Catholic Church Towards Humanity- A wake Up Call

 

I recently participated in a Consultation participated by a diverse group of 61 laity, religious and clergy gathered on Sunday 21^st September 2025 at Carmel Centre, Manikandam, Trichy  to launch a new collective dedicated to the profound renewal of the Church. The consultation, titled “Catholic Church Towards Humanity”, was convened to address critical internal challenges and to reorient the church towards its core mission of Service, Justice and inclusion.

Spurred by a shared concern for the future of their faith community, the participants – including veterans and youth from movements such as YCS, AICUF, and various lay associations – unanimously endorsed the formation of a Laity led movement.

CONFRONTING CRITICAL CHALLENGES

The day’s discussions, characterized by candor and a deep sense of responsibility, identified several urgent areas for transformation within the Church:

1.The Persistence of Caste: The Forum highlighted the painful reality of Caste-based discrimination within the Church as a fundamental contradiction of the Gospel, calling for its complete eradication.

2.Gender Injustice: participants powerfully articulated the systemic exclusion,harassment,and lack of meaningful decision – making roles for women, declaring that women’s participation is “a Right ,not a Gift”.

3. Democratic Deficit: A central theme was the need for greater transparency, accountability ,and shared responsibility between the Clergy and the Laity, moving towards a more democratic and collaborative Church Structure.

4.Economic and Educational Stagnation: Concerns were raised about the community’s declining representation in higher education, entrepreneurship, and economic development, with a call for the Church to prioritize these areas strategically.

5.Ecological Neglect: The Church was challenged to play a more proactive role in addressing the climate crisis and promoting environmental justice, starting from its educational institutions.

6.Pastoral Irrelevance: Speakers noted a growing disconnect between the Church’s Rituals and the daily struggles of its people, particularly the poor, leading to a crisis of faith and relevance.

A COLLECTIVE VISION FOR THE FUTURE:

In his opening address Mr.A.JohnPeter, the event coordinator, set the tone by stating that the current consultation was a crucial first step towards a Church that is inclusive, accountable and socially engaged. He identified the present –day Church as often being ”caste –ridden, commercialized and male –dominated”.

The forum does not seek to stand against the Church but to work from within for its renewal. Mr. JohnPeter further noted: “The soul of Society is more than the soul of the individual”, emphasizing that the Church’s mission must extend beyond its walls to serve all of humanity.

The WAY FORWARD: A TEN POINT ACTION PLAN:

1.Grassroots Launch: The Movement was officially launched with this first consultation on 21^st September 2025.

2.Leadership Structure:  A 14 member core committee was formed to lead the movement, with Mr. A.JohnPeter as its coordinator.

3.Strategic Planning: The committee’s immediate priority is to draft a comprehensive strategic plan, detailing the movement’s vision,goals,activities,and member responsibilities.

4.Inclusive Representation: The movement is committed to ensuring adequate representation of women and marginalized communities in its membership and leadership.

5.Laity – Centric Principle: All actions will be based on the core principle that the LAITY HOLDS A CENTRAL ROLE in the Church.

6.Evidence Based Advocacy: The Committee will ground its work with data, evidence, and facts to address needs effectively.

7.Structured Dialogue: The movement will initiate formal COMMUNICATION and  DIALOGUE with decision – makers at all levels of the Church hierarchy.

8.Women’s Caucus: A dedicated space will be created for women in the movement to convene and deliberate on the specific challenges they face.

9.Advocacy for participatory planning: The movement will urge all Church institutions(eg. Parishes, Commissions, etc)to create FIVE YEAR PLANS with the mandatory participation of laity, women, and marginalized representatives.

In the Valedictory Session, Fr.AloysiusIrudayam inspired the gathering, stating, ”It is our Movement and we need to own and protect it”, reinforcing the collaborative spirit of the initiative.

Fr.K. AmirthaRaj offered words of encouragement, expressing his appreciation for this long-awaited initiative and the collective realization that the Church must evolve to truly serve its people.

This movement represents a hopeful and determined voice from the Laity, signaling a widespread desire for a Church that truly reflects the values of equality, dignity and service it proclaims.

 

Postcrossing Meetup for Samuel Morse

Reposted from Original Source!

The Madras Postcrossing Commune & Postally Postcards hosted a successful Postcrossing meetup today at Nageswara Rao Park, Mylapore, Chennai, in celebration of the birth anniversary of Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph. The event brought together Postcrossing enthusiasts from across the city to share their love of sending and receiving postcards from around the world.The highlight of the event was the release of a special Samuel Morse picture postcard, commemorating his contributions to communication. Attendees had the opportunity to sign the commemorative postcards and exchange other postcards with fellow Postcrossers.The meetup featured several engaging sessions, including:• An introduction to Postcrossing for new comers.• A discussion on the role of India Post and the joy of letter writing.• Speeches by Postcrossing enthusiasts, sharing their experiences and passion for the hobby.The event fostered a sense of community among attendees, who enjoyed sharing stories, tips, and their favorite postcards. The group also discussed the history of postcards and the art of collecting."This meetup was a wonderful opportunity for Postcrossers in Chennai to connect and celebrate the joy of sending and receiving postcards," said Sivaranjani. "We are thrilled to have released a special postcard honoring Samuel Morse, whose invention revolutionized global communication."The Madras Postcrossing Commune plans to host future meetups to continue to grow the Postcrossing community in Chennai and promote the hobby of connecting people through postcards.

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International Webinar on “The Cardijn Spirit: Inspiration Behind Our Movement”

I participated in the International Webinar as part of the ongoing Webinar Series titled “Walking the Path of See, Judge, Act.” organized by International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) . The webinar brought together over 88 participants from diverse regions across the globe, including students, chaplains, alumni, and members of social action movements, all united by their commitment to the values of justice, dignity, and faith.

The theme of the webinar, “The Cardijn Spirit: Inspiration Behind Our Movement,” focused on the profound legacy of Joseph Cardijn, the founder of the Young Christian Workers (YCW), and the development of the See, Judge, Act methodology that has shaped the lives of countless individuals and movements worldwide.

WHERE PEACE MATTERED A PRIORITY!!

 I was recently on a travel to Christeen Retreat Centre Kottayam on April 1 and April 2^nd where I got a chance to participate in the National Seminar on Enlightened leadership for greater India Movement organized by Dharma Rajya Vedi a peace building organization from Alappuzha Kerala.

The training made a greater impact to realize on the societal forefront and also helped me to understand the present reality of peace building of today.

My learning from the two-day seminar were,

1.      TYA GAR CHANA, the only spiritual weapon to fight against the selfishness, pride and consumerism of today’s world.

2.      TYA GAR CHANA, aims to revive divine blessing and we shouldn’t be masters of creation but we need to stewards of creation.

3.      On understanding the Interreligious vision of the greater India movement, I realized that ideology without a vision is like a journey without a destination.

4.      Ethical Citizenship is the need of the hour, where youth need proper education and awareness and considering the importance of environmental and cultural preservation, there is urgency to address to the young on the importance.

5.      We had a session of Panchayati Democracy where the relevance on understanding How can peace be developed in the Panchayat Level can be improvised.

Observed the tagline on leadership at the grass root level, where a true leader has to be a true follower.

6.      Got to know the Fellow Organizations working closely on Peace Building,

                                                    i.     LIPI- Kochi- Loyola Institute of Peace and International Relations.

                                                   ii.     DBM- Mumbai- Dharma Bharati Mission- Mumbai

                                                  iii.     Assisi Institute of Peace Studies- Kannur- Kerala

                                                  iv.     Manipur Peace Movement- Manipur.

7.      We had a session on the Ministry of Enlightened Leadership by Acharya Sachinanda Bharati the Founder of the Movement, where I learnt on

                                                    i.     5 Principles of Enlightened Leadership, which is Focus and Progress, Trust and Entrust, Grow and Help Grow, Risk and Rise, Respond and Report.

                                                   ii.     Working on SMART Goals and aim to achieve Creative Fidelity and Not repetitive loyalty.

8.      We had a session on Naturopathy and How your body can be in tune to support your mind and in turn we build peace, If the inner self is not in Peace, then working towards peace in the world is a difficult task. Had a clarity on the Dead Food which we consume daily and the impact it makes to the body leading the health crisis.

9.      My last of the sessions which I felt made a great amount of importance was on the Enlightened Leadership by Dr Jill Carr Harris, a Gandhian, and a Peace Activist. The stresses made were on

                                                    i.     Violence is become more violent today.

                                                   ii.     We worked on an Indian Renaissance and thus Freedom Came to us at few costs to life, but today we are still in the search of the hunt for even look at freedom.

                                                  iii.     It is always essential to have a scholarly understanding of the subject of Peace and not go by Peace Value.

                                                  iv.     We are in the era where Youth need to take Value Based Action as they do not have an appetite for Social Change.

                                                   v.     The reality amidst the masses is the Tearing down of the Ideology of Gandhi and how can youth be attracted to the practise of non-violence, the only way Is to identify and make them realise on

a.      Transformational Leadership

b.      Charismatic leadership- Using the example of max faber where follower identifies himself with the leader.

c.      Distributed and Shared Leadership, where followers and leaders to have a relationship.

d.      Swaraj- Autonomy, by giving them recognition and power.

                                                  vi.     A Distinct Gandhi who worked in meeting every individual whereas the rest were working towards to community building, it takes time but it builds greater non-violent leadership.

                                                vii.     Understanding Shared Leadership Where Young needs to be given they role to respond to situations and giving them space means they can contribute and make the world where more realistic and the environment at large is more spiritualistic where the concept of Eco-Spirituality is born.

                                               viii.     On the whole today’s Youth have freedom of CHOICE but what is the ultimate ask in understanding Gandhi and the Spirituality is we need to work to give them freedom from Exploitation.

 

Since this is a organization which works towards building Peace, there was a concept of Unity Forum where members who participated where invited to join and that the forum decided to make a president by requesting PV Rajagopal a Gandhi Peace Activist who was a also a participant who will lead this forum towards working in the communities in building peace and working towards communal harmony.

It was refreshing to be part of this seminar as I made new friendships and also introduced my dream project humanity for letters , which I did in the sharing the participants introduction and I shared that one pen one postcard can bring a lot of unity and change and peace in the area we live in which was welcomed by all.

 

Joseph Kamal Francis

Participants of the National Seminar

Session on Pachayat Raj and Ward Level Leadership

Fr Biny Presentation on Peace Building by Loyola Institute of Peace Building Kochi

Mr KP Singh Dharma Bharati Mission Mumbai

Mr Deben Sharma Manipur Peace Movement sharing his views on Peace Building

Dr Jill Carr Harris during her session on Enlightened Leadership

Meeting PV Rajagopal Sir, Activist and Ardent Gandhian