The program, supported academically by the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences Beata Victoria Díez, aims to equip cofrades with knowledge in Sacred Scripture, liturgy, taxation, communication, and charity. Classes will be taught voluntarily in three locations: Córdoba, Lucena, and Pozoblanco, to facilitate access for all interested individuals across the province, including members of governing boards, formation representatives, and young people.
This initiative responds to the high demand for training identified in 186 corporations through 226 surveys, where resources and preparation itineraries for new members were requested. The Diocesan Delegate for Confraternities, José Juan Jiménez Güeto, presented the plan's details, accompanied by the Group's chaplain, Juan José Romero; the head of formation, Diego Delgado; and the plan's director, Adolfo Ariza.
The plan addresses challenges such as secularization, transmitting faith in digital environments, transparency and good governance, and evangelizing new generations. It features a multidisciplinary faculty of about twenty professors, including priests and laypeople with expertise in various fields.
Monthly sessions, running until May, will be held on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM, including an initial prayer and two training sessions, totaling 20 hours annually. A digital platform and materials will be provided, and registration can be completed via a form.
To receive the accreditation title, students must attend at least 60% of the classes and complete a final supervised project. The curriculum is divided into two academic years: the first (2026-2027) will focus on Sacred Scripture, Mariology, Christian life, Church and evangelization, and legal and economic training; the second (2027-2028) will cover Morality, Liturgy, cofrade spirituality, history and identity, and legal and economic management.
The main objectives are to deepen faith, train agents of evangelization, strengthen spiritual and pastoral life, and serve the needy. Scheduled dates for the sessions are October 10, November 7, December 12, January 9, February 13, March 13, April 10, and May 8.
The venues will be the Beata Victoria Díez Institute in Córdoba, the Family Guidance Center in Lucena, and the parish center 'Casa de las Obispas' in Pozoblanco. The plan's development was based on surveys of brotherhoods and the establishment of the Diocesan Delegation of Confraternities' operational regulations.
“"This plan is the pastoral response to the challenges facing the cofrade world: secularization, new languages for transmitting faith, presence in digital environments, demands for transparency and good governance, and the transmission of faith to new generations."
The plenary session of the Delegation of Confraternities, comprising priests, group presidents, and lay members, approved this training plan last Saturday.
