Initial reflections on Leuven experience

At various times, members of the group have their turn to present briefly to the whole group on the program to date. These notes are from such a presentation by Denis Fitzgerald, on 31 September 2009

Contents
Introduction
Pilgrimage
Leuven
Catholic identity

Introduction
I’m grateful for the opportunity to make this brief presentation today.

It’s been such a rich experience
o Lectures
o Discussions
o Visits to programs, cities etc
o Opportunities to reflect on some of the high points of Western culture
o Meeting all of you, and meeting the many others we have engaged with during the program

I haven’t been able to synthesise it all, nor to prioritise highlights. But engaging in this short presentation has helped my reflection on it all.

As we’ve heard from various speakers, Levinas draws our attention to the fact that engagement with the ‘face of the other’ is different in kind from other communications or interactions – its very different from writing a report, or sending an email. The preparation of these thoughts changed me, by introducing a further layer of reflection, as I considered how they would impact on you, and it thus extended my understanding. Knowledge, we have heard, in not only ‘between the ears’, but ‘between noses’.

So, a few points of reflection:

Pilgrimage
In Rome we talked about being on a pilgrimage. I still have that sense.

We’re on a journey, based on faith, and premised on hope. We have a general sense of direction, but are working to maximise openness to people, to ideas, to God. We are conscious that the journey is, in a way, more important that the destination - it’s the journey that changes us, and the pilgrimage never really ends.

We are on a pilgrimage as a group. It’s a shared spiritual journey. And there will be a communal dimension to our return: the group itself will surely keep in contact in various ways; but an integral part of the journey will also be our engagement coming out of the trip with colleagues, with our families, with the broader Church.

The pilgrimage is largely about being and becoming, and is not primarily focused on activity. It’s the change in us that will make a difference when we return. But ‘doing’ is never absent. The commandment of love applies at all times – we can’t wait until we reach our destination.

Leuven
The location impacts on the experience. We’ve visited a number of places, but Leuven has been our ‘home base’.

There are many ways in which the place is impacting on our journey, but to touch here on one: It’s a place that echoes with the tread of people who have impacted on my life in a variety of ways. They include:
o Erasmus of Rotterdam, humanist scholar, friend of Thomas More’s, gentle fact of the counter reformation
o Blessed Damian of Molokai – hero of the Pacific, apostle to other cultures, a man of great love for others, who saw work for justice as part of that.
o Max and Stephanie Charlesworth – among other things, they brought Teams of Our Lady to Australia from Leuven
o Terefe Aborete and Elleni Berested-Samuel, who studied in Leuven before coming to Australia as refugees from a regime in Ethiopia that no longer welcomed them, and who have made a great contribution to Australia as well as to me personally
o The Irish students who studied here, and went on to build the Irish church that was later established in Australia.

This history is part of my identity, and part of my engagement with the church. These people are part of the tradition within which the Church in Victoria grows.

This list of ‘Leuven people’ now includes, for me, all the members of this enrichment program, and the very impressive people we have been privileged to meet and to listen to. The continuing impact of the people, their stories, and their ideas, will be part of my future, part of my working with Catholic social service agencies in Victoria, as part of the broader mission of the Church. I hope that continuing contact with them will also be part of that future.

Catholic identity
This broad issue has been touched on in many ways during talks, discussions, readings. It will take some time to digest. Some initial notes include:

Elements of identity include
o Set of internal and external relationships
o History, direction
o Activities, ways of doing things
o Attitudes, commitments, beliefs

Dimensions of being Catholic include that someone
o Identifies with a particular tradition
o Understands and acknowledges the tradition
o Is influenced by it in what they do and believe
o Has particular relationships with other parts of the Church
o describes themselves as Catholic, and that others would too

For me, its about an encounter with Jesus Christ, and with each of you, and, in various ways, with all people; its about the continuing mediation of the Word into the world; and a commitment to service.

Catholic identity of an organisation, or of an activity, brings together these complex notions. It includes consideration of:
o What we do, how we do it, why we do it
o Who we relate to, and how we relate
o What we say about ourselves, what we want others to say, what others do say
o Where have we come from
o What are the directions in which we are heading; and what options we have around that.