Text: Rosemary Read at 25th Anniversary of Vocation for Justice

Rosemary Read

Rosemary Read is in-coming President of the National Council for Lay Associations. A former National Justice and Peace Network Fieldworker, she is a long serving justice and peace worker in Nottingham Diocese. In 2004 she spent three months in Israel/Palestine as an accompanier with the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine & Israel.

My remit is to talk about Justice. I’m lucky to have had experience of living in Kenya, visiting Zimbabwe and Zambia because of my Jesuit connections, going to Central America through CAFOD, living and working in inner city parish in England, and of course visiting Peru through an exposure trip with the Columbans.

In terms of the Columbans, I can remember one of the founders, Ed O’Connell, stuffing envelopes with Vocation for Justice while helping out in a busy parish at Easter. Also, the Columbans taking on mailing the newsletter of the National Justice & Peace Network of England and Wales and expanding the circulation. It was Ed’s idea to get J&P Fieldworkers to meet together regularly. There were only four of us the first time we had an overnight meeting.

In terms of the theme of JUSTICE, what are some of the achievements over 25 years:

The ending of Apartheid – it is great to see Mildred Neville here, a former Director of the Catholic Institute for International Relations (now Progressio) which did so much work in this area.

Northern Ireland moves towards peace and the role of Pax Christi in peace-building there.

The Debt Campaign – how many in the global south now receive education, better health etc because of the cancellation of debt?

Fairtrade – my local supermarket now carries 80 fairtrade items.

AND it is almost OK to mention Justice and Peace with “ordinary” Catholics. Thousands now respond to campaigns, writing to MPs, MEPs and local councilors about things: and we tell them that we do it as a matter of faith. We are a faith that does justice. None of our work is achieved completely and there are plenty of works in progress.

Home issues are right up the agenda -such as migrant workers, trafficked people, homeless people, the poor and marginalised. I thank God for the Catholic Association for Racial Justice, Church Action on Poverty and Housing Justice.

We’ve become more ecumenical and more inter-faith.

Banking and international finance are on our agendas. At least the Tobin Tax is being taken a bit more seriously.

And I’m delighted there is more awareness about Palestine. I remember standing on a hospital roof in Bethlehem seeing how the wall around Bethlehem was expanding. The person standing with me said it was easier to go to New York or London than to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, ony six miles away. But there are things we can do – such as purchase Palestinian olive oil and olive wood carvings.


What of the future?

We must network more efficiently. We have Vocation for Justice, NJPN, NCLA, NBCW, CSAN. How can we get our act together? Where are the funds? Can’t we do it better together?

Another issue for me is Justice in the Church. In Catholic Social Teaching we talk about subsidiarity and solidarity. We are quite good at the second but we don’t do subsidiarity. The church is very top down. Look at the new translation of the Mass. Whether it’s a good or bad translation, I am more concerned about the way it is being imposed. We have all been anointed at baptism to be PRIEST, PROPHET and KING . We - people here – are quite good at speaking out - hopefully not too aggressively. But what of others? The priest has some authority, but lay people have to take some responsibility too. We have to grow up. What are some of the current injustices in the Church: we have lots of married priests now – but lots of others have left in order to marry. And what about the church attitude to homosexuality, the position of laity – especially women. Maybe this should be some of our agenda for next few years – hopefully not 25!

I’ll finish with the Emmaus story. Jesus was recognized in the breaking of the bread, but perhaps it wa when his sleeves fell back and the disciples saw his wounds. That is what it is like for us – amidst celebration there is also the pain of going on and on and on….

So what has Vocation for Justice done for us? I am thinking ‘EIEIO’:
 
E Encouraged
I Informed,
E Enlightened
I Inspired and offered
O Opportunities given