Monday, 19 September 2011

Cardijn in Australia Conference

‘CARDIJN IN AUSTRALIA: PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE’

Cardijn Community Australia is pleased to announce a Conference, to be held
Melbourne 4th – 6th November 2011.

The Conference

A conference to explore how the methods of Joseph Cardijn have been, are and can be used to deepen our faith and change our worlds.

Cardinal Joseph Cardijn’s exhortation – “You can make a difference!” – and his “See Judge Act” method empowered generations of youth around the world in the twentieth century. Melbourne once had the biggest Young Christian Worker movement in the world and, although their histories are not widely known, Cardijn youth movements made significant marks on Australian society.

At the same time Cardijn was also conscious of “the urgent need for an apostolate among adults without which, he said, “all the efforts of the young people will lead to a dead-end”. While Cardijn’s ideas were incorporated into some Vatican II documents, and continue to be incorporated in official church statements to the present time, there have been few attempts to form groups of adult lay Catholics to put his ideas into practice.

This conference will explore means by which Cardijn’s proven “See Judge Act” method might be developed among adults in parishes and elsewhere. Catholic parishes provide a strong platform for community leadership; a place to ask the question “Who is my neighbour?”

The conference will begin by looking back at the impressive achievements of the Young Christian Worker, Young Christian Student, and National Catholic Girls movements in Australia. This session will culminate with a presentation to Melbourne’s Archbishop Denis Hart of records of original YCW secretary Ted Long, a pioneer of Australia’s credit co-operative movement.

On Saturday our keynote address will be delivered (by video due to a late cancellation of his Qantas’ flight) by Bishop Eugene Hurley of Darwin. Panellists and speakers will tell of present-day experiences and initiatives, stimulating discussion and moving us on to our exercises in the Cardijn method.

Saturday and Sunday will mostly be given over to workshopping a Cardijn Training Manual, which has been specially drafted for the conference. We will see what a “Social Inquiry” looks like, find out how we can judge in the light of the gospel, and discover how common action can engage, empower and change. Together we will identify three issues at the heart of our local communities, and use the “See Judge Act” method to explore how these themes might become a part of our mission as church.

On Sunday we will conclude with a short review of the past few days, and look at ways by which we can go forward.

We hope you can join us.

The Place

Jump on a tram and you will find 2km east of Melbourne’s CBD, is the Thomas Carr Centre in East Melbourne. The central location makes it easy to get around and enjoy the sights of the city.

There are a number of accommodation options, ranging in price and ratings, nestled in the CBD, all within walking distance of public transport and the venue.

When

2.00 PM Friday 4th November – 3.00 PM Sunday 6th November 2011

Where
Friday 4th and Sunday 6th November:-

Cardinal Knox Centre (Diocesan Centre), Albert Street East Melbourne

(Note: The Cardinal Knox Centre  is situated on the south-west corner of Albert and Lansdowne Streets East Melbourne.  Entry via the carpark on Lansdowne Street.  Parking available in the carpark on Sunday.)
Saturday 5th November:-

Thomas Carr Centre (Catholic Theological College), Victoria Parade, East Melbourne.

(Note: The Thomas Carr Centre is situated on the south-west corner of Victoria Parade and Eades Street East Melbourne.  Entrance on Victoria Parade, parking available on surrounding streets.)

Map

Venue and accommodation options

We look forward to seeing you there!


Registration

Download forms here:

Registration

Conference Program

For more details, please write to us at: contact@cardijncommunityaustralia.org

Or contact

Ph: Miss Emma Jennings on 8392 9540

Email: conference@cardijn.catholic.edu.au

Accommodation

For those seeking budget priced and convenient accommodation during the conference, here are some possibilities:
  1. The Nunnery, 116 Nicholson Street Fitzroy, ph 1800 22 55 88.   Budget accommodation (about $30 per day, share rooms).  Opposite Exhibition Gardens, about 2 km from conference venue. http://www.nunnery.com.au/
  2. Melbourne Metro YHA, 78 Howard Street Melbourne, ph 03 9329 8599.  Budget, near Victoria Market, a tram trip from conference venue (about 3 km). http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/vic/melbourne/melbourne-metro/
  3. For locations and rates of other nearby hotels (upwards of $110 per night), search the web under “Hotel Club” (Melbourne).  The Metropole Hotel is about 400 metres from the venues.
  4. Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre, located about 150 metres from both of the venues, also has several well-appointed two-bedroom apartments available, with parking and self-serve breakfast provided: http://www.mmhc.org.au/
Further information on accommodation for a range of budgets is available on-line, at websites such as   www.check-in.com.au, or http://www.wotif.com/hotels/australia-melbourne-east-melbourne-hotels.html .  Areas to search for closest accommodation in are East Melbourne, Melbourne and Fitzroy.

Download this file for more info: Accommodation and maps

* Cardijn Community Australia is a national group instituted at a 2008 post ‘World Youth Day’ seminar in Melbourne, and which has since held a conference and also a workshop in Adelaide. CCA is supported by, but is entirely independent of, the Young Christian Worker and Young Christian Student organisations.

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Supporting single fathers

Fr Peter Carrucan (left) with Kevin Vaughan
Community Australia founder, Kevin Vaughan, is raising awareness of of the importance of fatherhood and supporting men separated from their children.

Kevin says the fact that so many children in our community are raised without their dad is a tragedy not only for the children, but also for their fathers, since, “there is a natural love between a father and his children”, Kairos magazine reports.

Three years ago Kevin started a Cardijn group in his parish at St Anne’s, Seaford in Melbourne’s south.
The group became interested in tackling the issue of fatherless families when parish priest Fr John Madden alerted members to the fact that 42 children from single-parent families within the parish were getting breakfast only three times a week.

The group attempted several initiatives, including setting up a scheme whereby men could become male role models for fatherless children in the parish.

Kevin says: “We came to the conclusion that the best male role model for a child is the child’s father.”
The group then began to focus on why separation happens and ways to support those who want to remain part of their children’s lives or reconnect with estranged children.

Kevin also started working with Fr Peter Carrucan at St Augustine’s Church in the city centre of Melbourne where he has started a drop-in centre fro separated dads.

“One guy told me he hadn’t seen his children for 11 years,” Fr Peter said. “Then, out of nowhere comes a letter from his daughter, who was 10 when he last saw her, inviting him to her 21st birthday so he is delighted. I think some men listen to the wrong voices. They put off contacting their children.

“Maybe it is fear that they might be rejected.”

FULL STORY

Supporting separated dads (Kairos, August 2011)

Fr Carrucan (left) and Kevin Vaughan with a picture of Cardinal Cardijn. Kevin belongs to a Cardijn group in his parish of St Anne’s, Seaford.