The Record Summer 2010/11

Summer 2010-2011

Peace and Love page 3

poetry and prose

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From TANGaMALANGALOO

poetry and prose

“Come, tell me boy”, his lordship said in crushing tone severe, “Come, tell me why is Christmas day the greatest of the year?”

“How is it that around the world we celebrate that day” “And send a name upon a card to those who’re far away?”

“Why is it wandering ones return with smiles and greetings too?”

A squall of knowledge hit the lad from Tangmalangaloo.

He gave a lurch which set a-shake the vases on the shelf, He knocked the benches all askew, upending of himself And oh, how pleased his lordship was, and how he smiled to say, “That’s good, my boy. Come tell me now; And what is Christmas day?”

The ready answer bared a fact no Bishop ever knew – “It’s the day before the races out at Tangmalangaloo” an excerpt by Monsignor Patrick Hartigan (1878 – 1952) under the pseudonym, John O’Brien, from Around the Boree Log and Other Verses

THE CHRISTMAS MEDITATION OF CONCRETE GRADY An old of the music hall.

I will sing or none at all.

Though women lift their noses high When I haul out to cool my throat A bottle from my overcoat And say a word to make their father fly.

On the hills above Kritangata A cord of old man Manuka I cut it in a day Then I got my cheque and bummed a ride to town For a pan of eels and a woman and a shakedown And sold my traps for a bucket of White Lady Mad McAra, John O’Hara Swagger Joe and my dry father In the marble orchard lie.

Their ghosts at daybreak in my room Beckoning with a wicked thumb Ask me for a bottle of White Lady.

When I was knee-high to a gander I learnt to fart against the thunder; Big mother Joseph broke her cane on me.

When the white host rides in air I bend my head and say a prayer For that old harridan hot in purgatory.

A burning orphan in the night I took a wander by starlight To where the child in a loosebox lay“Concrete Grady is my name And I’ll be damned” I said to Him; “Then I’ll be damned myself ” He said to me.

by NZ poet, James K Baxter (1926 – 1972)

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

The Society is a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.

This logo represents the hand of Christ that blesses the cup, the hand of love that offers the cup, and the hand of suffering that receives the cup.

The Record is published four times a year by the St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia.

National Council of Australia PO Box 243, Deakin West, ACT, 2600 Contact: Donna Scheerlinck Phone: 02 6202 1200 Email: admin@svdpnatcl.org.au Web: vinnies.org.au Editors: Rebecca Comini and Arlene Eastman The Record is overseen by an editorial committee comprising Syd Tutton (Chairperson), Rebecca Comini, Danusia Kaska, Tony Thornton and Dr John Falzon.

Advertising: Tony Thornton Phone: 02 6202 1200 Email: tonyt@svdpnatcl.org.au Design: Catholic Communications Melbourne PO Box 146, East Melbourne, Victoria, 8002 Phone: 03 9926 5677 Web: www.catholiccommunications.com.au Printing: Doran Printing 46 Industrial Drive, Braeside, Victoria, 3195 Phone: 03 9587 4333 Fax: 03 9587 3177 Email: sales@doran.com.au Web: www.doran.com.au This publication may contain images of deceased members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. They are used with the greatest respect and appreciation.

Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers.

Cover: Virgin Psychosostria Ohrid, (Macedonia) 14th Century.

frontlines | syd tutton

In this issue…

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Poetry Inspirational poems

3

Frontlines From the National President

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Profile National Youth and Young Adults Representative Sarah Crute

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A Trio of Challenges Fr Desmond de Sousa CSsR’s Panasco 7 speech on homelessness, education and alienation

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SOCIetY NEWS IN BRIEF New CEO appointments in NT and NSW

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Vinnies Camps More than a whole lot of fun for disadvantaged young people

12-15 Renewed in Faith: Grounded in Hope Jenni Hickson’s keynote address at the NSW Society’s 2010 Congress

16-17 The Language of the Unheard The voices of people who are oppressed and abandoned are, in many ways, effectively silenced, writes Dr John Falzon

18-19 Melbourne, Goa, next stop Kerala Danusia Kaska’s Vincentian visit to southern India

20-21 Vincentian charism: personal, practical, political

WHEN HOPE ENTERED THE WORLD As Christmas is the time of love it is perfect for reflection on our Mission of love.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is a spiritual organisation and the Spirit should inspire us to be revolutionary in fulfilling our Mission to the needy, the marginalised, the lonely and the alienated. Our focus must not be on petty power and money matters; we must leave our boats upon the shore and cast out into the deep – as the Galilee Song suggests.

Christmas is a time of peace but for the people we serve it is often a time of despair and loneliness, creating a feeling of alienation by not being able to live up to the glossy, all-pervading expectations of commercialisation. The road to peace at this time is through justice, which is goodwill in action.

The abandonment of the spiritual dimension of Christmas, leaving only pleasure and profit as the midpoint of the summer festivities leaves a great hole in the social and moral landscape. It would signify the abandonment of hope.

As a Society we are challenged to provide hope at Christmas; we must walk with the needy and marginalised. Not just providing hampers and material goods but to be beside them especially in the post Christmas period.

Christmas/New year is a time when our members look for a well earned rest “to recharge their batteries” but we must provide assistance throughout the holiday period.

There are those for whom Christmas is a problem not yet solved, a switch upon the threat not yet responded to, and there are those who have turned their face away. Yet Christ was born to save us all, to offer the real hope that gives meaning and purpose. Indeed, where hope is, Christ is. We wish all our readers a merry, hopeful, Christ-filled Christmas.

Syd Tutton National President St Vincent de Paul Society

Fr Gregory Gay’s homily at the Installation of Michael Thio as the Society’s International President

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The pearl of great value Anthony Thornton on the importance of volunteers to the Society

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From the archives Fun-raising Early annual reports reveal major fundraising efforts through concerts, parties and picnics, writes Michael Moran

24-25 Reflection What would you like for Christmas, asks Fr Michael Smith SJ

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The Mail Letters to the Editor st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

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profile

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Youth focus on justice, spirituality and community

By Rebecca Comini Retaining young members of the St Vincent de Paul Society presents a greater challenge than attracting them in the first instance, says the Society’s new National Youth and Young Adults Representative.

Sarah Crute believes young people are looking for ways to respond to the call for social justice in a tangible and meaningful way, as well as seeking out a sense of community and to explore and deepen their faith. The St Vincent de Paul Society, in its truest form, has the capacity to offer all three.

“When we hear scary statistics that reflect the need to engage more young people in the Society to ensure its sustainability, it’s natural for us to want to roll out massive recruitment campaigns,” Sarah said.

“But passionate and enthusiastic Vincentians who are constantly exploring and meaningfully engaged in their spirituality, who are thriving in their Vinnies community, and who identify that they are making a very real difference in the lives of disadvantaged people, are without a doubt the most powerful and effective recruitment tool we can imagine.”

Sarah, from Western Australia, has taken over the National Youth and Young Adults Representative role following former representative David Bresnik’s appointment to National Treasurer.

“I am really excited about the role – there is so much possibility and so many opportunities for growth,” Sarah said. “I think I bring a lot of determination and a desire for real change.”

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

Sarah believes part of the problem in the recruitment and retention of young members is a perception that the Society is highly structured and inflexible.

“We know that there are ongoing concerns that conference meetings are often held during the day, when younger members aren’t able to participate fully and effectively, and that in many cases they are too focused on procedure and business rather than on providing a sense of real and meaningful community,” she said.

“Not only do we need to become more flexible and organic in everything we do, but we also need to break free of the perception amongst young people that the Society is inflexible.

“People of all ages are still being attracted to the Society – but we need to make sure that they are invited into a friendly, welcoming, and nurturing community, where they are given the support, formation and flexibility to develop their ideas for better and more innovative ways of assisting the people we serve.”

The final year law student first became involved in the Society while studying a unit that required community service hours.

“The West Australian Youth Representative and Youth Coordinator at the time came to one of the lectures and were looking for people who were keen to start a Homework Centre for disadvantaged children in the local area,” she said.

Sarah Crute

Sarah responded, became a member of the committee and helped to get the homework centre up and running.

After this small taste of the Good Works of the Society, Sarah played a significant role in developing young adult membership and conferences in Western Australia as the State Youth Representative, a role she held for two years before being appointed to her current position.

As State Youth Representative, Sarah was a member of the WA State Council, Chairperson of the State Youth Committee, and a member of the National Youth Committee.

She credits fellow Vincentian Rebecca Callaghan as her biggest inspiration for her work with the Society.

“I have never met anyone who is more passionate about, and dedicated to, the mission of the Society and to empowering our members and volunteers to take on the world and address the social injustices that we see in our local community,” she said.

“She is an incredibly inspirational person and I owe much of my formation and development as a Vincentian to her. I’m pretty confident that she will be mortified that I’ve mentioned her – but I think I can live with that.”

new poor | fr desmond de sousa cssr

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A TRIO OF CHALLENGES:

Homelessness, Education,

Alienation

At PANASCO 7 in Goa, India, Fr Desmond de Sousa CSsR urged Vincentians to seriously contemplate what divides those who have and those who do not. This is an edited version.

of confronting the unjust structures of society, of dreaming dreams and being ready to pay the price, sometimes even with your life. But certainly trying to live the social teachings will assure you of alienation and misunderstanding from the very Church that keeps its social teaching as the best-kept secret, probably to avoid having to practise it!

“The poor are not to be considered a ‘burden’, but a resource, even from a purely economic point of view.”

My reflection today is under three headings:

(Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth, 2009 n.35) At the age of 14, I joined the St Vincent de Paul Society in my home parish in Mumbai and was the first President of the junior conference. What I learned from the Society and from my father (who was senior conference President), was that the poor are not statistics or theories. The poor are real people made of flesh and blood. The face of the first poor widow and her son that I visited is burned into my imagination.

Even today, I am haunted by the two models of response to poverty: the Mother Teresa model of ‘feed the poor and leave it to others to fight the unjust structures’, and the Archbishop Oscar Romero and Dom Helder Camara model

1. The poor according to the Bible: material or spiritual, old or new?; 2. The poor today from a ‘third world perspective’; and 3. The new poor – one challenge with three dimensions: alienation, education, homelessness.

(1.) The poor according to the Bible: material or spiritual, old or new?

It is crucially important for us Christians to see and understand God’s perspective on rich and poor, wealth and poverty.

The Bible gives us a paradigm, a faith perspective, to view the reality of our world with its scandalous disparities between rich and poor, riches and wealth.

The God of the Bible is a God ‘biased’ towards the cry of the poor, the outcast

and the oppressed. When the exploited Hebrew slaves were denied their basic rights for survival, they groaned in their agony and cried out to God for liberation.

God responds, “The cry of the sons of Israel has reached me… I know their suffering…

I have come down to free them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land… to a land flowing with milk and honey.(Ex 3:7 – 9).

The Gospel of Matthew makes “whatever you did to the least of my brothers or sisters you did it to me,” as the ultimate criterion for acceptance or rejection at the Last Judgement. (Mt 25:31-46).

The Gospel of Luke gives the clearest indication of the social concerns of Jesus.

The attraction of wealth, and the security that it provides, is so strong that it hinders one becoming a disciple of Jesus. The account of the rich young man who kept all the commandments from his youth, but could not part with his wealth (Lk 18: 18-27) is contrasted with the call of the disciples who leave all to follow Jesus.

(Lk 18:28-30). To be generous, and not stingy with what one has, is common to the rich Zaccheus and the poor widow (Lk 19:1-10 and 21:1-4). They are both true models of Christian discipleship. st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

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For Paul, it is absolutely clear that the collection for the poor is not optional, but integral to preaching the Gospel: “remembering the words of the Lord: it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

(Acts 20:33-35) The epistle of James announces, “In the sight of God, our Father, pure and blameless religion lies in helping the orphans and widows in their need and keeping oneself from the world’s corruption.” (James 1:27) When we make distinctions between rich and poor, we use a double standard, because God makes no such division.

So from God’s perspective, as presented in the Bible, must the poor be only materially poor or can there be only spiritually poor? The answer is not ‘either…or’, but ‘both…and.’ As the Scripture scholars sum it up: God liberated the desperate slaves of Egypt to make them his special people. They had to live as a society of equals, with a radically new way of life: an economics of equality, a politics of justice and compassion and a religion of God’s freedom. God had in mind a family, where all were his children,with equal rights and duties. They were to depend on God for everything: for land, prosperity, peace and progeny. In this sense, they may be called a ‘poor community’ both in the material and spiritual sense.

Acts 4:32-36 gives us an account of the first Christian experience of creating such a community, where noone claimed any of his possessions as his/her own, but all shared everything they had so that there was no needy person among them.

This is the Christian ideal that we must constantly experiment with until the world is transformed by God into God’s Kingdom.

So what about the old and new poor today?

(2.) The poor today from the ‘third world perspective.’

The ‘third world’ perspective, as articulated by the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, is not a mere geographic perspective. It is a theological perspective of a transnational area of people, who see themselves placed in the exploited periphery of the power centres of the global process of modernisation in its most contemporary avatar of T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

globalisation. It is that transnational swathe of people across the world who have yet to find a genuine path of effective participation in the global process of human development.

The ‘third world’ theologians see the fundamental struggle in the world today as a spiritual struggle between God and Evil. Evil has two forms or incarnations: an internal or ‘within us’ form called Satan; and an external or ‘outside-us’ form called Mammon.

St Paul describes Satan from his own personal experience as the “law of sin”

When we make distinctions between rich and poor, we use a double standard, because God makes no such division.

(Rom 7:14-25) or as “the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:13-26), or what theologians would call “a person not under the entire influence of the Holy Spirit.” The effects of Satan on our lifestyles are plain: “fornication, anger, ambition…” (v.19-21).

But the person who follows the “law of Christ” or lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit lives a completely different lifestyle of “charity, joy, peace, patience…” (v.22-23) Wealth is evil (a person under the power of Satan) only when it is accumulated and not shared, as in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31)) or the rich fool. (Lk 12:13-21) Poverty is evil when it is forced and man-made, because it dehumanises God’s image and likeness in human persons. It is the external form of evil or Mammon or “the structures of sin.” (Pope John Paul II, The Church’s Social Concern, 1987) Mammon is identified as a whole cluster of values such as money, power, prestige or status which are anti-God and antiGod’s Kingdom.

These values underpin the structures of injustice that permit the world to be set up on the basis of organised greed. In his

latest encyclical, Charity in Truth (June 29, 2009), Pope Benedict writes, “Insignificant matters are considered shocking, yet unprecedented injustices seem to be widely tolerated. While the poor of the world continue knocking on the doors of the rich, the world of affluence runs the risk of no longer hearing those knocks, on account of a conscience that can no longer distinguish what is human.”(n.75) In his encyclical, The Church’s Social Concern, on the 20th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical, On Human Progress, Pope John Paul II referred to the dramatic image of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke’s Gospel Ch 16: “It is likewise essential, as the encyclical Progressio Populorum already asked, to recognise each people’s right ‘to be seated at the table of the common banquet, instead of lying outside the door like Lazarus while the dogs come to lick his sores’.” (n.33) Christians, especially the more comfortable ones, fail to see the connection between the poverty of the majority with the greed, overconsumption and wastefulness of the minority. They do not see the unjust sharing of God’s resources in the world as a sin against God and feel no obligation to do anything about it. It is the prophetic role of the Church to confront these powers of Mammon that thrive on waste, accumulation and the exploitation of others. It is these very structures of injustice that create the old and new poor.

In India for instance, “the collective wealth of the 100 richest Indians is estimated at $276 billion, which is almost one quarter of the whole country’s Gross Development Product (GDP). Yet one third of Indians live below the poverty line of just Rs360 per month; 600 million Indians or over half the population still have no access to electricity; 40 per cent of the people are illiterate; and 2.1 million children die before the age of five years, due to lack of food and medicine.

(Wealth-Poverty Paradox, Indian Currents, Jan.25-31, 2010 p.33) But what about the ‘new poor’?

(3.) The new poor – one challenge with three dimensions: alienation/poverty, education, homelessness In the developed countries, this sort of poverty has largely been wiped out, so

new poor

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Fr Desmond De Sousa CSSR

PANASCO 7 in Goa, India

they talk of the new poor. In India, we have many of those new poor as well. But we must be very careful to prevent the possibility of concern for the thousands of ‘new poor’, to hijack the desperate needs of the millions of ‘old poor.’

but an opportunity for showing kindness and a chance for greater enrichment… It is not merely a matter of ‘giving from one’s surplus’, but of helping entire peoples which are presently excluded or marginalised to enter into the sphere of economic and human development.

Global injustice is the main, but not the only, cause of alienation and/or poverty.

The fundamental problem of the world is global injustice, which causes alienation (‘material and spiritual poor’) and/or poverty (‘old and new poor’). Illiteracy and homelessness are only the effects or symptoms. Therefore, I say at the beginning of this section, one challenge with three dimensions.

In his encyclical, Centesimus Annus (1991), Pope John Paul II had identified ‘the new poor’: “In the countries of the West, different forms of poverty are being experienced by groups which live on the margins of society, by the elderly and the sick, by the victims of consumerism, and even more immediately by so many refugees and migrants. In the developing countries, tragic crises loom on the horizon unless internationally coordinated measures are taken before it is too late.”

“It requires above all a change of lifestyles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies. Nor is it a matter of eliminating instruments of social organisation which have proved useful, but rather of orienting them according to an

“Love for others, and in the first place love for the poor, is made concrete in the promotion of justice...” adequate notion of the common good in relation to the whole human family.”

But then the Pope continues with his analysis:

In his latest encyclical, Charity in Truth, Pope Benedict XVI explains the complementary character of alienation and poverty. They are two sides of the same coin.

“Love for others, and in the first place love for the poor, is made concrete in the promotion of justice. Justice will never be fully attained unless people see in the poor person, who is asking for help in order to survive, not an annoyance or a burden,

“One of the deepest forms of poverty a person can experience is isolation (alienation). If we look closely at other kinds of poverty, including material forms, we see that they are born from isolation…

Poverty is often produced by a rejection of

God’s love… Man is alienated when he is alone, when he is detached from reality…

All of humanity is alienated when too much trust is placed in merely human projects, ideologies and false utopias.” (n.53) Poverty and unemployment The global meltdown from Sept 2008 cost many people their jobs. The Pope highlights the direct link between poverty and unemployment and indicates that, “in many cases, poverty results from the violation of the dignity of human work either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment or underemployment), or because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family.” (n.63) He warns that the authentic development of people is affected by the link between claims of a “right to excess” within affluent societies, and “the lack of food, drinkable water, basic instruction and elementary health care in areas of the underdeveloped world and in the outskirts of large metropolitan centres.” (n.43) The Pope goes on to identify other forms of new poor.

“The new forms of slavery to drugs and the lack of hope into which so many people fall can be explained not only in sociological and psychological terms, but also in essentially spiritual terms. The emptiness in which the soul feels abandoned, despite the st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

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availability of countless therapies for body and psyche, leads to suffering.”(n.76)

people, cannot be only spiritually poor – they must be materially poor.

“One possible negative effect of the process of globalisation is the tendency to… encourage forms of ‘religion’ that, instead of bringing people together, alienate them from one another and distance them from reality”. (n.55)

The millions of ‘old poor’ remain in the developing countries, while thousands of new poor are being added both in the developed and developing countries.

Poverty and homelessness On World Day of Peace in 2003, Pope John Paul II spoke of the need to defend human rights in the era of globalisation, where new ‘rights’ were being promoted in advanced societies – the result of new prosperity and new technologies – while “other more basic human rights [are] still not being met, especially in situations of underdevelopment. I am thinking here for example about the right to food and drinkable water, to housing and security, to self-determination and independence.”

And from the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC), n.482: “The present environmental crisis affects those who are poorest in a particular way, whether they live in those lands subject to erosion and desertification, are involved in armed conflicts or subject to forced immigration, or because they do not have the economic and technological means to protect themselves from other calamities.

Countless numbers of these poor people live in polluted surbubs of large cities, in make-shift residences or in huge complexes of crumbling and unsafe houses (slums, barrios, favelas, bidonvilles).”

Poverty and illiteracy “Among the causes that greatly contribute to underdevelopment and poverty… mention must be made of illiteracy, lack of food security, the absence of structures and services, inadequate measures for guaranteeing basic health care, the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation, corruption, instability of institutions and of political life itself. There is a correction between poverty and, in many countries, the lack of liberty, possibilities for economic initiative and national administration capable of setting up an adequate system of education and information.”(CSDC n.447) To sum up: According to the Bible, the materially poor are also always spiritually poor, but not all spiritually poor are materially poor. The “anawim”, or God’s T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

The unjust structures of society that are humanly created to produce and maintain this unjust structuring of global society, is an insult to God, as the Book of Exodus 3:7-9 assures us, hears the cry of the poor, sees their suffering and will certainly respond in His own way and own time.

To see the whole human family through God’s eyes, i.e. the eyes of faith, we must take the ‘third world’ perspective, the stance on the side of the marginalised, the billions who are left out of the benefits of globalisation.

What about us? It is not a question, according to Pope Paul VI, of “having more” things available, but of “being more” concerned, involved and committed in solidarity with God’s plan for the poor.

(Development of Peoples, 1967)

The fundamental problem of the world is that the human family is not organised justly, as equals, but unjustly, where the thousands of well-off, like the rich young man, enjoy, according to Pope John Paul II, the fruits of ‘super-development’, while the billions of have-nots, like Lazarus, receive the crumbs of ‘under-development’ that fall from the rich man’s table. (The Church’s Social Concern, 1987)

If we are not part of God’s solution, then we are part of the problem and God will call our lives to account.

The words of Martin Luther King Jr haunt me always, “In the unfolding riddle of human life and history, there is such a thing as being too late.”

society news in brief New CEO appointments in NT and NSW The Society is delighted to announce the appointment of new Chief Executive Officers to both the NSW State Council and the Northern Territory Council.

In the Northern Territory, Luke Gosling OAM brings to the Society an outstanding history of engagement with the people of Timor-Leste and with remote Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory. The former Special Forces Army Officer worked for a time as an advisor to Jose Ramos Horta and was awarded the Timor-Leste Medal of Merit in August 2009 for humanitarian services to Timor-Leste.

Luke is looking forward to building on the excellent work done by former Northern Territory CEO, Janet Buhagiar, who brought a wonderful sense of enthusiasm and energy to the Society in the NT during her time in this role.

Luke Gosling OAM

The newly appointed CEO to the NSW State Council is Graham West MP, formerly the NSW Minister for Juvenile Justice and Minister for Youth and Volunteering.

Graham has been a member of the Society since he was 17 years of age and has a passionate commitment to social justice and an excellent working knowledge of the community sector in NSW. As Member for Campbelltown, Graham has represented one of the youngest areas in NSW and is deeply committed to the Society’s Mission to stand Graham West MP with people who have been pushed to the margins in NSW. He is very much looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the Society in NSW. 

poverty

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VINNIES CAMPS:

MORE THAN A WHOLE LOT OF FUN

By Sarah Crute “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Leo Buscaglia, author and teacher Every school holiday period around Australia, hundreds of disadvantaged children look forward to that bright light at the end of the tunnel: the upcoming Vinnies Camp.

Vinnies Camps are a residential care and respite program run primarily by Youth and Young Adult members and volunteers of the St Vincent de Paul Society – dedicated young people around Australia who plan, coordinate and lead camps to add a little happiness, laughter and joy to the lives of disadvantaged kids in their local community.

The children, referred by Conferences of the St Vincent de Paul Society and by external welfare agencies, are from a wide range of backgrounds, some of which may include poverty, severe hardship, domestic violence, foster care, grief and loss, abuse, family breakdown, or social exclusion.

For many of these children, opportunities to be carefree kids – to leave the burdens of their day-to-day lives at home for a few days – are few and far between. In most cases, these are burdens and responsibilities that far outweigh their young age.

The Camps program is the passionate and enthusiastic response of young members and volunteers who see this desperate need in their local community. Camps provide these kids with the chance to laugh, play, sing, dance, run amok and have fun – things that most Australians associate with the typical Aussie upbringing.

Camps are run throughout the year in most parts of Australia and are usually held during the school holidays, ranging in length from three to five days.

In many parts of the country, members and volunteers also run Teen Camps, providing person-to-person support in dealing with a huge range of issues that face disadvantaged teenagers.

The camps provide valuable, short-term respite for parents and carers in hardship, as well as a break for the kids from whatever challenges they may be facing in their day-to-day lives.

In the long term, however, the program is aimed at promoting personal growth, developing life skills and developing the kids’ sense of themselves as people of value and worth. Often, many of the benefits stem simply from the opportunity for the children to spend time with compassionate, caring and enthusiastic people who can act as positive role models in their lives – something they may not have experienced before.

The daily program will vary from camp to camp, but will often include activities such

as rock-climbing, abseiling, swimming, raft-building, target-shooting, sports, arts and crafts, and group team-building games.

These activities can simply mean having a lot of fun, but on a deeper level, they provide powerful opportunities to instil confidence, develop trust, foster teamwork, build self-esteem, and develop skills for social interaction with peers and young adults in a safe and encouraging environment. The kids are immersed in a variety of outdoor activities that are designed to challenge each child and to push their personal boundaries, while allowing them to reach attainable goals.

Camps offer children an experience that promotes healthy lifestyle choices and a chance to kick back, have fun, build confidence and try new things, while encouraging them to realise their potential to achieve anything.

Reflecting on their most recent Camp experience, one Camp Leader observed that: “...at any time during the three-day camp it was quite rare to find a face without a smile, or to be able to get words in sideways as the kids exchanged stories of the fun days they’d had.

From descending a 10-metre vertical wall to building and navigating a raft, the kids were willing to get stuck into it and often surprised themselves, as well as everyone else, when showing their skills and enthusiasm. st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

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The long days of nonstop fun eventually caught up with everyone, and the bus trip back was more for sleeping than singing.

But even after the reluctant goodbyes, everyone left as they arrived: full of smiles.”

For most members and volunteers, camps are not just about a one-off, feel-good moment, but are an integral part of their Vinnies experience and their Vincentian journey.

This notion is echoed in the words of a member who described his most recent camp as: “... one of the more Vincentian experiences I’ve had – one of those times when you suddenly wake up and realise why you’re doing this, why you’re with Vinnies; where the Vincentian Spirit feels almost tangible.”

To me, the Camps program is an extension of home visitation – that concept which our XIV President General José Ramón T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

Díaz-Torremocha once described as “the classic expression of what is most intimate in our commitment”.

Camps are one of the means by which our younger members and volunteers act on the social injustices that they identify in their community, and the way in which they show their commitment through person-to-person contact with the kids who participate in the program.

Camps are very much about providing these kids with a ‘hand up’, and respecting their dignity, sharing our hope, and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny, as expressed in the Society’s vision statement.

The beauty of the program is that it creates an incredible opportunity for members and volunteers of all ages to work together to provide holistic support to disadvantaged families in their community.

For most members and volunteers, camps are not just about a oneoff, feel-good moment, but are an integral part of their Vinnies experience and their Vincentian journey.

young vinnies

A Snapshot of the Camps program around Australia in 2010 Number of kids and teens: 821 Number of volunteers: 597 Total volunteer hours: 44,955 Kilometres travelled to and from campsites: 7986 Litres of paint: 47

In many parts of the country, our younger and older members work hand in hand to identify the needs of these families and work together to address these needs.

These conferences recognise that all members of all generations have unique gifts and talents that they bring to the Society and its good works, and they use this knowledge to seek the best possible outcomes for the families they assist.

One particular model of the Camps program has grown from this concept, known as Family Camps, in which both older and younger Vincentians provide a chance for families to take a break together from the challenges of their daily lives and to receive that hand of friendship and support from those members that are involved in the program.

It is often easy to assume that camps are just a few days of fun for the volunteers and kids alike. While ‘fun’ is an essential element of the program, the experience is somewhat more complex for those members and volunteers – known as Camp Leaders – that are involved with the camps.

My own personal experiences of the Camps program have taught me to never underestimate the dedication and commitment of those young Vincentians who give so much of themselves and their time and talents in reaching out to those kids in need.

Many members work tirelessly with their conferences for days and weeks and months to plan a camp. When our Camp leaders arrive on camp, they enter an environment that is often intensely demanding – physically, psychologically and emotionally. They are pushed to their own personal limits and face constant challenges in working with kids.

One Vincentian describes these leaders as: “... an amazing breed of people. They willingly and happily give of themselves and their infinite enthusiasm to provide an exciting and fun experience for the kids and the leaders.

At the heart of camp is a desire to nurture and love these kids that have experienced things in their life that no-one, let alone kids, should have to deal with.

Kilograms of cereal consumed: 78 Litres of milk: 841 Number of warm fuzzies: 18180 Average number of smiles per day on camp: 567,200+

We know that we can make a difference...

We can be the difference. We can play, we can laugh, we can listen and we can love.

So we do.

[These leaders] give tirelessly to camp in the knowledge that they are providing a great support network, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen and a heart to love.”

Around Australia, we are always seeking referrals from Conferences of the St Vincent de Paul Society who meet families during home visits whose children would benefit from the Camps program. We constantly strive to improve relationships and communication between all members of the Society so that we can continue to provide holistic support to disadvantaged families around the country.

“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.”

– Walt Streightiff Sarah Crute is the National Youth & Young Adults Representative of the National Council of Australia, St Vincent de Paul Society.

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formation | jenni hickson

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Renewed in Faith: Grounded in Hope Jenni Hickson gave this keynote address at the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Congress 2010 in Wagga Wagga and Coffs Harbour.

Here is an edited version.

One of the questions I have in mind as we embark on our time together is “how do we stay in touch with the motivations of those who founded the Society? With so much need on our doorstep, how do we stop to internalise and deepen our understanding of all we do?” One way is to reflect and share our experiences: to let go of the practical details for just a while and get in touch with the deeper meaning of our actions.

The Society is close to my heart, as it was extremely formative for me and, I believe, a contributing factor to my ongoing commitment to work within the Church in one form or another. As a result, I now work with various communities within the Church, mainly in the area of formation: basically, accompanying people whilst they grapple with how to integrate the Gospel into their work and mission. The work of the Society changed me and I’ll be sharing a little more about that during the course of our conversation.

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

The topic for our conversation is Renewed in Faith; Grounded in Hope. I wish to break open this topic through the particular lens of an Australian Vincentian. I do not wish to alienate anyone who is new to our shores or exclude anyone who does not identify with the image of Australia I will be discussing, but I add the word “Australian” to the conversation because the work of the Society is always lived out in a context. As a grass-roots organisation, the context is important. We bring to our work the tradition of the Society which has its roots in 19th century France but our work in the Society is shaped and expressed by the Australian context.

So I would like to suggest that for an Australian Vincentian to seek renewal in faith and a grounding in hope, they need to firstly glimpse a view of the Australian Spirit and some of the events that have shaped it; and then, secondly, one needs to encounter and be in relationship with the motivation of the St Vincent de Paul Society in an attempt to be renewed as a Vincentian.

Travelling has a way of teaching you about your home. I remember being in India and chatting with one of the locals there. She asked me where I was from and I said “Australia”. “Ahhh Australia,” she said. “That’s the very big country

with few people” and then offered rather sympathetically, “You must get very lonely!”

And I suppose from an Indian perspective it’s a fair conclusion but one that had never occurred to me. Her observation speaks to our geography, but what of our Spirit?

Australian theologian John Thornhill, in his book, Making Australia, speaks of Australia as having “a wisdom found in adversity and failure”. He notes that this wisdom is particular to Australia because it is a wisdom that has been shaped by the events of our history. In addition to the three events that Thornhill names, I would like to name the suffering of our Indigenous peoples, the experiences of migrants, refugees, and those living on the land, as contributing to shaping the Australian Spirit as we know it. Thornhill highlights historical events which have elements of failure or challenge that have now become harnessed as a collective wisdom, shaping the Spirit of Australia.

Three points I wish to draw on: 1. Those who initiated the history of white settlement were not heroic pioneers but Britain’s convicted criminals coming here against their will.

2. The early explorers with sights set on rich resources found a barren land that claimed the lives of many.

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3. The military campaign with which Australia bravely entered world affairs was a disastrous failure. This is now marked and honoured as ANZAC day and holds special significance in the Australian psyche.

One might look at these examples and acknowledge that they are only a part of the Australian story. The degree to which we identify with these specific examples may vary from person to person but what I wish to emphasise is the point about wisdom acquired through adversity and failure. It is a universal truth that we can look to our Australian story to illustrate.

Your experience of Australia may come up with different examples.

We have discovered a wisdom because our history has taken us to places of failure and adversity, but what struck me is that the wisdom is not automatically acquired simply because we have failed. Failure alone does not bestow wisdom. We are not a nation that values failure for failure’s sake.

When we are at our best, the value that is revered as the essence of the Australian Spirit is not failure, but rather, courage.

Courage to face difficult challenges even if it means the possibility of failure; sticking at it, giving it a go and being willing to face and grow through whatever comes, be it success or apparent failure.

The good news is that this memory gives us a sense of how to grow through the difficult times. There are parallels between the Australian Spirit and the Vincentian Spirit because the Vincentian Spirit has its foundation in the life of Jesus who stuck at it until the point of death and, as we know, His apparent failure in the eyes of the world was not how the story ended. In some sense, the Australian story is the Christian story also. Jesus knew adversity, opposition and struggle. So, are we conscious of drawing on this Australian Spirit when we encounter challenges in the work of the Society? Perhaps it can offer us renewal and hope as we stumble forward.

Because of what has formed us, I think there is a shyness when Australians start talking about their faith. The land has given us an earthiness, a sense of being practical, not lofty. The abstractness of faith and the intimacy of a personal experience of God is not always something we talk about as Australians.

But it’s there. My grandmother helped me understand this. Margret Carrigan lived most of her life on a property outside Moree, raising seven children.

She was accustomed to drought, flood and isolation. When I was growing up,

holidays meant going to the farm where we would have endless cups of tea and stories around the kitchen table; rattling off the rosary before watching A Country Practice; hearing her gems of wisdom such as “never miss an opportunity to go to Mass” or when on a long car trip, “never miss an opportunity to go to the toilet.”

She had my body and spirit covered and it has been advice that has served me well!

I knew she was faith-filled but she was never forced. It was just who she was. I could tell there was something more than the Australian Spirit and a life on the land that was nourishing her. Something more than what Henry Lawson speaks of in his poem, “The Shearers”, when he captures some of the Australian Spirit: ‘…tis hardship, drought and homelessness That teach those bushmen kindness: The mateship born of barren lands, Of toil and thirst and dangerThe camp-fare for the wanderer set, The first place to the stranger…’

I have found a quote which I think captures how I understood my grandmother’s faith. They are the words of Manning Clark: “A shy hope in the heart.” It is a description that captures the imagination. When I read this, I had a deep sense of rightness about it. Another st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

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academic, Gary Bouma, uses the image to explore further the faith of Australians:

that enough? Does Jesus really need to be involved? How do I involve Him?”

“There is a profound shyness - yet a deeply grounded hope - held tenderly in the heart, in the heart of Australia. It is not characteristically Australian to trumpet encounters with the spiritual like some American televangelist.”

Like the Australian Spirit, my answer to these questions came during times of challenge and adversity. When working in any form of ministry, I’ve always encountered challenges. Really difficult situations or relationships that threatened to leave me completely overwhelmed and despairing. These challenges manifest in many different forms, whether as internal politics, the never-ending needs of people or my own inadequacy and limitations.

In my experience, I noticed the potential for me to acquire what some might like to call ‘baggage’. Initially, the baggage doesn’t seem to be too much of a hindrance to the work. It’s like flying with Virgin Blue before they started to charge!

I saw this in my grandmother and I think I see it in Vincentians.

So with this shy hope in mind, I’m going to try ever so gently to invite you to speak about what renews your faith.

As Christians, our conversations gain depth and are most authentic when we bring to them our encounter with the person of Jesus, whether this is through our experiences of service, Eucharist or Scripture. I remember learning this early on. I had a wonderful teacher at high school. To this day I still remember her saying, “Girls, the Christian life is about having the newspaper in one hand and the bible in the other hand. You read them together and let them inform each other.”

So, as Australians, we are renewed by remembering the events of our nation’s story; by celebrations such as ANZAC day.

We are grounded by touching the unique wisdom that is formed by the land and stories that are Australia, but as Australian Vincentians we are renewed not only by the Australian story but also by the life of Jesus. It is the life and love of Jesus that St Vincent de Paul claimed as his motivation and guide when serving the poor. It is the life and love of Jesus that Frederic Ozanam claimed as his motivation and guide when founding the Society. And it is the life and love of Jesus that will renew our deepest motivation and guide us as we respond to the world around us through the work of the Society. There is universality about this.

But integrating our faith into our work doesn’t always come easily when we are out in the field, so to speak. I know I certainly grappled with this when I was a youth coordinator for the Society.

Although I had always practiced my faith, I kept asking myself, “Why does the St Vincent de Paul Society do what it does? Does knowing Jesus change the way I do my work? If I have skills, experience and a desire to make a difference, isn’t T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

The ways of Jesus are different to the ways of our world. He demonstrates a way of living where wounds and vulnerability are healed and resurrected into strength for the mission.

But how does this ‘hit the road’ so to speak? How does one get to know Jesus in our life experiences? There is never a perfect guide to get to know Jesus. We never finish getting to know Him. It is a mystery. The various ways of discovering Him are never exhausted but what I’d like to do is invite you to meet Jesus in a story of the Gospel. I do this because I put to you that we cannot be renewed in faith, we cannot be grounded in hope, without a personal encounter and relationship with Jesus and meeting Jesus in the Gospels is one of the ways we can encounter Him.

But after a while, if we let it, more baggage can be accumulated. I’m sure you can all relate to this in your own way. For me, it was tantrums, dummy spits and abuse during Kids camps, or organising training sessions that no-one turns up to, or someone yelling at you whilst out on the Vinnies Van at the end of a long day and, before you know it, you have accumulated a ridiculous amount of baggage that you have to pay for or, even worse, there is so much of it, it prevents you from getting on the plane to where you want to go.

When I worked as a coordinator for the Society I used to do a little skit about Frederic Ozanam’s first home visit. I imagined his nervousness being a young man venturing out into the poverty of Paris in the 19th century. That first knock on the door, while taking firewood to those experiencing poverty. Can you picture it? Can you get into his shoes and imagine what he is feeling?

These bags of wounds and disappointments, resentment and failure; all acquired one by one, not because of some unfortunate catastrophe, no it is much simpler than that but rather, these bags were acquired for the very ordinary reason of being a human being with faults, whilst trying to make a difference in the world with other human beings who also happen to have faults, whilst working in an organisation that also has faults!

There is a story that appears in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel. It tells of Jesus visiting Simon’s home and curing his mother-in-law. We might look at this story as Jesus’ first home visit during His public ministry. There are other Gospels with different accounts of Jesus’ early ministry, but for our purpose this morning, let’s break open this story with a particular Vincentian lens. It is also worth noting that, like Jesus, the Society’s works include more than just home visitation, but I think we might find this story a helpful launching pad into conversations about all the works of the Society.

Interestingly, these bags could not be offloaded by reason nor self will; I couldn’t will myself not to be disappointed when I made mistakes or someone let me down.

But that’s not the end of the story.

I put to you that in coming into relationship with the person of Jesus, our baggage has the potential to lose its weight; be off-loaded and, better yet, be transformed into a source of life.

Having got in touch with how Frederic felt, I wonder if Jesus had any such experiences we can relate to?

So, according to Mark’s account, Jesus’ visit to Simon’s house is the first time He visits a home with his companions and offers, in the words of the Society, “person to person contact with someone in need.”

Let’s see what happens for Jesus as he goes with His friends to His first Home visit.

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And at once, on leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed and feverish, and at once they told him about her.

He went in to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to serve them.

That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils.

The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were sick with diseases of one kind or another; he also drove out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.

In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.

(Mk 1:29-35, New Jerusalem Bible) There is lots happening in this story and, before I offer you the chance to reflect on the passage, I’d like to offer a few observations.

One of the first things that struck me is the urgency of the story. The evangelist uses phrases such as “at once” and “straight to the house”. You get the sense that Jesus has a lot to do. There are demands and pressures placed upon Him. Can you relate to that in your work?

Next thought is that when Jesus enters the home, He is alerted by the disciples that something is wrong. One might speculate that with the mother-in-law sick and out of action, there is chaos in the house, a lack of order, things not being as they should be and Jesus is quick to respond to this. He doesn’t however, enter the house and assume he knows what the problem is.

Jesus doesn’t act until the disciples tell him about the problem. It is the people of the home advocating for the person in need that propels Jesus into action.

So how does Jesus respond? It says, “He took her by the hand and helped her up.”

He seems to be a lot gentler in someone’s home then He is out in public. You will notice when Jesus is healing in other stories, He uses words such as “Get up” (Mk 2:11) or “your faith has healed you” (Mk 10:52).

But here, in someone’s home, He appears to have a more sensitive and gentle approach. Perhaps He knows and recognises the privilege of being in someone’s home; knowing that the home is an extension of the self. He doesn’t even use words. It was His action, not His words, which helped her stand. His actions appear to transform not only Simon’s mother-in-law but also the whole household because she then goes on to serve Him. It’s as if harmony is restored to the home. The mother-in-law goes on to experience true discipleship as she has experienced Jesus’ healing and now serves Him from her home – from the deepest place of who she is.

The power of this home visit doesn’t just change a household – it changes a community. As the story goes on, we see the whole town hear of this and turn up at Simon’s door. I think this highlights the extent of the need, as well as the willingness of the crowd to meet the love of Jesus.

The experience of Jesus’ first home visit ends on an interesting note. We see Jesus early the next day go off on his own, seeking solitude and a time of prayer. It is as if His work is not complete without connection with the Father; a chance to reflect and be still. This story gives us insight into Jesus’ balance between action and prayer. Right at the height of His business and success, He takes time for prayer and this prayer changes H is direction. Did He need solitude to make sense of it all?

In summary, earlier in the chapter, Jesus experiences opposition to His mission.

• There is a sense of urgency, demand and pressure on Him. • He goes to the home with companions.

• The home is not as it should be. There is a sense of disorder.

• It is the people who live in the home who advocate for the person in need.

• Jesus does not assume to know what the problem is. He waits to be told.

• He is gentle and quick to respond.

• He uses actions, not words, to restore order. “He took her by the hand and helped her up.”

• His response transforms the woman, household and whole community.

• Jesus seeks solitude and a time of prayer to reflect on His experience. He models a balance between action and stillness.

Who are you in this story? Are you: • The disciples – the ones concerned and advocating for the person in need?

• Simon’s mother-in law – the person needing healing? What is the cause of your illness?

• Jesus the healer – the one visiting, healing and restoring order?

• One of the crowd from the town feeling excluded and desiring to be healed?

• The person possessed with pride – threatening to speak of a false Jesus?

• Jesus the contemplative – the one seeking solitude and prayer?

• Someone else?

What strikes you about Jesus? How does this relate to your work in the Society?

My hope today was to speak plainly and authentically about what gives us faith; about what renews our hope. My desire was to give you the opportunity to touch aspects of the Australian Spirit but also to recognise that as Australian Vincentians we are inspired by more than our nationality.

My hope was to invite Jesus into the conversation and reflect on how he lived and approached His mission: to somehow let him into our shyness; to meet Him from our earthiness and reality that is full of challenge and joy: to relate to Him in a way that is not forced or pious yet still involve Him in every aspect of our life and work; to let Him enter the home of our hearts, so He can take us by the hand and lift us up, as He did Simon’s mother-in-law; for I deeply believe when we do this – when we let Him into our homes – both personally and collectively, we will be transformed to truly serve Him as in the Gospel we have read today.

Jenni Hickson worked with the Society for four years as a youth coordinator for the Broken Bay Diocese, and has been involved with several works of the Society. Jenni and her husband Michael are presently acting as the spiritual advisors to the National Youth Team.

References: John Paul Heil, The Gospel of Mark as a Model for Action (New York : Paulist Press, 1992), 50, 53.

Karen A. Barta, The Gospel of Mark (Delaware: Michael Glazier, 1988) st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

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social inclusion | dr john falzon

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The language of the unheard

By Dr John Falzon “And, in the dawn, armed with an ardent patience, we shall enter magnificent cities.”

Arthur Rimbaud There’s something particularly disquieting about quietness imposed from above, in the heart of a democracy.

Something eerie. If we’re going to be honest, however, we have to admit that the voices of the people who continue to be oppressed and abandoned are, in so many ways, effectively silenced. Even, sometimes especially, when they are strong. Often they are like the gentle breeze or the still small voice that represented the presence of God in the story of Elijah. But in nearly all cases these voices, these stories of dispossession and quiet dignity, are neither heard nor heeded.

Recently, I visited Palm Island with other members of the Australian Social Inclusion Board. Palm, everyone reminds me, was established as the ideal place to exile those who were outspoken in the face of the coloniser and the dispossessor. “An unruly mob”, one informant told me, “the descendants of political prisoners”. Unruly is an interesting word here, especially in the light of the “new paternalism” or “close supervision of the poor”, as its chief proponent, Larry Mead, defined it. When Palm was allowed local self-government, it was gutted of its economic activity, as is so often the case when the coloniser walks away from its former possession.

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

I was lucky on Palm. Apart from the powerful and hope-filled story-telling that I listened to from the some of the Council leaders, I was also able to privately talk with the softly spoken Lex Wotton. Lex has been instructed not to speak in public as a parole condition following his conviction for inciting a riot in the wake of the well-known, death in custody in 2004 on Palm Island. Eye-witnesses at the riot actually attest to Lex’s attempts to restrain the angry crowd. Lex, however, continues to be tagged as a troublemaker. As Martin Luther King, another troublemaker, said: “a riot is at bottom the language of the unheard.”

There is only one way forward, according to this teaching, and that is for those who have the choices to take the side of these sisters and brothers; to listen and learn from the poor.

The unheard are everywhere: the people who have been placed under the yoke of compulsory income management simply because they receive a social security payment (and the Federal Government has the audacity to call this non-discriminatory!); asylum seekers demonised as being illegal; people with a

disability who are unjustly characterised as being too comfortable on a pension; the First Peoples of Australia living with the historical poison of stolen generations, stolen wages, stolen land and the attempted crushing of the spirit.

The stories of the unheard are a prophetic call not to paternalism from above, but to empowerment from below. These stories bear witness to a hope for redistribution, rather than a desire for retribution. As Paulo Freire wrote: “The oppressor cannot find in their power the strength to liberate either the oppressed or themselves. Only the power that springs from the weakness of the oppressed will be sufficiently strong to free both.”

At a recent Asia-Pacific gathering of the St Vincent de Paul Society in India, Bishop Agnelo Gracias of Mumbai echoed Freire’s insights, boldly explaining that those who have a vested, unchristian interest in defending a cruel and unjust status quo truly fear the conscientisation (or critical consciousness) of the poor. They fear that the poor will cease to accept their poverty as a matter of fate. They fear that the poor will begin to question and critically analyse the structural causes of their marginalisation.

Frederic Ozanam, the young activistacademic who founded the St Vincent de Paul Society, warned against employing charity as a substitute for addressing the causes of poverty and inequality. He wrote: “Charity may heal the wounds but it does

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Martin Luther King Jr

not stop the blows.” This voice is one that comes from a profound solidarity with the unheard. This is how I would simply define the kind of theology of liberation that is urgently needed at the dawn of the 21st century: not only a theology of liberation but a sociology of liberation; a precise vision that allows the human community, like Elijah, to know the presence of God in the whispers from the edges of society. We already know the guts of the message delivered by the still, small voice, the gentle breeze: another kind of world is possible.

As the woman from El Salvador told me at the International General Assembly of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Salamanca: “We begin with what is on the ground and not with what we think is in the sky.” And as the woman from Sri Lanka put it so beautifully: “We do not want charity; we want to make our own liberation.”

Professor Ian Webster, a highly regarded physician who has had a long and generous relationship with the Society, put it so well at one of our recent Congresses in Australia: “Poverty... is an oppression from which we should aim to liberate our people.”

This is surely a revolutionary message but one that we have for too long shied away from. Revolution literally means turning everything upside down. This is precisely what Christ’s Beatitudes challenge us to do. This is what we too are challenged to see. Far from being a call to violence or hate, the Beatitudes are a call to love. But this is not a sentimental

love or a patronising love. It is a hard and disturbing love. It is hard and disturbing to hear the Word-made-flesh, the God who pitched his tent among us, telling us: Blessed are you who are poor. Woe to you who are rich.

Blessed are you who are hungry. Woe to you who are full.

Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude you, revile you.

Woe to you when all speak well of you.

This is a hard teaching. Over the centuries since these words were uttered, we have done triple somersaults to avoid their simple and direct message, their startling, revolutionary challenge to turn everything upside down. The poor, the hungry, the excluded; these are the people of the earth whose choices have been taken away by unjust structures and histories of oppression. There is only one way forward, according to this teaching, and that is for those who have the choices to take the side of these sisters and brothers; to listen and learn from the poor.

The key to improving the lives of the unheard lies both in making the tools of education available to them, as is their fundamental right, and in simply listening to them. It is not enough, according to the logic of the Beatitudes, for the powerful to try to impose solutions.

It is to the Federal Government’s credit that in defining its own Social Inclusion Agenda it gives pride of place to the right of people experiencing exclusion to “have

a voice, influencing the decisions that affect them.” How sad then that this principle is disregarded as paternalistic policies such as compulsory income management are imposed, while the obvious need for income adequacy, whether one is currently outside the labour market or stuck at its lower end, remains unheard. How, for example, is a young person experiencing homelessness meant to survive on a $377 fortnightly youth allowance? And are we not failing our people when, according to a COAG Reform Council report, 43.5 per cent of working age adults have literacy skills below the minimum level required for work and 15 per cent (2.7million people) are estimated to be surviving with the lowest level of literacy skills?

Prosperous Australia has a problem.

Now is a good time to reflect on how, as a nation, we allow the voices of the unheard to remain unheard. But it is precisely in this contradiction that hope lies, joined inexorably with the hopes of the oppressed across the globe. Nothing less than this all-embracing vision would be worthy of the kind of “hope against all hope” of which Paul of Tarsus wrote. And it is embedded in the smallest and humblest of daily struggles of the crushed in our midst; joined at the hip with the struggle for a different kind of world.

Dr John Falzon is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of Australia, St Vincent de Paul Society.

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twinning | danusia kaska

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Melbourne, Goa, next stop, Kerala Danusia Kaska describes her Vincentian visit to southern India, following the gathering in Goa for the seventh Pan Asian Congress, Panasco 7.

During our two-day visit, our schedule was very full from morning ‘til night, when Anthony and Xavier picked us up early in the morning and dropped us off late at night, taking time off work and away from their families to extend their Vincentian hospitality to us.

The picturesque and relaxed state of Kerala in southern India is proudly home to 3100 Vincentian conferences, with 29 central councils.

We were honoured to meet many conference members and to be part of their meetings; often the members were holding off their meetings until we had arrived. Seeing their Vincentian works was truly inspiring and uplifting to us all; they faithfully reached out to their poor with the love of Christ and with the compassion of Frederic Ozanam.

As one of six Australian Vincentians who had the privilege of experiencing the hospitality of the local Kerala Vincentians, I felt very much at home and part of the bigger Vincentian family from the minute we were welcomed by them.

We arrived late in the evening, weary after a 14-hour train ride from Goa, where we had spent a fruitful week at our Panasco 7 gathering. It was a great blessing to be so embraced by the Vincentians from Kerala, especially Brothers Anthony (President) and Xavier (Treasurer) from the Central Council of Cochin. We are extremely grateful for their generosity and efforts to expose us to the Society as much as possible.

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

Some of these works included: adopting poor families to support them; the Assist a Student scheme; home visits; feeding the poor via deliveries and at a meal centre; renting out wheelbarrows; and providing building assistance.

Hot and humid weather did not prevent us from sharing in a spicy, local Kerala meal with the poor at the Ozanam meals centre.

We did, however, eat using spoons, as we were not as schooled in using our hands to eat rice and curries!

It was heartwarming to experience this community and it made me reflect upon how similar the sharing is at our own Ozanam House community in Melbourne – the food and country may be different, however, the friendship experience is the same. The Ozanam Centre provides a free lunch service to 30 people every day at 300 Rupees (approx. $7Aus), paid for by local Vincentians and donations. They also provide home deliveries to people unable to attend the centre due to disability or illness etc. The women’s St Jude’s Conference and the men’s St Anthony’s Conference run this centre together, and it has been in operation for five years. The building in which they cook and serve meals is very simple and dilapidated and it is their dream to improve and extend it.

The Kerala Vincentians are very creative and entrepreneurial in their works.

One of their ministries was supported

by St Therese Little Flower Conference in Casino, NSW, who donated used computers. This allowed the Our Lady of Assumption Conference in Poonkabu to set up a computer centre project, offering computer services to the poor.

twinning

We also visited St Francis Xavier Conference, Ezhupunna, which is twinned and supported by St Thomas More Conference, in the suburb of Campbell in Canberra. This go-ahead Kerala Conference is presently constructing a room in which to teach tailoring to boys.

Our group of Vincentians was led by our Captain, past South Australian President, John D’Souza; and included past Queensland President, John Campbell; current Canberra/ACT President, Evan Brett; Chairperson and Projects Officer, SA Overseas Partnership and Development Committee, Richard Hoskings;, Chairperson of Tasmania’s Overseas Partnership and Development Committee and Assist a Student Co-ordinator Ann Piper, and myself, a Vice President on

National Council. We represented different parts of Australia and, between us, had a diversity of backgrounds and experiences in the Society.

It was very inspiring meeting the current and future members of the Society in Kerala: from the 92-year old past Indian National Council President, PG Jacob, who has been a Vincentian for more than 50 years and who in 1989 attended Panasco 3 in Sydney, to three young members who are supported in the Assist A Student scheme and have now joined the Society. The youth membership is above the 3240 mark in the state of

Kerala alone. Interestingly, Kerala is very traditional and orthodox in its culture; therefore, women are segregated from men, not only at church, but also still in their conferences. Therefore, when we met the conferences, we met the men separately to the women; however, both work together in their ministries and support each other. There are approximately 562 lady conferences in Kerala and 21 in Cochin City itself.

We were very excited to meet conferences that were twinned with Australian conferences. What was really thrilling for us was to hear how some of the conferences have become self-sufficient over the years that we have supported them, to the point that they now are twinned instead with poorer conferences

in their own state and relinquishing twinning support from Australia. One of these conferences was St Augustine’s, which was twinned with Australia for 15 years and now supports poorer conferences in Kerala’s rural areas.

Other success stories included meeting young people who had been helped in the past by Assist A Student and who now had joined the Society. One member, Boban, had finished a teaching degree and was now working as a zoology teacher; another, Martin, was in his final year of studying to be an engineer. We met these members at the St Francis Xavier Conference.

Other conferences that warmly welcomed us were Santa Cruz Conference, the Infant Jesus Conference and the Little Flower Conference. We were always welcomed with beautiful flowers and offered either fresh coconut or mango drinks, cashew nuts and many other snacks, and we felt like celebrities as we were extensively photographed!

The local Vincentian members loved having their Australian friends visit them and we were treated like royalty. They would love to have more contact with our Aussie members and some members asked me to pass on to our twins in Australia that they would love to hear from them in letters and correspondence.

Unfortunately, many members would still not have access to email so they would need to rely on the post. I would really like to emphasise the importance of supporting our twins in correspondence, as they are part of our Vincentian family, always praying for us and thinking of us. I also asked them to pray for us in Australia, as we experience a spiritual poverty, which is in great contrast to their situation where over 80 per cent of people in Kerala State are practicing Christians. This is seen in churches that are numerous and attended to over-full capacity. The richness of their faith and spirituality is so alive, and the Vincentians shared that with us in a pilgrimage-type visit of churches and basilicas all over Kerala. There was a weeklong feast to celebrate Our Lady’s birthday on 8 September and we were blessed to be part of a procession with thousands of people to celebrate this occasion.

There are many new conferences emerging in Kerala as the Society offers to the parishioners ministry that is both faithbased and helps the needy; it is unique in its ethos.

Overall, we had a very heart-warming visit to the state of Kerala and the memories and friends we made will stay with us for a long time.

Danusia Kaska is a Vice President of the National Council of St Vincent de Paul.

st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

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vincentian charism | fr gregory gay

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Vincentian charism: Personal, Practical, Political

Michael Thio – International President of the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

Fr Gregory Gay gave this homily during Mass in Paris on 27 September 2010, the Feast of St Vincent de Paul, at which Michael Thio was installed as International President of the Society.

What a joyful occasion it is for us to be gathered on this the feast of St Vincent de Paul, in the chapel where we venerate his body, as we bring to a close this 350th jubilee year celebration of his and Louise de Marillac’s deaths, and doing so on the occasion of the installation of the new International President of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Michael Thio.

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

The Word of God, as we hear it in these readings for the Feast of St Vincent de Paul, speaks clearly to us as to what we are about. The first reading, from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, spells out clearly the method that we are called to use in order to live out our vocation as Vincentians within the Church. We are called to “proclaim glad tidings to the afflicted.” It is the spirit of the Lord Jesus that motivates us to do that proclamation, not only in words but also in deeds. As it says clearly here, above the altar, Jesus was known for going about doing good. That is how we proclaim the Good News to the poor: going about doing good, especially for those who are on the margins of society, those left out and those considered of least importance. It is the great tradition of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, under the inspiration of their founders, to go out to those most abandoned.

A second reading from St Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians speaks clearly about the means that we have to be those proclaimers of good news to the poor.

In this well-known reading from St Paul to the Corinthians, it is made very clear that the means for accomplishing our role is not so much material means. The human dimension is to be seen in an instrumental way; in other words, we are called to be proclaimers of good news to the poor, but doing so as humble servants of the poor. It is evident through the reading that it is by the Lord himself, in the power of his spirit of love, by which good deeds are accomplished and the good news is proclaimed.

In the Gospel, with which we are also very familiar, what stands out is a great mystery in the history of salvation; those who are the privileged ones of the Lord are the little ones. And when we do something for the least of these, the little ones, that is when we will be most blessed by the Lord Jesus.

St Vincent points out very clearly in one of his letters that it is among the poor, among these little ones, that we will find salvation. It is in and through our union with the Lord Jesus in the poor that we truly practice our religion.

To sum up the three readings, as Vincentians, all of us, sharing the charism of St Vincent de Paul, are called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ by word and by deed. We do so as humble servants of the poor, allowing the spirit of the Lord Jesus to work in and through us as instruments of God’s love. We do so, especially for the least of our brothers and sisters.

The motivating force that allows us to live out our Vincentian vocation, we all know, is charity. But let me highlight three characteristics of Vincentian charity that have especially been exemplified for us in and through the Society of St Vincent de Paul from the beginning in the actions of your founders, and which continue to be hallmarks of charity and how it is lived out today.

I call these three characteristics of charity the three P’s. Charity in the Vincentian way is personal, practical and political. It is easy for us to understand the personal

vincentian charism

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As Vincentians, all of us, sharing the charism of St Vincent de Paul, are called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ by word and deed.

and practical dimensions of charity. I will spend some time developing the idea of the political for a greater understanding.

But first of all, charity is personal. A Vincentian, to live truly his vocation, has to establish a personal relationship with the poor. We are called to know the poor by name. And certainly in and through the very common practice of home visits, which is part and parcel of what it means to be a good member of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, that personal dimension, the personal relationship with the poor, is easily cultivated. Our attitude towards the poor is that they are the lords and masters and we are their humble servants. That is how we begin that personal relationship.

The Lord invites us to deepen that relationship once we come to understand them truly as our lords and masters by inviting us to become their friends. And so, as Jesus Himself teaches us, we are called to be the servants of God our Father.

Then He Himself invites us to a more intimate relationship of friendship. In the same way, St Vincent calls us, in our relationship with the poor, to be in relationship with them as our lords and masters, we their humble servants. Then eventually the Lord calls us to enter into a relationship of friendship with them. So we become friends of the poor.

With regard to charity as practical, as St Vincent was, all Vincentians are called to be champions of organised charity. We do things in a very organised and practical way to guarantee that the poor, those who are our lords and masters, might discover

their dignity as God’s sons and daughters.

That practical charity we come to discover is most efficient when we not only do for the poor, but we work together with them, and hopefully from their own reality.

Charity as political. We have been a bit lapse in our living out our charity as political throughout the history of the Vincentian Family.

Certainly St Vincent de Paul was our first teacher, as one who was able to confront the powers that be of his time, both the King as well as the Cardinal, the political entities of his time.

As we know, St Vincent confronted especially on behalf of the poor. It was his conviction that the main cause of the poor being poor was the wars that the King and the Cardinal were carrying on in the France of his day. St Vincent was direct enough, simple enough, to be able to ask them to put a halt to that which impoverished the poor. Certainly Frederic Ozanam and his companions had a great sense of the political situation of their time. They too, in order to be able to help the plight of the poor, were capable of challenging the structures that oppressed them in their day. We need to return to our roots, to both St Vincent and the founders of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, in order to carry out in a complete way our mission of charity. It has to be personal, it has to be practical, and it has to be political, all done with the desire to give honour and glory to God, in honouring the least of our brothers and sisters.

As Michael assumes the responsibility of the Society of St Vincent de Paul in a formal way on this day, I pray and ask you to pray with me, that he might be the leader who helps the Society of St Vincent de Paul to be evermore authentic in the living out of its vocation and proclaiming the Good News to the poor in and through a service that is personal, practical, political, and that those dimensions be achieved in a way that honour might be given to God, who is the source of all that we do and all that we are.

Michael, I ask you to build on the efforts and actions of the former President Jose Ramon Terremocha and his predecessors, in order that the Society of St Vincent de Paul, together with the rest of the Vincentian Family throughout the world, might continue to give witness as champions of the poor walking with them towards the loving embrace of our God who has first loved us.

We continue now with the Eucharist, which is God’s love for us that we share together, which energises us to go forth in our mission to be good news to those who are poor.

Fr Gregory Gay CM is Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission.

st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

topic | author society | anthony thornton

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The Pearl of Great Value

By Anthony Thornton I was at a function earlier this year when a Member of Parliament came over to me and initiated a conversation. He could see from my name tag that I was from the St Vincent de Paul Society and he decided to tell me what a difference the Society had made to him during his childhood.

He explained that his family had really done it tough. His mother was a sole parent as his father had died when he was quite young and he warmly remembered that the St Vincent de Paul Society was well and truly there for him and his siblings as they were growing up.

It’s always a wonderful feeling when someone comes and shares a story like this. It makes you realise what an incredible privilege it is to share the name ‘Vincentian’ with those who have gone before us.

But one of the things this parliamentarian said continues to ring in my ears. He said: “The thing I really respect about you guys is that you are volunteers. You are ordinary Australians reaching out to other ordinary Australians. Mate, don’t ever lose that. It’s gold.”

Before I go on, let me get one distraction out of the way. Within the Society, some people might make distinctions between conference members and centre volunteers or night patrol volunteers.

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

The people we assist don’t make such distinctions. The MP mentioned above certainly wouldn’t know what I was talking about if I went down that track.

To these sisters and brothers of ours who are living on the edge, there is one thing and one thing only that they see and hear and feel. I’m talking about the hand, the smile, the words, and the actions of genuine welcome, respect and hope. This is the Vincentian way. It’s as simple as that.

I’m talking about the hand, the smile, the words, and the actions of genuine welcome, respect and hope.

This is the Vincentian way.

When I speak of ‘volunteers’ I’m referring to everyone who volunteers in this mission, whether through the conference, the centre, the kids’ camp or any work of compassion and justice.

There’s no doubt that the Society is enriched by the many paid staff who join us on our mission. There’s also no doubt that we have to learn what we can from organisational structures that are very different from our own.

But let’s never forget who we are. We are

not a government department and we are certainly not a corporation. This doesn’t mean that we can’t have good relationships with government or business. It does mean, however, that we must remember our identity as a global network of people who choose to give ourselves as volunteers in a spiritual mission of love. This is where our stories come from – such as the one recounted to me by the parliamentarian.

This is what gives us the right to speak up on behalf of those who are voiceless.

If we ran out of funds tomorrow, we would be seriously limited in what we could or could not do. But worse than this, if tomorrow we ran out of people volunteering in our mission, we would cease to exist.

Sometimes I seriously wonder whether we really put things in the true order of priority. Do we put the effort we should into making people, especially the young, really want to join us in our mission to Christ’s poor?

Just some thoughts that I feel are worth sharing. I’ll leave you with the parable of the pearl, and again, the question: What are our priorities? “... the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)  Anthony Thornton is the National Secretary of the Society in Australia.

archives | michael moran social justice

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fun -raising

By Michael Moran We’re great party-goers in the St Vincent de Paul Society. At least, we were in our early days. You will find tea parties, concerts, ‘entertainments’ and picnics scattered regularly through descriptions of Council and Conference activities in our early annual reports.

There were no door-knocks then. From the early 1880s ‘occasional entertainments’ were a major source of funds for the Society. By 1890 about 15 per cent of the total income of all Sydney Conferences came from entertainments.

Concerts were a natural fundraiser. The Sydney Society’s response to the great depression of 1893 was to organise a Grand Concert at the Town Hall, attended by the Governor, judges, government ministers and the Mayor. It raised 400 pounds for those in need, about $50 000 in today’s money.

When the Brisbane Society sought to extend the work of the Society beyond the first Queensland Conference at St Brigid’s, Red Hill, in 1896, it naturally organised a concert. There were speeches, songs, violin and piano solos. Mrs Kelly sang Serenade (Gounod) and Miss Sheehan contributed Ever and ever thine from the opera, Paul Jones. Dancing continued into the early hours. The following year St Brigid’s held a ‘Bread and Butter Dance’ in aid of the Society.

In 1910 entertainments and charity sermons contributed nearly quarter of the Society’s income in all States. A charity sermon, given by priests specifically to raise money for the Society, was an ‘event’, a special occasion which required a donation for entry and may have had an element of competition. Nearly half the Society’s income came from poor

boxes and about 15 per cent from secret collections at Conference meetings.

Entertainments were not only a means of fundraising but also a means of fun. They show how people enjoyed themselves before modern media. People created their own entertainment rather than ‘consuming’ it from commercial sources.

A party might include songs, poetry, story-telling and instrumental pieces.

Perhaps we should revive this tradition.

Thus we see the Particular Council of Melbourne holding a reception and musical evening for 200 Society members attending the Second Australasian Catholic Congress in 1904. “Owing to the opening of the Cathedral Fair, none of the visiting prelates could be present, but a most enjoyable evening was spent with music, song and story”. The party was held at the Austral Salon, founded as a club for women writers, artists and musicians, where Nellie Melba once sang.

Concerts became the standard means of fundraising for the Mission to Seamen from as early as the 1890s. The Mission was a special work of the Society until the 1960s. The Society also provided musical entertainments for sailors and picnics for children.

Consider the entertainments recorded in just one year, in our annual report for 1910 and ask if our own annual report one hundred years later, in 2010, can match these.

In 1910 we organised a concert to benefit the Seamen’s Mission in Sydney, the program including tableaux, songs and a piano trio. Miss Mary Heydon, the daughter of our National President, and the daughters of the High Court judge, Richard O’Connor, gave “a refined, attractive performance” at the Standard

Theatre in Castlereagh Street. [A tableau was a form of entertainment in which the participants create a dramatic scene with their own poses, a still life which tells a story - rather like some meetings].

In the same year the school conference at St Ignatius College, Riverview, produced its own entertainment to raise money for the Mission. In Melbourne the St Vincent de Paul Boys’ Orphanage Band played for the annual Christmas dinner organised

by St Augustine’s Conference for all sailors in port, and the newly formed Our Lady’s Hospital Patronage, made up of members from five conferences, provided entertainments for residents of hospitals and benevolent asylums in Melbourne and Geelong.

To entertain was fun in itself but also a spiritual thing, a good work. The great historian of the Church in Australia, Patrick O’Farrell, remarked on the more liberal attitude of Irish-Australian Catholics in those days to entertainment and fun, compared to some of their Protestant peers. Perhaps it was in the same spirit that our members undertaking hospital visitation and visits to institutions routinely distributed not only good literature and rosary beads but also tobacco and cigarettes.

St Brigid imagined Heaven as an endless party, a place where friends gathered, cheerfulness presided, people danced and sang, and ‘Heaven’s family’ drank to the King of Kings from a great lake of beer for all eternity. “I’d make Heaven a cheerful spot”, she prayed. “White cups of love I’d give them, With a heart and a half; Sweet pitchers of mercy I’d offer to every man”.

In our Society’s case the sweet pitchers may be cups of tea and the lake of beer a distant vista, but the work can still provide a glimpse of Heaven.

Michael Moran is the National Council Archivist. st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

reflection | fr michael smith sj

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What would you like for Christmas?

By Fr Michael Smith SJ In his fascinating book, Why Marriages Succeed or Fail (New York: Fireside, 1994), Dr John Gottman chronicles the research he and his colleagues did at the University of Washington in Seattle with 4000 married couples over 20 years. They were able to predict with 94 per cent accuracy couples who would stay together and those who would split. It is a book worth reading.

One of their findings concerns what they call “marital ecology.” They discovered that there must be at least five times as many positive as negative moments together if a marriage is to be stable. Positive interactions include touching, smiling, paying compliments, laughing, showing interest, affection, care, expressing solidarity, appreciation, concern, empathy, acceptance, jokes, sharing joy, thinking about each other during the day, offering refuge from the tedium of daily life, being proud of each other. In short, what is needed in a marriage is mutual love and respect. In good marriages, couples correct negativity with lots of positivity.

In couples headed for a breakup, there are more negative than positive interactions.

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

It seems to me that this “ecology” – at least five times as many positives as negatives – applies not only to marriages but to all our relationships. How we think about others affects how we behave towards them. If we think critically about another, it shadows that relationship. If, instead of treating the other with love and respect, we notice only his faults, they loom large. The person can “become” his faults. If we think critical thoughts such as, “He’s irritable,” or “She’s lazy,” or “He’s temperamental,” or “She’s timid,” or “He always seeks the limelight,” and so on, we may fail to see that the person is more than his faults. We can miss the gift she is.

Matthew’s Gospel tells us that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, three wise men from the East came to visit the baby Jesus.

“Going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

Just as the three wise men from the East brought gifts to Jesus, so too, we bring gifts to each other at Christmas. I am not speaking of gift-wrapped presents of

electric carving knives, iPads, neckties, socks, toiletries, books, bread-makers, chocolates and so on, however welcome these material possessions may be. I am talking about relational gifts: presence, encouragement, humour, kindness, gentleness, generosity, appreciation, concern, empathy, love. We need to recognise the gifts that we are to each other.

What are the gifts the people in your life bring to you? Here is a prayerful way of becoming more conscious and appreciative of the gifts others are to you.

Preparation to pray God enables me to pray. I cannot pray simply by my own effort, but I rely on God even for the desire to pray. So the best way to begin this reflection is to ask God to lead me. In my own words, I ask God to reveal to me what God wants me to know, to take me to that place in my heart where God wants to meet me.

Scripture “I thank God every time I think of you.”

(Philippians 1:3)

reflection

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In homage to the carpenter’s son three wooden boxes, cloaked in purple cloth, come from the gifted magi. In the darkness, Mary unties the bunch of cloth.

With delight she smells the sudden drift of cedar, strokes the smoothness, recognises a patient hand. She smiles at Joseph.

He holds one box by candlelight, sees it glimmer, admires its proportion and aesthetics. Over time, they open them, the gifts that Jesus has to celebrate and share.

Sealed © Marlene Marburg

Grace In Jesus’ name I ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten my heart and mind, in order that I might clearly see and appreciate the gifts people are to me in my life.

Points 1. Thinking. I begin by simply thinking about one person. It might be a family member, a work colleague, a friend.

It may be someone with whom I have difficulty relating.

2. Seeing. I see the person in my imagination.

3. Writing. I ask myself: What are his gifts? What are her good points? Be specific. It may help to write down the person’s name and list his or her gifts.

For example: a. Peter: Is a good storyteller. He has a broad general knowledge. He is generous. He is creative. He is good company at a dinner party… (and so on). b. Rebecca: She has good judgment.

She is kind to others and is always willing to help. She listens carefully

and always tries to put a good interpretation on what another says and does… (and so on).

4. Thanking. Then I thank God for that person. “Father, I thank you for the gift of (name). Please help me to respect and love (name) as you would want me to.”

5. Myself. Finally, I do something that most people find much more difficult.

I write my own name and I ask God to reveal to me my own giftedness.

What are the gifts I bring to my family, my community, my workplace, my friends? I write those down. Then I thank God for the gift of myself.

“Father, I thank you for the gift of myself. Please help me to respect and love myself as you want me to.”

honest feedback to be received by another, it needs to flow out of a deep inner well of appreciation, respect and love for that person. Telling the truth to another without love is brutality.

What would you like for Christmas?

Perhaps you have already been given gifts in the people around you and you just need to recognise them?

Fr Michael Smith is the Rector of Jesuit Theological College. He is also Dean of the Institute for Christian Spirituality and Pastoral Formation (ICSPF) of the Melbourne College of Divinity.

If you consider someone in this prayerful way, you will notice that you change, and you may begin to notice that your relationship with that person changes too.

This is not to say that you deny the other’s faults. The “Pollyanna Principle” (focusing only on the positive and denying the negative) is not what this prayer is about.

You can, and ought, to lovingly challenge another’s destructive behaviour. But for st vin c e nt d e pa u l s o c i e ty a u st r alia

letters

the mail 26

Refugee stance out of step I am unhappy with the St Vincent de Paul Society’s stance on asylum seekers. As far as I am concerned they are queue-jumpers who obviously have enough money to pay people-smugglers. I do not see what is wrong with detaining them and deterring them.

We should care more about the real poor who sit and wait in the refugee camps as well as the poor of Australia. Once again, the St Vincent de Paul Society is taking a shamelessly Left-wing stand. When will you realise that you are out of step with most decent Australians who work hard and who don’t take our wonderful way of life for granted?

Albert C, Brisbane, QLD

A fundamental truth Three cheers for the Society’s beginning the journey of Aboriginal Reconciliation through a formal Reconciliation Action Plan.

About time!

We have so much to learn and it’s never too late.

We live on Aboriginal Land. This is the fundamental truth that should be the starting point for any process. As the saying goes: Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.

D. Coutts, Melbourne, Vic.

Challenges for us all

Life is Revolution

One has great difficulty in taking on board comments such as those advocated by Adam Bisits (Letters, The Record, Spring 2010). Vincentians look forward to the thought-provoking articles, especially those by Dr John Falzon who consistently challenges us to defend the marginalised and speak up on their behalf.

Thank you for publishing that beautiful speech by Monsignor David Cappo (The Record, Spring 2010). As a long-time Conference Member in NSW, I was inspired by how his words fitted in with the brave stance taken by the Society on national social justice issues, despite regular criticism even from within the Society (if some of the letters to the editor are anything to go by!).

Two points in need of comment are ageing membership and the mentally ill. The first is a problem for most organisations that I know of. The Society does a great job in encouraging the young adults in our midst. All it needs is the senior members to give them a go. The care of the mentally ill is a high priority for the Society right around the nation (refer the excellent Compeer program).

Then again if Adam is the same Adam Bisits that is the President of the H.R. Nicholls Society, then of course no need for further comment!

Long may The Record continue to inform and challenge us.

Peter H Lyall, St Peters Conference, Tasmania

PROP needed throughout Australia I have just come out of prison. The article on the Post Release Options Project in Tasmania was really good. There should be more of this kind of thing everywhere in Australia. It is very hard in prison and it is very hard coming out of prison when you haven’t got a job to go to or a place to stay. Good on you, Vinnies.

PS A beautiful Vinnies lady gave me your magazine to read. I loved it, especially that article.

A.K., Queensland

T h e r e co r d | S u m m e r 2010 -2011

I have been saddened by the way that the Society in NSW seemed to have lost its way: putting fundraising and glitz above our Vincentian vocation of social justice.

I am relieved that change is happening here but life goes on for most Conference members regardless.

One other thing. You made me look twice when I saw the picture on page 11 of the last issue. It looked like graffiti and it had the words: Life is Revolution. This is not usually a word that I would associate myself with, as I am a grandmother and a lover of peace and quiet, but when I saw these words in The Record it made me think that it is true. It is now true for the Society in NSW (Thank God) and it is true for all Christians who take the teachings of our Lord seriously. So, thank you for making me think!

Name supplied, Sydney, NSW The Record welcomes letters but we reserve the right to edit them for legal reasons, space or clarity. Articles will be published only if full name and address and telephone numbers are provided, although the address will be withheld from publication if so requested.

Post to: The Record, PO Box 243, Deakin West ACT 2600 or email to admin@svdpnatcl.org.au.

Everyone whose letter is published will receive a free book courtesy of David Lovell Publishing.

SVDP Record

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