November 2024
Lumen Gentium 60 - Student leader to be canonized - Pope calls for renewal of Church history - Solidarity with Lebanon
Lumen Gentium 60
Dear Friends,
This week marks the 60th anniversary of Lumen Gentium, the great Vatican II document on the Church with its pathbreaking Chapter 4 on The Laity.
It's therefore appropriate that we include in this newsletter a video from this year's Cardijn Lecture by Dr Pat Jones, who shares her memories of Patrick Keegan, the great English YCW leader, lay apostolate pioneer and the lay auditor who was the first to address the Council.
We note that Pope Francis has announced the canonisation of young Italians, including Pier Giorgio Frassati, an active member of the Italian Catholic Student Movement, which is part of Pax Romana IMCS.
We also highlight the pope's call for a renewal of the study of Church history.
Last month, we mentioned the actio of the Lebanese Young Christian Students to asist people fleeing war. Now, we present a series of testimonies of their experience and their action.
Once we have a Gospel Enquiry by Pat Branson while Richard Pütz reflects on the essence of theology.
Finally, we remember three pioneers of the US Young Christian Workers who have died recently.
The Cardijn Associates Team
Pope Francis calls for renewal of Church history
In a newly published letter, Pope Francis has called for a renewed study of Church history, emphasising collective memory, reconciliation, and a deeper engagement with primary sources to navigate the present with wisdom and faith, Vatican News reports.
He urged seminarians, clergy, and the faithful to embrace history, which continues to play a role in their daily lives.
Reflecting on the value of history as a communal inheritance, he stressed the need to keep “the flame of collective conscience alive,” he said, explaining that by doing so, the faithful can navigate the present with a clearer sense of perspective, rooted in the Church’s lived experience across centuries.
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Pope calls for renewal of Church history
Catholic student leader, Pier Giorgio Frassati, to be canonized
Pope Francis has announced the canonisation in 2024 of two young Catholics, Italian student leader, Pier Giorgio Frassati, and Carlo Acutis, a teenage digital technology devotee.
The canonisation of Carlo Acutis will take place during the Church’s Jubilee of Teenagers, scheduled from April 25–27, 2025 while Pier Giorgio Frassati’s canonization will follow later, during the Jubilee of Youth from July 28 to August 3, 2025.
Commenting on Facebook, Pax Romana IMCS leaders noted that “Frassati’s legacy of faith, service, and social justice continues to inspire Catholic youth worldwide to live out their faith in action, embodying the mission of Pax Romana!”
In 1938, YCW founder, Mgr (later Cardinal) Joseph Cardijn wrote to Pope Pius XI backing a call to launch the beatification process for Pier Giorgio.
READ MORE
Student leaders to be canonised
Lebanon YCS organise relief for war refugees
The Young Christian Students (JEC or YCS) movement is in the front lines of the current war in Lebanon.
On 9 September, movement leaders shared their experiences via Zoom with their counterparts from the French JEC (YCS).
In this article, we present the testimonies of movement leaders, learn of their actions and provide an opportunity for our readers to show solidarity.
READ MORE
Solidarity with the Lebanese JEC (YCS) (Solidarity Planet)
DONATE HERE
https://www.helloasso.com/associations/jec/formulaires/3/en
Cardijn Lecture: Patricia Jones: Patrick Keegan at Vatican
Dr Patricia Jones, a former member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and lay auditor at the 1987 Synod on Laity, presented the Cardijn Lecture 2024 on 14 November.
Her subject was “Patrick Keegan, first lay auditor to address Vatican II.”
WATCH THE VIDEO
Gospel: The tomb of prophets
One of the topics focused on in talkback radio recently was the Australian Government’s attempt to provide support for parents who feel powerless in the face of the destructive power of the algorithms used to control their children’s lives, writes Pat Branson.
The Australian Catholic Social Justice Statement for 2019-2020, titled Making It Real, deals with this threat. It is worth the time you take to find it online … in the statement, the authors refer to Pope Francis’ assertion that the Internet is a gift from God … because the authors of the statement address the very same issues highlighted by the Australian Government in its media releases about the purpose of the Bill that will be presented in the Federal Parliament before the end of the current sitting.
If you are reading this Gospel Enquiry, then you are already on the digital highway referred to in Making It Real.
DO THE GOSPEL ENQUIRY
The tomb of prophets (Gospel Enquiries)
Reflection: Theology, a catalyst for world change
In this month's Cardijn Reflection, Richard Pütz ponders the essence of theology. On the one hand, it's the systematic study of religious beliefs, concepts, and practices, he writes. At its core, theology examines questions about:
The nature of the divine/sacred
Religious texts and their interpretation
Faith and religious experience
Religious doctrine and traditions
The relationship between religion and other aspects of human life (ethics, culture, society)
On the other hand, there is a personal experience to theology that often is more focused on the "lived" experiences of meeting the Significant Other we call God.
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Richard Pütz, Theology, a catalyst for world change (Cardijn Reflections)
Remembering Thomas J. McEntee, Laura Cattarin & Mary Anne (Gilsdorf) Pable
This month we remember three former US YCW leaders who have died recently.
Thomas J. McEntee (photo) was an active member in Northern Kentucky and participated in several Civil Rights Marches. He was proud to say that he marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr.
Laura Cattarin (photo) from San Francisco met her future beloved husband and soulmate Gino Angelo Cattarin, at a YCW event in 1950.
Mary Anne (Gilsdorf) Pable from Wisconsin met Lawrence John Pable (Larry) at the Young Christian Workers group in Fond du Lac where she served as Vice President and Larry as the President. Mary and Larry wed on September 24, 1958 at St. Mary’s in Fond du Lac in a marriage mass officiated by Fr. Martin Pable, OFM Cap, Larry’s brother. They then joined the Christian Family Movement and served as active members for several years.
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Thomas J. McEntee (Connley Bros)
Laura Cattarin (Legacy)
Mary Anne (Gilsdorf) Pable (KFIZ)
Editorial Note: The purpose of the Cardijn Associates USA Newsletter is to share information and promote discussion. Citing or linking to articles does not imply any endorsement by Cardijn Associates of the authors' views.
Cardijn Associates USA
Contact: cardijnassociates@gmail.com