Cardijn launched first YCW group in 1912: A Centenary Tribute

A century ago this Easter, young Fr Joseph Cardijn arrived in the parish of Our Lady at Laeken near Brussels to take up a post as curate with particular responsibility for women's projects.

A few months later, with a group of teenage girl apprentices, he launched a study circle that he came to regard as the first ever Young Christian Workers (YCW) team. Working with Madeleine De Roo, Victoire Cappe and others young women leaders, Cardijn rapidly laid the foundations for what would become a worldwide movement of young workers. Later in 1912, he would also meet 18 year-old Fernand Tonnet, who would join him later in founding the YCW movement for young men before eventually dying in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.

“The most fundamental characteristic of the beginnings of the YCW (before the First World War) was the call to an apostolate, a total and complete apostolate for several young women workers who would train and raise up the others,” Cardijn wrote much later.

“It was a time of great apostolic demands and great apostolic commitments,” he continued. These included:

leaving a 'good job' for a workshop, a factory, a dirty, repugnant, sub-human job;
accepting to share meals with women workers in the workshops of factories making rabbit fur, rubber, artificial silk; or
going to live in an attic in Rue Haute [High Street] in the midst of an environment of prostitution.

Instilling what he described as a “very active” spirituality based on meditation, prayer, sacraments and study, Cardijn inspired an amazing sense of commitment in the young women workers of Laeken.

“The story of this 'golden legend' has never been written down,” Cardijn noted. “However, it is the only explanation for the extraordinary power of the YCW, the YCW mystique.

“I believe that it is the essential condition of the true worker revolution. Without it, we are doomed to bourgeoisification,” he warned.

Although the world of 2012 is very different from that of 1912, some things have not changed. In 1912, Europe was in the throes of its industrial revolution. Today, the whole Global South is in the midst of its own vast industrial revolution.

Whereas Cardijn once spoke of “millions and millions of young workers”, today the reality is that there are billions of young workers throughout the world, particularly in the developing countries. The needs and problems that moved Cardijn to act are greater than ever.

'Globalization' has permeated into all spheres of life and is projected as the 'new religion'. Consumer culture promotes 'consumption' as a key to people's own identity.

The Cardijn Community International (CCI) therefore wishes to take this opportunity to express its solidarity with the YCW and all others who base their work on Cardijn's principles.

We call for a fresh commitment to Cardijn's cause so that a new generation of young people may be able to discover their mission to transform the world together with all those working to build 'another world'.

On this historic occasion, we also renew our commitment to promoting Cardijn’s spirituality, vision and See-Judge-Act methodology.

Read More

CCI General Assembly plans for future

Over forty participants from eleven countries met in Bangkok, Thailand from 23-25 July 2011 for the CCI 3rd General Assembly.

The event began with a public forum on Sustainable Development for Peace with former IYCS/IMCS and ICMICA chaplain, Father Antoine Sondag as keynote speaker.

Bishop Pibul Visitnondachai of Nakhon Sawan, president of the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) and National Catholic Commission for Migration (NCCM) celebrated Mass with partcipants on Saturday 23 July to mark the 10th anniversary of the foundation of CCI and the 44th anniversary of the death of Cardijn on 24 July 1967.

The General Assembly then began with a study session on "My community, my country" followed by a session analysing current world realities.

This was followed by a series of life testimonies from various participants including Paul Sinappan from Malaysia and Geethani Peries from Sri Lanka, who is currently president of the International YCW.

New team elected

The General Assembly concluded with the election of a new team including Stefan Gigacz as President/Convenor, Manasa Janaki and Patrick Vishal Fernandes sharing the role of secretary, Juanito Penequito as treasurer, Fr Reid Shelton Fernando and V. Susairaj as collaborators.

Clement Katongo will act as extension officer for Africa while Kevin Vaughan will play the same role for the Pacific.

Plan of Action

The Assembly also adopted an action plan focusing on several key elements:

a) Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Vatican II

b) Marking the centenary of the first YCW group founded by Cardijn at Laeken, Belgiun in 1912.

c) Publishing and translating the writings of Joseph Cardijn

d) Developing training resources on See - Judge - Act, Review of Life, etc.

The Assembly also witnessed the launch of the publication, Review of Life... a way of life, Training Module on See - Judge - Act Method, produced by CCI India on behalf of Cardijn Media.

Incoming president Stefan Gigacz closed the Assembly thanking outgoing convenor Mr MJ Ruben for his outstanding work and commitment over the past five years. He also thanked Mr Rungrote Tangsurakit and Ms Rungtip Imrungruang from the original CCI foundation team in 2001.

Read more at: http://www.cardijncommunity.org/general-assembly-2011

Read More

Cardijn and Rerum Novarum

This month we remember not only the 120th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's landmark encyclical on the condition of the workers, Rerum Novarum, but also its successor encyclicals, which together have helped build the foundations of Catholic social thought and teaching.

Today, Rerum Novarum is well recognised as the first of the Catholic Church's social encyclicals. For the first time, the Church formally recognised the right of workers to organise in trade unions. The encyclical also laid out the elements of a just wage that would orient workers' demands for many decades into the future.

Published in 1891 at the height of the European Industrial Revolution, Rerum Novarum was also a key formative document in the life of the young Joseph Cardijn who was later to found the Young Christian Workers movement. Aged nine years, he read the encyclical aloud to his illiterate father.

It was a document that would have a decisive impact on his whole life as an advocate for the workers, particularly young workers.

Later, in 1931, when Pope Pius XI, published the encyclical Quadragesimo Anno to mark the 40th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, he made specific reference to Cardijn's emerging YCW movement.

“The ranks of the workers themselves are already giving happy and promising signs of a social reconstruction,” Pope Pius XI wrote. “To Our soul's great joy, We see in these ranks also the massed companies of young workers, who are receiving the counsel of Divine Grace with willing ears and striving with marvelous zeal to gain their comrades for Christ.” (Paragraph 140)

Thirty years later, Cardijn would suggest to Pope John XXIII that he also write an encyclical to mark the 70th anniversary of Rerum Novarum.

“It is time the Church talked about work again,” Cardijn told Pope John during a private audience in March 1960. “The issue is not the same now in 1960 as it was in the time of Leo XIII or Pius XI.”

“No-one could have foreseen then its present dimensions, its universality, its technological aspect, its influence on every race and on young people generally. An encyclical dealing with the world of work today would have an impact even greater than Rerum Novarum or Quadragesimo.”

“But it needs to be a positive encyclical, open to the collaboration necessary,” Cardijn told the Pope, warning him gently against a document that would simply condemn various evils.

“Write your ideas and send them to me,” the Pope told Cardijn.

The result just over a year later on 15 May 1961 was the encyclical Mater et Magistra.

This was the encyclical that would formally endorse the “see, judge, act” method as part of Catholic social teaching.

“There are three stages which should normally be followed in the reduction of social principles into practice,” Pope John wrote (Paragraph 236).

“First, one reviews the concrete situation; secondly, one forms a judgment on it in the light of these same principles; thirdly, one decides what in the circumstances can and should be done to implement these principles. These are the three stages that are usually expressed in the three terms: look, judge, act.”

Later this teaching would also be taken up by Vatican II, notably in Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.

For this reason, the Cardijn Community International plans to promote a three year campaign to mark the 50th anniversary of Vatican II from 2012-2015.

In a world where the industrial revolution has reached every continent to become a truly global phenomenon, let us recall Cardijn's own contribution to the Church's social thought and practice.

- Cardijn Community International, 17 May 2011

Read More

Passion and Resurrection

It is the time of the year when everyone speaks of sacrifice, penance, fasting, suffering and so on. We are asked to meditate on the passion of Christ and the price He paid to redeem us.

For us, the followers of Cardijn, this meditation is not a ‘once in a year’ ritual but an every day event. By seeing the contradictions that exist in our day to day reality, we have judged the consequences and causes of such dehumanising situations in the lives of the people, learnt from experiences of those who have lived and struggled before us and dedicated our lives to act to restore human dignity and build another world.

We have discovered the joy in suffering isolation, dismissal, suspension, reduction in wages, imprisonment and even to face death for the sake of ‘love’ for humanity.

When we see small changes owing to our actions, when we see the smile on the face of those benefited from our actions and when our own mentalities and attitudes undergo change for the better, when we see bigger changes in the community....these events give us joy; this joy is like the joy of ‘resurrection’, the joy of Easter.

Cardijn Community International (CCI) is one such network which enables the followers of Cardijn to continue to live this life of ‘passion and resurrection’ and to promote Cardijn’s vision, spirituality and methodology.

CCI is in its 10^th anniversary year. To commemorate this, we are organising an International Forum on ‘Peace Building towards Sustainable Development’ and a General Assembly of all Cardijn Followers from the 23^rd to 25^th July 2011 in Bangkok.

All Cardijn followers (even those currently in Cardijn movements) are invited to join us in Bangkok. Contact: cardijncommunity@hotmail.com for more details.

Wishing every one of you a very happy and blessed Easter.

M. J. Ruben

International Convenor, CCI

Stefan Gigacz

International Secretary, CCI

Read More

CCI leaders meet Fr. R. V. Mathias, Former International Chaplain of IYCW

[caption id="attachment_165" align="alignnone" width="465" caption="L to R: Fr RV Mathias, Fr Thomas Joseph, CCI Convenor MJ Ruben"][/caption]

CCI International Convenor M. J. Ruben and CCI Asia-Pacific Coordination member from India Ms Glynis Joseph met Fr. R. V. Mathias, former International Chaplain of the IYCW on Thursday, March 31 in Chennai, India.

This interaction is part of the initiative of the Cardijn Community International (CCI) to reach out to as many former animators and leaders of Cardijn movements in order consolidate their experiences.

Fr. Thomas Joseph (92 yrs), YCW/CWM Chaplain in India from 1950 was also present during this meeting.

Recalling his days as International Chaplain, R. V. Mathias narrated his encounter with the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa’s order) in Egypt who lived along with and served the workers’ community who did scavenging jobs in gutters amidst piles of garbage dump. It is impossible for any ordinary person to stand that stench even for a minute, he said

“Pure love combined with dedication was the motivation for those sisters”, Mathias continued, “Which is very much needed in all spheres of life today”.

Expressing his deep anguish at the competition, greed and false values promoted among the people, particularly the youth, R. V. Mathias stressed the need to work with real commitment based on love as the driving force in whatever field we are placed.

Fr. Mathias appreciated the efforts of CCI to promote Cardijn’s spirituality, vision and methodology.

Fr. Thomas Joseph agreed with Fr. Mathias on the need to re-orient the formation of the clergy in seminaries by offering them real life challenges just as the lay people.

Fr. Mathias offered his services as a resource person for any training sessions CCI would organise for animators. After his services at the Arul Anandhar Theological College at Karumathur, Madurai in south India, Mathias is on a sabbatical for a year now and is engaged in research besides conducting awakening retreat sessions for seminarians.

CCI International Convenor M. J. Ruben briefed Mathias about the forthcoming General Assembly in Bangkok in July and the CCI initiative to float a global forum to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of Vatican II. Ruben requested R. V. Mathias to document his experiences as his testimony which he agreed to do.

M. J. Ruben

CCI International Convenor,
Chennai, India
March 31, 2011

Read More