Cura Personalis : Care and Concern for Each Individual Person

The young men and women who are students in a Jesuit school have not reached full maturity; the educational process recognizes the development stages of intellectual, affective and spiritual growth and assists each student to mature gradually in all these areas. Thus, the curriculum is centered on the person rather than on the material to be covered. Each student is allowed to develop and to accomplish objectives at a pace suited to individual ability and the characteristics of his or her own personality.

Growth in the responsible use of freedom is facilitated by the personal relationship between student and teacher. Teachers and administrators, both Jesuit and lay, are more than academic guides. They are involved in the lives of the students, taking a personal interest in the intellectual, affective, moral and spiritual development of every student, helping each one to develop a sense of self-worth and to become a responsible individual within the community. While they respect the privacy of students, they are ready to listen to their cares and concerns about the meaning of life, to share their joys and sorrows, to help them with personal growth and interpersonal relationships. In these and other ways, the adult members of the educational community guide students in their development of a set of values leading to life decisions that go beyond “self”: that include a concern for the needs of others. They try to live in a way that offers an example to the students, and they are willing to share their own life experiences. “Cura Personalis” (concern for the individual person) remains a basic characteristic of Jesuit education.


Reference:
Acta Romana Societatia Iesu
Vol. XIX, Fasc. III, 1986, page 781
Rome, 1987