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We are all citizens of one world; we are all of one blood.
To hate a man because he was born in another country, because he speaks a
different languge, or because he takes a different view on this subject or
that is great folly. . . . Let us have but one end in view, the welfare of
all humanity.
--Johannes Amos Comenius (1650) |
+ Johannes Amos Comenius was a priest and later bishop of the Bohemian Unitas Fratrum (the Moravian Brethren). He was known for religious, ethnic, and political tolerance in a time when hatred between confessions was the rule and European nationalism was on the rise. He was also an early exponent of universal education who originated some of the pedagogical practices we now take for granted--for example, the use of picture books to hold the interest of young children.
+ Comenius was deeply troubled by the wars that divided Christendom and tried to act as a peacemaker between Christian nations. The Unitas Fratrum referred to itself as a brotherhood rather than a church out of the conviction that the latter term could properly be applied only to the Church Universal--the totality of all Christian believers--rather than to Roman Catholicism, Orthodoxy, or any of the Protestant denominations alone. He hoped to found a "Pansophic" college that would help create a universal Church.
+ Johann Amos Comenius was no stranger to tragedy. Restrictions on the ministries of non-Catholic clergy drove him from his native East Moravia. His calls for peace went unheard, and he lost many friends and family members to the nigh-incessant warfare of his times. A fire that consumed his home destroyed many of his writings as well. Despite attempts in England, Sweden, Hungary, and the Netherlands, Comenius never succeeded in founding his Pansophic college. Nonetheless, his faith in God saw him through and enabled him to resume his work after each setback.
+ Although Comenius is well known in secular education circles, especially in Europe, the Christian aspect of his work has often been ignored or forgotten. The mission of the Comenius Fellowship is to recapture this lost Christian emphasis while continuing to honor our patron's desire for tolerance and good will toward all people.
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