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Joseph Cardijn Memorial Mass

07.07.17

Special Guest Speaker:

Natalie Walters - 1992 Joseph Cardijn Award recipient.

A long time ago I was sitting where you are and I wouldn't be standing here today talking to you if it wasn't for my son Gabriel who is currently in Year 12, asking me to do this. He may be able to sing in front of big crowds but I don't think he got his courage from me!  

24 years ago, I was awarded the Joseph Cardijn award. Back then I was pretty embarrassed to be chosen but when I walked into this hall when Gabes started at Cardijn and was able to show him my name on that board up there, it felt like a big deal. It was a proud moment. It was a proud moment because of what that award represents and what it says about who I am in the world. 

Despite that I was surprised to be asked to speak today. I haven't done anything that our society would consider to be great or successful. But then it struck me that very few of us do actually achieve this kind of status, but we all have the chance to do great things in small ways. 

If you attend Cardijn there’s no way you haven’t heard, many times in fact, the motto of See, Judge, Act. It’s simple, but it’s also not. Cardijn taught us to be seekers, to remain curious about what is happening around us. But he also taught us that we can’t stand outside of that curiosity. We are called to participate and engage with what happens around us. Actions don’t have to be grand gestures. They don’t have to be witnessed or acknowledged. They can be small everyday things that we do. Sounds simple enough, but in order to do so you need to ask yourself, what am I willing to stand for? What world do I want to be a part of? What do I want to create?

Every day we are bombarded with terrifying news, terrorism, domestic violence, war, trauma and it’s easy to feel removed from that and think that there’s nothing I can do about this global scale pain and injustice. But there is. Joseph Cardijn believed that change can only happen from within. He walked with the young workers he endeavoured to support and inspire. He worked on the ground and in amongst the people that he wanted to help. But again, we won’t all end up like Cardijn. I am certain that 50 years after my death no-one will still be talking about all the great things that I did or said.

But if change happens from within, then the most powerful way I can live those words, SEE, JUDGE, ACT is by applying them to myself. What do I see in myself in this moment? Do I speak the truth with those I interact with? What kind of person am I with the people around me? Do I act with integrity and respect for all people I come across? Do I include people who have been marginalised and rejected as Cardijn would have? A while ago I was standing in a line in a café in Glenelg with a few friends waiting to be served. It’s an organic café that talks about clean living and the simple life. While we waited a local homeless man wandered to the counter and asked for a coffee. The woman behind the coffee machine was rude and impatient. Now I get that they are running a business, but she spoke to the man as though he was rubbish. She demeaned him and shamed him. And yet such was his need that he still asked if he could just have a cup of hot water. Pretty simple request but he was still declined and with such denigration that I felt grief witnessing this. The barista wasn’t obliged to serve him, but she also didn’t need to shame him. Without a word amongst us the group I was with quickly gathered funds and purchased the man coffee and a breakfast. One of us called him back and got him a table and I don’t think I will ever forget the look on his face when he realised what we were doing.

Cardijn believed in the dignity and importance of all people. My own motto is the human in me sees the human in you. No matter who you are or what you have done we have that in common, therefore I am called to treat you with respect and with dignity and to help where I can. We don’t come across homeless people in need every day, however we do come across humans in need every day. We have all had that friend in class who we can clearly see is struggling, just ask them how they are, or if they need anything. There is always that person who is different, who has few if any friends. If you can’t invite them in, at least don’t make it harder for them. There is always that person who is at the centre of the latest gossip or someone who is being bullied, physically or emotionally. Ultimately, stand up for them. If they are supported by one person then they aren’t as marginalised as they were before. And if you can’t do that, and not everyone can, but if you can’t then at least don’t add to it. How we act with one another in our own communities is a microcosm of what we want to send out to the rest of the world. The ripples of change begin with who we are in our world. What we see, what we think, and how we act on that. It sounds simple, and overly optimistic but I do believe this with all of my heart, and so did Cardijn and we are still talking about him 50 years after his death, so he was clearly on to something!

I will finish up with what is said to be Joseph Cardijn’s favourite and also final words, “We are just beginning”. I think that in every moment we are just beginning. We have a fresh start in every moment to be and create what we hope for ourselves and for those around us. I don’t always get it right. Gabes will attest to that! But I am always willing to acknowledge where I get it wrong and to take up that next beginning and that next call to action. We are just beginning!