Faith and Culture Center, Medellin
Faith and Culture Center, Medellin, Colombia, was founded by the Society of Jesus to promote through lectures, workshops, and publications the further enhancement of Colombian culture with Christian values, with respect for a plurality of religions and peoples.
Purpose
The center promotes reflection and debate on the ethical crisis of society and the appropriation of values that guarantee commitment to justice, equity and plurality, including respect for different cultures and religions and historical memory, and for the environment. The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola are also promoted.
Programs
All the programs can accommodate from 25 to 30 people.
Personal Formation program requires 45 hours of workshops, presentations, videos, experience sharing, reflection, and discussion, The objective is to raise awareness of the interior sources that feed their lives and to foster a permanent attitude of discernment. Themes that are explored include cultural plurality and the equal dignity of all.
Memories and walking requires 92 hours with the objective of recognizing the value of their professional work, to assess their talents and to examine the social context and cultural world. Transforming conflict through skills in leadership is also a theme.
Conference for Human Growth in Organizations is a one-day workshop designed to help organizations and institutions to convey to their personnel a sense of mission based on the values specific to the work.
Program for the Integral Development of the Corporate Human Talent offers workshops intended to develop leadership skills in managers and requires three hours per week for ten weeks. Business ethics, dealing with labor conflicts, and participative community are some of the topics covered.
Progoff Intensive Diary requires 45 hours and uses Jungian methods to take a closer look at one's own life and purpose.
Diploma, Youth Training for Political Advocacy uses experiential education to develop in youth the skills to contribute to the empowerment of communities through political and civic formation.
Lectures
The Center serves as a venue for public lectures and book launchings. It also sponsors lecture series, as on the role of the Catholic Church during 200 years of national history, consisting in six lectures in conjunction with EAFIT University and the National University of Colombia at Medellín.
Lectures and publications sponsored by the Center range over topics such as: discernment and encounter with the other, interpreting and living the present moment in Colombia, a conference and concert on "Music and the arts bring us closer to the mercy of God," reconciliation and peace, women in the midst of the Colombian conflict, meeting for solidarity graced by an Andean music concert, and promotion of a clean and transparent electoral campaign,