The story of Fr Henk Schram and the Sri Lanka YCW

Dutch historian Jo Schoormans has published a new article on the history of the Sri Lankan YCW and the role of Dutch-born YCW chaplain Father Henk Schram.

“From far Ceylon five former Young Christian Workers, now Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, come and show you [by way of letter] their gratitude and sympathy.” Belgian nuns wrote these words in 1947 to Joseph Cardijn, who was reputed as the great man of the YCW, writes Jo Schoormans.

“Some of the Sisters of Ragama, who payed a tribute to Joseph Cardijn, owed their religious vocation to the YCW. At the time, they were too busy caring for tubercular patients, unabling them to build up a youth movement. The sisters yearned for the opportunity of sacrificing themselves.0

“‘Ceylon’s sun is not too hot. The deaf and blind who have been entrusted to us, are not too exacting. Our beloved ones are not too far away, if one has good intentions and knows for whom one is working’, a sister wrote. In 1948, sisters could already inform YCW international headquarters of a movement of Catholic young workers in Colombo, led by fathers Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

Read the rest of Jo Schoorman’s article here:

Henk Schram (1919 – 84), Father of the workers

Filipino president seeks YCS help

Philippines President Benigno S. Aquino III has asked members of the Students Catholic Action of the Philippines for help to advance the nation’s bid for the Puerto Princesa Underground River to be declared as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

He made the pitch for the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) at the sidelight of his speech during the 10th Student Catholic Action of the Philippines (SCAP) National Leadership Conference Monday morning at the Fleurde-lis Theater of St. Paul University in Malate, Manila, Zamboanga Online reports.

The Students Catholic Action of the Philippines is the local affiliate of the International Young Christian Students (IYCS) movement.

“I need your help. I need text votes so that the Palawan underground river will be proclaimed as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature,” the President said as he urged the teachers and students present during the SCAP conference to take part in the government’s campaign to promote Palawan’s Underground River.

He noted that the Philippines has 80 million cell phones and one text vote for every cell phone user is really essential for the PPSRNP to win in the wonders of nature title. “Just TEXT PPUR and send it to 2861,” he stressed.

Puerto Princesa’s Underground River is one of the finalists competing with 28 other sites for the New 7 Wonders of Nature title.

PPSRNP is reputed to be the longest navigable underground river in the world at a length of 8.2 kilometers that winds through spectacular limestone formations before emptying out into the South China Sea.

SOURCE

Aquino reiterates calls for text vote for Palawan’s Underground River (Zamboanga Today)

IYCS leader visits India

International Young Christian Students leader Edouardo Koutsava from Togo talked to the YouthActiv8 website while on a visit to India.

Edouardo Koutsava, 33, is originally from Togo, Africa and is the first of six children. Since 1989, he was involved in YCS which attracted him because of the space and opportunity it provided to young people to live their motto of ‘See, Judge, Act.’ He served three years as a national leader in Togo before he was elected in 2007 as Secretary General of International Young Catholic Students (IYCS). He is much in favour of peace building initiatives and advocating the young people. Koutsava spoke to Nalini on the upcoming IYCS meet and many more.

Q: What is the purpose of your visit to India?

Edouardo Koutsava: I am in India in order to finalise the preparation of the global “study” session, the world council of my organisation which is the International Young Catholic Students.

Why in India?

We have presence in 87 countries. India was selected because it has a wide ground of different topics, its different religions, culture and diversity. There is the issue of poverty, how the government is coming out. There are different types of subjects. India is offering us a space to go into concrete studies and find solutions to problems. To see how they can face the challenges that the world is facing now.

FULL INTERVIEW

Innovative youth leader (YouthActiv8)

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

L to R: Fr RV Mathias, Fr Thomas Joseph, CCI Convenor MJ Ruben

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

M. J. Ruben

CCI International Convenor,
Chennai, India
March 31, 2011

Liberation theologian Fr Jose Comblin dies at 88

Belgian-born liberation theologian and former YCW chaplain Jose Comblin has died in Brazil at the age of 88.

Born in Brussels in 1923, Comblin died Sunday at a hospital in the city of Salvador, Canadian Press reports.

He was ordained in 1947 and came to Brazil for the first time in 1958 in response to a request from Pope Pius XII for European priests to act as voluntary missionaries in regions that lacked priests, Iglesia Descalza reports.

He initially settled in Campinas, in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo where he served as a professor and got close to the Juventud Obrera Católica (Young Catholic Workers), for whom he worked as an adviser.

In Sao Paulo, where he stayed until 1962 before traveling to Chile, he was professor in the Dominican School of Theology to friars who distinguished themselves later as liberation theologians and in the resistance to the Brazilian dictatorship, including Frei Betto and Frei Tito.

He later worked in Chile, teaching at or leading seminaries there.

He was expelled from both Brazil and Chile for his views.

Father Comblin, who had heart problems and used a pacemaker, was found dead in the room where he was staying by other religious who were waiting for him for morning prayers and were surprised at his delay, reports Claudio Carvalhes citing Brazilian sources.

He is to be buried in a small town in the impoverished Brazilian state of Paraíba according to his wishes, said spokespersons for the Archdiocese of Barra, which is also in the state of Bahía where he lived.

Comblin was one of the followers and main advisers to the Brazilian bishop Hélder Cámara, the defender of human rights and the Church’s option for the poor, who came to be known as the “Red bishop” during the Brazilian dictatorship.

SOURCE

Jose Comblin, Catholic priest and renowned liberation theologist, dies in Brazil (Canadian Press)

In Memoriam: Fr. José Comblin (Iglesia Descalza)

In Memoriam: Fr. José Comblin (Claudio Carvalhes)

PHOTO

LuisCarlos Diaz (Flickr/CC 2.0)

Green World Youth Day goes global

Treeplanting at Green World Youth Day 2008World Youth Day organizers say that this year’s program in Madrid, Spain, will be environmentally friendly and 100% natural.

The organizers of the August event announced on Thursday the program called “100% Natural,” which expresses the commitment to hold a non-contaminating event, Zenit reports.

“To hand over a land in good conditions to the new generations is a concern of every Christian and hence also for the World Youth Day,” said Eva Latonda who is in charge of the “100% Natural” program.

Organizers explained that Zeroemissions company will calculate the carbon cost of 2011 World Youth Day and will compensate through voluntary carbon credits.

Carbon credits will be obtained from five projects on various continents: a field of wind power in New Caledonia, a mini-hydraulic project in the Honduras, a reforestation project in Uganda, and two projects of recovery of methane in rubbish dumps of China and Turkey.

“This is a major step forward for World Youth Day,” said Stefan Gigacz, CCI Secretary and formerly Coordinator of the Green World Youth Day 2008 project.

Green WYD was organised by the Young People for Development network in partnership with the Holy Eucharist parish, St Albans in Melbourne, Australia. CCI was also a partner for the event.

“CCI is proud to have been a co-partner in this magnificent effort,” said CCI convenor MJ Ruben.

SOURCE

Organizers Prepare for “Green” World Youth Day (Zenit)

Green World Youth Day

PHOTO

Green World Youth 2008

Condolences and prayers for our Japanese friends

CCI wishes to express its condolences to the Japanese people in their moment of grave need following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant explosions.

“Continue to pray for the people of Japan,” CCI convenor MJ Ruben said.

“YPD and YCW friends in Japan are safe, according to information received from them,” Ruben added.

“The entire world is in grip of fear and uncertainty,” he continued in a Facebook post.

“All the development and progress made can be wiped out in seconds by natural disasters. The greatest need of the hour is the stress on ‘ecological education’. There is no other alternative but to stop abusing nature and a rethinking on the type of ‘technology of death and destruction,'” Ruben noted.

PHOTO AND VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-zfCBCq-8I

CCI STATEMENT

IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE SUFFERING PEOPLE OF JAPAN

Dear Friends,

As news of fresh disasters – both natural and man made – come in each day, the entire world is in deep sorrow and solidarity with the people of Japan.

Cardijn Community International (CCI) expresses its deepest condolences to the affected people and appeal to everyone of you to urge your government, civil society organisations and communities to render all possible assistance and cooperation to Japan at this hour of great tragedy.

CCI appeals to all concerned to join its global call to all governments to give up destructive technologies including nuclear technology and begin to develop eco-friendly and alternative technologies.

All our efforts towards development and improvement in the lives of the people become futile in the face of nature’s fury. Therefore, let us learn to stop abusing nature and promote harmony between humanity and nature. The need of the hour is ‘education in ecology’.

United in prayers with you for the people of Japan and hoping that no such calamitis recur in any part of the world,

In Solidarity,

for International Coordination of CCI,

M. J. Ruben

International Convenor.

CCI India completes Training of Trainers

CCI India this week successfully completed the second part of its Training of Trainers program in Madurai, Tamil Madu.

Twelve trainers took part in the event which featured presenters on Hinduism, Islam and Atheism as well as documents on Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism.

A draft training module on See Judge Act is nearly ready for publication following a review at the gathering.

Cardijn Community International will jointly publish the module with CCI India with 1000 copies to be printed.