Cebitepal opens registrations for a hybrid course with theologian Agenor Brighenti
about the method that was born among young workers, reached Vatican II, and became
the key to understanding the Latin American Church. It is about See, Judge, and Act.
A headline reaches the family group before breakfast. By mid-morning it is already
a trend. By noon, everyone has a stance and defends it. See little,
judge quickly, act never: this is how much of our time's conversations work.
nuestro tiempo.
More than a century ago, Belgian priest Joseph Cardijn proposed
More than a century ago, Belgian priest Joseph Cardijn proposed
to young workers exactly the opposite: to stop and see reality as it is,
to judge it in the light of the Gospel, and only then, to act to
transform it.
That is the heart of "The See-Judge-Act method: from Catholic Action to the
Latin American Theology", the course that the Theological Center of CELAM
(Cebitepal) offers with Brazilian theologian Agenor Brighenti.
Because the see-judge-act is a method more used than known: it is present
when the pastoral council analyzes a need of the community, when a
social pastoral team decides where to concentrate efforts, when a
parish plans its year without improvising. We practice it almost without realizing it;
this course invites you to know it in depth to practice it better.
How does it arise?
The historical journey says it all: born in the Catholic Worker Youth, the method was taken up by specialized Catholic Action, recommended by John
XXIII in Mater et Magistra (1961), incorporated by Vatican II in Gaudium et
Spes to discern the "signs of the times" and adopted by the Church
in Latin America in Medellín, where it became the basis for the birth of the
theology of liberation. Before being theology, it was practice: a method of action
that starts from life and returns to life.
And its relevance is total: the Church is living the implementation phase of the Synod of the
synodality, a path that will culminate in 2028 with a World Ecclesial Assembly
in the Vatican. Listening to reality, discerning in community, deciding together: the
underlying grammar of that process is, to a large extent, that of see-judge-act.
Agenor Brighenti, a priest of the Diocese of Tubarão (Brazil) and a doctor in
Theology from the Catholic University of Leuven, coordinates the Theological-Pastoral Reflection
Team of CELAM and has been an expert in the Conferences of Santo
Sunday and Aparecida, at the Amazon Synod and in the recent process
synodal. His most recent book, dedicated precisely to the method (The method
see-judge-act, Vozes, 2022), is now a mandatory reference on the topic.
The course, in hybrid mode, will take place from September 4 to 13
November 2026, with sessions on Fridays at the following times:
● 9:00 to 10:30 hrs (Colombia)
● 8:00 to 9:30 hrs (Mexico)
● 9:00 to 10:30 hrs (USA/Miami)
● 10:00 to 11:30 hrs (Venezuela/Bolivia)
● 11:00 to 12:30 hrs (Brasília/Argentina)
● 15:00 to 16:30 hrs (Madrid/CET)
It is certified by the Pontifical Bolivarian University, with up to a 30% discount and the possibility of monthly payments.
Participate by entering cebitepal.celam.org. In addition, we invite you to explore all
the training offerings of Cebitepal and learn about the scholarship and discount program:
https://cebitepal.celam.org/politicas-de-becas-y-descuentos
If you need more information or have questions, write to us at
cebitepal.contacto@celam.or
