March 2025
Maintain hope: Cardinal McElroy - Child labor - Christian nationalism
Maintaining hope
Dear Friends,
At his recent installation as archbishop of Washington DC, Cardinal McElroy emphasised the need to maintain hope, a theme that emerges in several of this month's articles.
We need to maintain hope in the face of the challenge of child labor, as Krisha Mae Cabrera has pointed out, as well as that of rising Christian nationalism, as Richard Pütz also suggests in his Cardijn Reflection.
This month, Pat Branson begins a series of Lenten reflections while Stefan Gigacz recalls the prophetic encounter between Cardijn and Pope Pius XI in 1925 and notes that, not just the YCW, but several of the Cardijn-inspired youth movements are nearing their own centenaries.
With one hundred years of history behind us, we can surely look forward in hope to a second century of apostolic lay action inspired by those movements.
And, in a genuine sign of hope, we are pleased to share the news that our friend, Deacon Chris Derige Malano CSP; will be ordained as a Paulist priest in New York on Saturday May 17. Our prayers are with you, Chris!
Finally, we remember former Brooklyn YCW leader, Clare McHugh Lagersini, who died recently.
And we honour the French YCW leader, Blessed Marcel Callo, who died at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp eighty years ago this month on 19 March 1945. Marcel is pictured above in a fresco at the Diocese of Rennes with his fiancée Marguerite Derniaux, who survived him and attended his beatification ceremony in Rome in 1987.
The Cardijn Associates Team
Maintain hope, like Chilean miners: Cardinal Robert McElroy at installation
Chilean miners trapped underground did not lose hope, Cardinal Robert McElroy recalled at the mass for his installation as the new archbishop of Washington DC.
After thanking his predecessor and paying tribute to Pope Francis and his nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Cardinal McElroy continued:
On August 5, 2010, there was a massive cave-in in the vast Copiapo copper mine in Chile. Because of the negligence of the mine operator, elementary safety protocols had been ignored and 33 miners were trapped in a small crevice deep within the earth. With very limited provisions of food and water, the miners realized the gravity of their peril. News reports stated that the situation was hopeless, that the cave-in had destroyed so many avenues of access that it would be impossible to rescue anyone who might have survived.
But the miners did not lose hope.
READ MORE
Hope the challenge: Cardinal McElroy
Analysis: We must act on child labor
n his first general audience of the year, Pope Francis called on the global community to eradicate child labor, urging that we "cannot remain indifferent, cannot accept that little sisters and brothers, rather than being loved and protected, may have their childhood taken from them, their dreams," writes Krisha Mae Cabrera.
At least 160 million children worldwide are exploited through child labor, a crisis that continues to affect the most vulnerable people. The pope's call for global action is an urgent call to service — one that asks us to uphold justice and dignity for every child.
Child labor doesn't exist through isolated cases — it happens through massive, organized global systems. Corporate giants rely on labor abuses across supply chains and manufacturing. Rapid algorithm-driven trends incentivize fast fashion giants like Shein and Temu to cut corners and pursue faster production models.
Beyond fashion, businesses like HelloFresh — the largest meal kit company in the U.S. — promise convenience while allegedly relying on labor from migrant children. The true cost of cheap, easy purchasing comes in the suffering of millions, including child laborers, across every step of production in industries that affect our daily lives.
READ MORE
Pope Francis called for an end to child labor, and we must act (National Catholic Reporter)
Video: A prophetic encounter: Cardijn, Pope Pius XI and the YCW
Stefan Gigacz presented a webinar earlier this month entitled "From the periphery to the centre: Cardijn, Pius XI and the YCW: A prophetic encounter."
It commemorated the centenary of Cardijn’s landmark first meeting with Pope Pius XI when the pontiff gave his enthusiastic approval to the emerging movement of the Young Christian Workers (YCW).
WATCH THE VIDEO
Reflection: What would Cardijn & Louis Putz say about Christian Nationalism?
I have often wondered what Joseph Cardijn or Louis Putz CSC would say today as we see the rise of Christian Nationalism in the US and other Western Nations, asks Richard Pûtz. The version of Christian Nationalism they would have been most familiar with was in the 1930s, and the "flavor" was fascism of a German style.
Both men strongly advocated Catholic Social Teaching, which is becoming increasingly the best-kept secret in the Church.
Despite some superficial similarities, Catholic Social Teaching and Christian Nationalism represent fundamentally different approaches to the relationship between Christianity and the state.
READ MORE
Ever wonder what Joseph Cardijn and Louis Putz would say about Christian Nationalism? (Cardijn Reflections)
Gospel: Lent 2025
It is the beginning of Lent, writes Pat Branson, and I am sitting here reflecting on the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent.
During this season of Lent, I will post edited versions of the Gospel Enquiries that I have previously written for the five Sundays of Lent.
We pray in the Our Father “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” because the common human experience is to be tempted to replace God’s will with our own will. Jesus knew this well and he battled with that temptation throughout his life. We begin this season of Lent with a reflection on Jesus’ experience of being tempted to put himself before his Father. He shows us that we have to be uncompromising in our response to temptation.
READ MORE
Pat Branson, First Sunday of Lent, Year C (Gospel Enquiries)
History: More Cardijn movement centenaries coming up
The fact that this year is celebrated as the centenary of the foundation of the JOC raises the question: When were the other Specialised Catholic Action movements for young people founded?
In fact, someone asked me just this week when the Jeunesse Etudiante Catholique (JEC) or Young Christian Students (YCS) was founded.
To answer this, we need to look at two events that took place in Belgium in August 1927. Historian Roger Aubert explained the story in his 1972 article entitled “Organisation et caractère des mouvements de jeunesse catholique en Belgique” (Organisation and character of Catholic youth movements in Belgium).
READ MORE
Stefan Gigacz, Centenaries, centenaries: JOC, JEC, JAC, JUC, JIC… (Cardijn Research)
News briefs
RIP Clare McHugh Lagermasini
Clare (McHugh) Lagermasini, 89, a former New Jersey YCW leader, who spent her life promoting peace and social justice causes, died on November 20, 2024.
READ MORE
Obituary: Clare McHugh Lagermasini (Montclair Local)
Priestly ordination of Deacon Chris Derige Malano CSP
DETAILS HERE
https://bridgingourworlds.wordpress.com/save-the-dates/priestly-ordination/
Editorial Note: The purpose of the Cardijn Associates Newsletter is to share information and promote discussion. Citing or linking to articles does not imply any endorsement of the authors' views.
Cardijn Associates USA
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