From Lay Teachers to Franciscan Catechist Sisters (1955-1983): History of a Rural School

Abstract

It presents a history of the mixed rural school initially called “São Francisco School” (1955-1974), and, finally, as “Francisco de Assis School” (1974-2003). The time frame addressed is from 1955, when the school was founded by franciscan religious, to 1983, when the franciscan catechist sisters, active in the school since 1964, left this institution. the text initially addresses the period in which the school was characterized by the work of lay teachers, hired by the franciscans (1955-1963) and, in a second moment, by the work carried out by the sisters (1964-1983). From the theoretical-methodological point of view, for the development of the research, support was sought in cultural history and oral history. The results indicate that the religious carried out an evangelization work, promoting the construction of a moralizing social order through their daily practices with the community, dedicating themselves to the mission of working on the construction of civic and moral values.

Keywords:
Lay teacher; religious orders; rural education; Southern Mato Grosso