accordance with distributive justice, and to foster relations of mutual recognition and association between Catholic education and the countries in which it exists.

OIEC Statutes. Art. 3