Cardijn Community International (CCI) was formally launched in Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh in India on 19 February 2012.

Hyderabad is the fourth most populous city in India with an area of 650 sq k.ms (250 sq miles). Hyderabad is also a major global centre for IT and bio-pharmaceutical industries.

Around 50 former leaders of YCS, YCW and CWM participated in the one day launch program which started with a mass by Fr. Thumma Arla, a former animator of YCS and the Director of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre. The Diocesan President of CWM and the Diocesan Youth Director, Fr. Fatima Reddy also attended.

Ms Elizabeth Martin, a former YCW welcomed the gathering and introduced the CCI National Leaders and the International Secretary General.

CCI was formally launched by lighting the lamp by Fr. Thumma Arla and other CCI leaders present.
James Sylvester, a former YCS leader and currently member of the CCI-India Volunteer Team steered the day’s program.

Fr. Thumma Arla assured his support in the efforts to promote Cardijn. He emphasized on the need to ‘See-Judge-Act’ in the light of the Gospel values. Fr. Thumma appealed to the CCI to help him re-activate the Pastoral Centre and put it to proper use and expressed that CCI is always welcome to make use of the Centre.

Xavier Anthony, CCI National President extended the greetings on behalf of the National Team.
Ms Glynis Joseph, National Secretary stressed on the need for clear financial perspectives and self-financing.

Clifford Bastian, Member of the CCI-India National Team, who is also a former YCW of Hyderabad recalled his days in the YCW here and wished the Hyderabad CCI all the best.

M. J. Ruben, CCI Secretary General congratulated the Hyderabad Chapter for the launch. In his brief intervention he covered on the origin and objective of CCI and gave a general view of the functioning of the movement at the international level.

All the former leaders were very excited to meet each other after 20 to 30 years and they were very jubilant that such an opportunity was created by CCI.

There was a feeling of emotion clubbed with gratitude to the Cardijn movements which formed them. In their personal testimony, all those who spoke acknowledged that ‘they are what they are today only because of the formation they received through the Cardijn movements’.

The forenoon session ended with lunch.

Thirty-five members enthusiastically attended the post lunch planning session in which the members continued their testimonies.

Two factors emerged very clearly from the testimonies, i.e. i) Cardijn is the binding factor among all of them; and ii) through the formation in Cardijn movements, they have a ‘special identity’ which is opposed to the ‘identity’ imposed by the consumer culture promoted by globalisation.

All of them felt that there is a need to continue to work to restore human dignity and that they should function as a group. All of them wanted to be part of the CCI.

At the concluding session, James Sylvester proposed formation of an ad-hoc team to work out modalities for regular meetings, activities, etc. and it was agreed.

After consultation in small groups, a seven member team was nominated as the Coordinating Team of CCI-Hyderabad with Ms Elizabeth Martin as the Coordinator; the members of the team are: James Sylvester, I. Prakasham, Martin Michael, Patrick Fernandez, Manasa Janaki and John.

An appeal was made to those who would like to be part of the team to contact the Coordinator and to take part in the next meeting.

The grand launch program followed hectic preparations and contact work done by James Sylvester, Martin Michael and Ms Elizabeth Martin.

The National leaders of CCI-India and the CCI Secretary-General appreciate and congratulate the efforts of the organising team in bringing Hyderabad into CCI fold.

Report: MJ Ruben, CCI Secretary-General

Indian priest, Father Thomas Joseph, 92, recalls his meeting with late Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, founder of the YCW.

The nonagenarian priest says he was totally unprepared when his archdiocese appointed him workers’ chaplain in 1950, www.ucanindia.in reports. His only brief was to help in Catholic workers’ faith formation and organize them for their socio economic welfare.

“It was mainly to keep them away from communists,” he said with hindsight.

Inexperienced as he was, he began visiting workers’ families and their leaders. “I found workers helplessness and marginalized from one generation to the other.”

Trade unions controlled only the organized workers and used them for political purposes. And there was none to take care of the unorganized.

“I too felt helpless. My long years of formation did not help,” the priest explained. So, he attended a course in industrial relation at the Oxford University.

FULL STORY

Church needs to renew workers movement: Priest (ucanindia.in)

Dr Race Mathews

The Mondragon worker cooperatives founded by Father Jose-Maria Arizmendiarrietta in Spain's Basque region were inspired and launched through the enquiry method of the YCW, according to former Australian parliamentarian Dr Race Mathews.

The Mondragon cooperatives now employ over 80,000 workers in 17 countries.

"The cooperatives' triumph is attributable overwhelmingly to key attributes that set them aside from comparable conventional enterprises," Dr Mathews writes in Eureka Street.

"Not to be overlooked are the conceptual framework that underlies the cooperatives, as well as the enduring solidarity and subsidiarity values that enliven them. These are the legacy to the cooperatives of their founder, the Basque priest Don Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta.

"Internalised and in part secularised as the values and framework have so largely become, they stem directly from the unswerving adherence by Arizmendiarrieta to formation in the 'see, judge, act' or 'inquiry' study circle mould, as developed within the Young Christian Workers unionist movement.

"As recalled by one of the five lay co-founders of the cooperative group, 'Father Arizmendi organised specialist courses on sociology to which he invited economics professors ... His ecclesiastical training led him towards being a practical apostle. He not only tried to give guidelines on what should be the model for the ideal enterprise, but he put that social enterprise to which he aspired into practice.'

"The benefits of this model of industry underpinned by Catholic social values are manifold," Dr Mathews concludes.

But, "why is the Church in the English speaking world so largely silent about the Mondragon cooperatives' success in bringing to fruition the long struggle in the cause of its social teachings?" Dr Mathews asks.

SOURCE

Catholic social solutions to workplace fairness (Eureka Street)

explains the influence of the YCW and Cardijn on Father Jose-Maria Arizmendiarrietta, the founder of Mondragon workers cooperatives in Spain.

New Zealand trade unionist talks about his experience with imprisoned Thai ex-YCW fulltimer Somyot Pruksakasemsuk.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, CCI will hold a conference on the theme "Vatican 2 + 50: A Cardijn Perspective" to be held at the Pius XII Centre, Manila from 11-14 October 2012.

The aim of the conference will be to launch a three year project by CCI to study the spirit and teachings of Vatican II and their implementation, particularly in relating to Catholic social teaching and the lay apostolate.

This will be done from the perspective of the spirituality and methodology of the late Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers (YCW) movement as well as a Council Father at Vatican II.

In the lead up to the conference, CCI will also launch a preparatory enquiry to begin the process of evaluating how far the spirit and teachings of Vatican II with regard to social teachings and lay participation have been promoted, understood and implemented.

Preparation for the event will also focus in particular on the two conciliar documents: Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution On the Church In the Modern World, and
Apostolicam Actuositatem, Decree On the Apostolate of the Laity.

Joseph Cardijn took part in the Council first as a consultant to the Commission on Lay Apostolate from 1962-65 and later as a Council Father in the Fourth Session of the Council after he was made a bishop and cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

"Cardijn gave three speeches on the floor of the Council on the themes: Religious Freedom, Young People and the Developing World, and Workers in the World," noted CCI President Stefan Gigacz. "He also prepared two more speeches on the Lay Apostolate and the Life and Ministry of the Priest that he was unable to deliver orally."

"We hope also to work on these six themes that Cardijn emphasised over the next three years of our project," Mr Gigacz added.

More details of the conference will be posted here and on our dedicated website: www.vatican2plus50.com