"Each person is an original being, unique and one that cannot be duplicated"

The Joseph Engling School: a home for children who need special education in Tucumán, Argentina

Celebración de la Palabra en el Aniversario del Fallecimiento de José Engling Prayer at the anniversary of Joseph Engling’s death Wortgottesdienst am Todestag von Josef Engling
En la Expo Feria de la Secretaría de Educación At the Expo Bei einer Ausstellung des Kultusministeriums
Taller de Formación Laboral: Carpintería Workshop: Cabinet-Making Lehr-Schreinerei
Taller de Formación Laboral: Cocina Workshop: Cooking Lehr-Küche
El “Santuario Colegio” The School Shrine Im Schul-Heiligtum
Padre Guillermo Carmona, Director del Centro Pedagógico Padre Kentenich, Asesor de Colegios Kentenichianos, en  la ermita del Colegio Fr. Guillermo Carmona, Director of the Pedagogical Center Father Kentenich, Assistant of the Kentenich Schools, at the wayside shrine of the school P. Guillermo Carmona, Direktor des Pädagogischen Zentrum Pater Kentenichs und Berater der Kentenich-Schulen, am Bildstock der Schule Fotos: Colegio José Engling © 2008

ARGENTINA, Maria Victoria Coviello de Tejerizo/ mkf. "We came to this school two years ago. A teacher, who we had consulted, recommended it to us; we did not know where Álvaro could receive special education. We had checked different institutions, but they did not offer what Álvaro needed. When we entered this house, we felt that it was the ideal place for our son, where an atmosphere of work, accompanied by affection was experienced…" It was the Joseph Engling School, founded in Tucumán eleven years ago by Maria Victoria Coviello de Tejerizo.

She said, "I have belonged to Schoenstatt since 1991. I began as a missionary, I entered the Mothers’ Branch, I was in charge of coordination the branch for four years, and am a member of the Apostolic League. I coordinated a circle of League members for two years. In 1997 they chose me to coordinate the pastoral for the Shrine, which I did for four years, during the stage before the blessing, during the blessing, and then for the Shrine. Along with this, my vocation as an educator was enriched by the Schoenstatt pedagogy…In 1997 I founded the Joseph Engling School for students who need special education (those with a slight to moderate mental deficiency). There I was able to develop the Schoenstatt pedagogy and spirituality, which made it possible to enter the circle of Kentenich schools. Father Guillermo Carmona, the present director of the Joseph Kentenich Pedagogical Center, advised us and presented workshops twice a year. The pedagogical and religious richness of the institution is very great and valued in our community…" Its modality, Workshops of Formation for Work, is oriented to offer personalized teaching that will train the student for his integration into a competitive work arena or for work that is protected or mentored. Inspired by the Schoenstatt pedagogy and spirituality, all the school personnel: its owner and founder, the teachers; the technical team, the aides, and even the parents work with the proposal of Joseph Kentenich, the Founder of the Schoenstatt Movement.

Home and nest

"The first one who enrolled was Nacho, who gave us a big hug, then Marianita, who nourished us with her production of the day: rolls filled with ham and cheese (which by the way were delicious) and in this way others came to us and became Álvaro’s companions," Álvaro’s mother continued to narrate. "Now, with satisfaction, we see the good fruits of his intellectual, social, and religious maturity, and we are very grateful to all the members of this community who consistently enhance the education of these students, placing special emphasis on the formation of values, as well as integrating the family and the educational community. Thank you, for welcoming us, thank you for your effort and the graces to educate our children."

The students are educated in the pedagogy of confidence and attachments; related to activities developed for wholesome living with their neighbor, in a warm atmosphere, where they experience the sensation of "a home and nest", where they can deepen healthy attachments, and then transfer their healthy experiences within their families or wherever they may be. The commitment that the institution has with the educational community and with society is the creation of a new man, based on the values, with ideals, with love of neighbor and it is done with freedom in their lives. Every day is an opportunity to improve in spite of the circumstances. We cannot predict the future but we can build day by day, projecting what we desire: "a new man" a central character in his own mission, because today our students are heroes of our school, but tomorrow they will be members of a new society, integrating themselves and be protagonists in their work, be it competitive or mentored.

There are already some missionaries among the parents…

As was mentioned before, the school works with the principles of this pedagogy, recommended by the Joseph Kentenich Pedagogical Center, and it belongs to the circle of Kentenich Schools (that apply the Schoenstatt pedagogy and spirituality.)

To accomplish the ideal of the school: New youth, protagonists of a new society, the school works to train the students intellectually and spiritually in a personalized manner. Their patron, Joseph Engling, was a member of the founding generation of Schoenstatt. His ideal for life was "All things to all men and Mary’s very own" that motivated him to serve his comrades on the battlefield of the First World War to the highest degree and for the dissemination of the Schoenstatt work.

The school makes Father Kentenich’s expression: "each person is an original being, unique and one that cannot be duplicated," their own.

As a Catholic institution, it provides formation in Christian values and morals. Those who wish can seal their Covenant of Love with Mary, they can be Guardians of the Blessed Mother’s wayside shrine, make their first communion, and receive the sacrament of Confirmation. They can also be missionaries for the Blessed Mother taking her to the homes. All of this is done in an atmosphere of respect and inner freedom. Emphasis is placed on the family as an important nucleus for society and as the center of development of the youth. There are already some mothers who are missionaries, and a couples group that aspires to become part of the Schoenstatt Family Work for their formation and growth.

Helping them to grow

The school offers work training workshops: woodworking, food preparation, gardening, and floriculture– vocations for placement into the work force. The students also receive catequesis, physical education, music, handicrafts, computer training, and life skills; they take field trips and educational, recreational excursions – and there is space for a garden and greenhouse.

The founder admits that there are also concerns: "The present economic crisis is affecting our institution, since it provides assistance to students who belong to the lower middle class and to the needy who lack basic necessities." They hope that somewhere in the world they will find benefactors who want to help them and to help these young people and their families. The idea of having to give up this work, of having to abandon children like Álvaro, is impossible to think about….

"As a teacher at the Joseph Engling School, I am fortunate to share the three graces of the Shrine of our Mother Thrice Admirable with these young people. Since their arrival, we give them a cordial welcome so that they may experience sheltering, which is the first grace of the Shrine, so they can feel the school is Mary’s home, where she wants to educate children worthy of the Father," says Rita Dolores Diaz, a teacher. "As Father Kentenich, the Founder of the Schoenstatt Movement taught us, we are forming them to be new men. Since they are special youth, they are so special that they were born for the salvation and sanctification of everyone who surrounds them. During the journey, they experience a transformation of their hearts, and they feel that they are loved and respected; this is the second grace of the Shrine, the grace of interior transformation. The entire conference is supervised by the whole team: psychologist, speech therapist, auxiliary personnel, the director of the grounds, and the other colleagues, who are convinced that by recognizing their limits they can assess their potential so that in the future they may offer society their talents that God sowed in their hearts. Each conference is developed in an atmosphere of prayer, and they celebrate during snack time. When someone at the school has a birthday, it is celebrated with a cake, dancing, and games all done in an atmosphere of respect and as a family.

Our conference concludes by greeting our patriotic symbols; the farewell is done with greetings and kisses, because from these moments, we experience the third grace of the Shrine: the apostolic sending forth. By doing this, we transmit the experience of having found a little piece of heaven on earth and announcing the bounty of Mary, who educates and leads to Jesus during each conference to our family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors; and we invite others to live the three graces, which we share throughout the afternoon. As an art teacher and as a missionary of the Mother Thrice Admirable, I feel privileged and chosen to work in an institution with human and intellectual warmth like the Joseph Engling School."