The success of the Edmund Rice Social Justice Forums

The Edmund Rice Social Jsutice forums are now an annual event where young people from all the schools and ministries are brought together for a day to jointly explore the Social Justice dimensions of the faith journey. Mark McGlaughlin provided this report and the photos of the forum held in Adelaide on 25th July.

N MONDAY. 25th JULY, eighty participants gathered for a Forum highlighting Social Justice issues at a global, national, local and personal level. The Forum, an initiative of the Christian Brothers Province Formation Team (SA/WA) was organised in partnership with Edmund Rice Ministries in South Australia. A planning committee made up of representatives from Christian Brothers College, St Paul's College and Rostrevor began meeting in March and worked enthusiastically to ensure that the Forum touched both the minds and hearts of participants.

The rationale for the gathering can be located within the three stories which Edmund Rice ministries in 2005 seek to express through their mission. At the core of our existence is the message of Jesus, who defined his ministry as one which seeks to "set the captives free". Our Founder, Edmund Rice, recognised that the liberation of the poor was key to Christian mission: "Were we to know the merit and value of going from one street to another to serve a neighbour for the love of God, we would prize it more than gold or silver" [letter from Edmund Rice to Brian Bolger, 10th August, 1810]. The Christian Brothers, who have laid the foundations upon which our ministries now sit, asserted in their most recent Chapter document of 2002 that the prophetic call to seek Justice must be the cornerstone of all future works. Clearly these three defining stories place Social Justice at the heart of our personal and vocational mission.

The organising committee was keen to make the Forum accessible to as many people as possible and hence promotional material was sent to all metropolitan Catholic schools, all Independent Colleges and a number of key Catholic Welfare Agencies. It was wonderful that four staff from Sacred Heart College and three representatives from a Justice Action Group at Seaford responded to the invitation and participated in the gathering. As an Edmund Rice community, we were also delighted that St John's Whyalla and Edmund Rice Camps were represented. Senior students from Rostrevor, St Paul's and CBC were also present on the day and added a richness that only youth can bring to such dialogue.

The format of the day was three tiered. Session One began with an inspirational and challenging keynote address from Phil Glendenning, one of Australia's leading authorities on Social Justice. Phil is Director of the Edmund Rice Centre for Social Justice and Community Education in Sydney and his field experiences in countries like Bangladesh and Rwanda, his research skills in producing documents like the 2004 'Deported to Danger' and his passionate voice of advocacy on behalf of the marginalised, all combined to leave his audience awe struck. The stakes were raised very early in the keynote when Phil left the audience pondering with the following: "If as committed Social Justice practitioners, whether it be as teachers in Edmund Rice schools or service providers in other ministries, we are not drawing flak from mainstream society then we need to ask ourselves if we are actually over the target or simply flying in the comfort zone of the status quo".

Session Two provided the opportunity for participants to select two of nine workshop offerings. Workshops were:

• Baxter: a view from the inside
• Beyond Sudan: a journey to belong
• Our Future begins with solidarity
• HIV/AIDS in Adelaide: a real story
• Fair Trade: the price of consumers' conscience (repeated)
• Justice within our Sacred Story: a scriptural perspective
• Care for the Future: ecological justice
• From Charity to Justice: a project for change in the Solomon Islands
• Injustice on our doorstep: recognising domestic violence.

Presenters Sr Anne Higgins (Pt Pirie), Bol Ring Macher, Kylie Agale (WA), Krine McGlaughlin, Damian Norris (WA), Fr Tony Papps, Br Peter Faulkner, Br Patrick Cronin, Nicole Lionnet and Kathy Lilis gave generously of their expertise and time in delivering informative and thought provoking workshops..

Session Three provided space for group reflection and the sharing of insights gained from the workshops in light of the earlier keynote address. The discussions were intense and reflected the level of engagement with the subject matter. Feedback from the table groups certainly highlighted three common threads connecting the day's conversations.

"The importance of establishing a personal relationship with those with whom we walk in the pursuit of justice cannot be overstated. Embracing personal story is the key that unlocks preconceived ideas and judgements about people's way of life."

"We have all participated in a First World transition of emphasis from society/community to one of economy/marketplace and from that of citizen/neighbour to one of onsumer/customer."

"Genuine Justice people are not people of misery and doom but are people of hope and change."

Educators are at the helm in the process of helping young people understand that every individual is capable of making a difference to our world.

Our gathering was enriched by two uplifting prayerful rituals, thanks to the spiritual genius of Shaun Clarke along with the support of CBC colleagues Martin Snigg and John Fanning. A special thanks to Rostrevor for making their facilities available to us for the day.

The day was certainly an authentic "conversation of hearts". Participants left with a fire burning in their bellies — a fire that hopefully will ignite others within their ministries.

Mark McGlaughlin (Director of Formation, HSP) on behalf of the organising committee:
Br John Ahern (RC): Heather Hier (SPC); Lynne Moten (RC) Mara Pila (SPC); John Fanning (CBC)
Gloria Calton (SPC); Shaun Clarke (CBC); Richard Mavros (PFT); Martin Snigg (CBC)