Participação social e crescimento na fé de jovens: uma reflexão a partir do trabalho com adolescentes e jovens no serviço de pastoral escolar no Colégio Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora de Rio Pardo - RS

Abstract

This paper aims studying the relation between religiosity and social participation on the work with adolescents and young people in school pastoral. For such a aim, it was make a case study at the college Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora, from Rio Pardo City, Rio Grande do Sul State. As the analysis done has, as its background, the school pastoral of a confessional Catholic school, the concept and the directions on youth and education present in the ecclesial documents including the Projeto Educativo das Irmãs do Imaculado Coração de Maria, which support the college Auxiliadora de Rio Pardo constitute the first part of this dissertation. Influenced by a pastoral comprehension, with principles on the Theology of Liberation and on the care with the marginalized people, many Latin American ecclesial documents including the one from the Irmãs do Imaculado Coração de Maria has a social and educational youth comprehension, and a concrete spirituality. Over time, this liberating comprehension starts giving attention to a more moderate position, which fragments into parts the human being, separating religiosity and political dimension. However, the preferential option for the youth and the poor in Latin America continued being affirmed by various bodies of the Church, which includes schools. The last chapter of this paper and its final considerations portray research on this options by the Catholic Church in a specific community: the college Auxiliadora de Rio Pardo. Eight youth students and theirs parents were interviewed. The aim here was investigating how the school pastoral service helps in the relation between religiosity and social participation. It was realized that the relation between these human dimensions, de facto, exist in the students life and that their faces and relations are diversified. It was seen that, among others elements, the existence of a vibrating, dynamic, friendly and enchanting faith, that is part of the daily life of the students, and that school is also a community where they do develop their faith.