India: “Education Forms Transformed Human Beings,” Says Cardinal Ferrão at Goa School Jubilee

Emphasising that true education must go beyond academic success to shape character and conscience, Filipe Cardinal Neri Ferrão, archbishop of Goa and Daman, southwest India, said that education is not merely about producing achievers but about forming transformed human beings. He was addressing the concluding ceremony of the Silver Jubilee Year of St Joseph High School, Usgão on February 14, 2026.

Describing education as a sacred vocation and schools as “temples of values,” the Cardinal invited the gathering to “look at the past with gratitude, celebrate the present with joy, and face the future with hope.” Recalling his long association with the parish, he said, “I have been a priest for 46 years and a bishop for 31 years. I have seen this place grow—from a small parish house and an old church to a new church, a new residence, and a flourishing school. This progress belongs to all of you.”

Referring to the report presented by the Headmistress and the displays prepared by students, he remarked, “What I saw makes us truly proud. It assures me that the very best is being offered to our children.”

Education: A Divine Vocation

At the heart of his address was a reminder that both parenting and teaching are callings from God. “You are not parents by chance; you are not teachers by chance,” he affirmed. “God has called you. A vocation is a sign of God’s special love.”

Drawing from the call of the prophet Jeremiah, who felt inadequate and afraid, the Cardinal noted how God reassured him: “Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, I knew you.” God, he explained, does not wait for perfection but chooses, trusts, and empowers those He calls.

Bringing Out the Masterpiece

One of the most striking moments of the keynote address was the Cardinal’s narration of the story of Michelangelo and his sculpture of Moses. Despite noticing a crack in a marble block, the artist sensed an inner call to bring out the hidden masterpiece within it.

“That image perfectly describes what education is meant to do,” the Cardinal said. “Our children are precious gifts of God. Sometimes the gift is wrapped in weakness, struggle, or brokenness. But the task of parents and teachers is to bring out the masterpiece—to bring out the ‘Moses’ within each child.”

Inform, Form, Transform

Highlighting the true purpose of education, Cardinal Ferrão outlined its threefold mission: to inform, to form, and to transform.

“To inform is to impart knowledge. To form is to help discover and nurture God-given talents. But that is still not enough,” he cautioned. “We must also transform—by instilling values.”

He warned that if schools produce only intelligent and skilled students without ethical grounding, society itself suffers. “Without spiritual, moral, social, and human values, leadership collapses and society begins to decay,” he said.

Stressing that values cannot be taught merely through words, he added, “Values are caught when they are seen.” Educators, he insisted, must themselves become living witnesses of what they teach.

Zacchaeus: A Lesson in Transformation

To illustrate transformative education, the Cardinal referred to the Gospel episode of Zacchaeus (Luke 19). Zacchaeus, he noted, was physically limited, morally compromised, and socially rejected. Yet Jesus did not ignore him.

“Jesus gave him time, looked at him with love, called him by name, and entered his house,” the Cardinal explained. “That encounter changed everything.”

Zacchaeus did not merely feel accepted; he became just, honest, and generous. “That is what true education does,” the Cardinal said. “It changes hearts.”

The Power of One Drop

Quoting  St Teresa of Calcutta, he recalled how she once responded to a journalist who questioned whether her work could eliminate poverty and injustice. “I never thought I would eliminate poverty,” she had said. “I only wanted to put one drop of clean water into a polluted ocean.”

The Cardinal echoed her challenge: “If each of us is willing to add one drop—of goodness, forgiveness, love, and service—the ocean itself will change.”

A Jubilee of Hope

Concluding his address, Cardinal Ferrão congratulated the management, staff, students, and parents for their 25-year journey of commitment and growth.

“If every educator and every student commits to being that one drop, we will succeed—not just as a school, but as builders of a better society,” he said.

As the Silver Jubilee celebrations came to a close, his message resonated clearly: education is not merely about success, achievement, or recognition. It is about forming transformed human beings rooted in faith, values, and responsibility.

“May the flag of St Joseph High School, Usgão, fly ever higher,” the Cardinal concluded.