YCW founder Cardinal Joseph Cardijn’s vision of the “indispensable vocation of the laity” – reinforced by Vatican II – has in fact been weakened in the post-conciliar church. This was the message from Father John Curnow, New Zealand’s first chaplain of the Young Christian Workers and Catholic Youth Movement, in his homily at a special Mass to mark the centenary this month of Cardijn’s birth.
“Today, so much lay energy is drawn back into maintaining the institutional church, or is directed to a sort of individual spirituality that has no apostolic or social dimension,” said Father Curnow.
“Such a church has no influence in the world and, indeed, often ends up supporting the very systems that oppress and dehumanise people.”
Concelebrating with Father Curnow in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament were Fathers Pat Crawford, Clen Horgan, Dennis O’Connor and Mark Moesbergen. Bishop Brian Ashby and Monsignor James Harrington were present in the sanctuary. “It is true that Joseph Cardijn is not that well-known, and little has been written about him,” Father Curnow told the congregation. “Yet without doubt, he is one of the most remarkable priests of this century. He has had a lasting influence on millions of people throughout the world.”
This influence has come through the Young Christian Workers which he founded, and through the other movements related to it – the Catholic Youth Movement, Young Christian Students and the Christian Family Movement.
“Those of us gathered here, along with so many others, found a new dimension to our faith and new and challenging meaning to our lives, because we were part of this international network.”
Father Curnow said that Cardinal Cardijn gave a new depth and understanding to the indispensable vocation of the laity. “It was through their daily lives, lived in the world, that the witness to Christ would be given and the kingdom would be built. “Christians respond to God’s call in and through their earthly vocation, lived in the world in the full dimension of the social and political reality.
“This was given authentication in the second Vatican Council, but it is forgotten.” Father Curnow, YCW and CYM chaplain from 1945 to 1957, described Joseph Cardijn’s philosophy behind his founding of the Young Christian Workers movement. “His method of education was to start with the reality. He asked people to look at their lives, to see the truth of their situation.
“From this, they would move to reflection – to judge their situation in the light of faith; to see not only the problems, but also the possibilities for love and change and new relationships.
“As those experiences were shared in groups, people would move to action. Faith was to be practised in life. In a sense, the workbench was the altar.”
Said Father Curnow: “How much need there is today for such an informed and committed laity. In our world, we see economic systems that push families to the edge of survival, political systems that belong to the powerful and exclude the weak, social systems that place money and material gain ahead of the needs of people.” Among the laity, Joseph Cardijn made his choice for working youth – “because he understood the hope of the young, their potential for sacrifice, their idealism; for workers, because he knew their sufferings and difficulties.
“We might note,” added Father Curnow, “that working youth is still at risk today in our society, and still marginal in the church as well. Few church resources are directed to their needs. The YCW can only develop if it has our support.
“Joseph Cardijn saw the pain of his times, and responded with a new vision. This vision is the call of Christ to build the kingdom of God on earth. May our being here to celebrate Cardijn’s life rekindle in us a new courage to respond to that call.”
SOURCE
Unknown New Zealand Catholic publication