Trickle Up

My mate, Les Twentyman, has thrown his hat into the by-election ring in Koroit, western suburbs, Victoria.

He’s standing as an independent with preferences already allocated his way by both Labour and Liberal candidates.

He dropped over, a couple of days ago, with campaign manager,  Phil Cleary, well known as Coburg’s ex-coach in the VFA, electrical trades union official and social activist in his own right. He also takes photos for Les’s campaign material.

Les and I stood beside a memorial plaque carrying names of forty under twenty year olds who died in the drug wars of the 80’s. That story would make a stunning TV prequel to “Underbelly”. That story is, also, the line in the sand drawn by Les and I, from which we field questions about our social activism.

You may have noticed my use of the term “social activism”. It seems to me to be a non-threatening way of keeping alive a wider public debate on the Plight of the Poor and the Young.

As a Catholic priest I can read and preach Jesus of Nazareth’s consistent theme of “take care of the poor and the young first, then go worship” weekly, sometimes daily, to a captive catholic audience.

That would be unfair and, in my experience, counter productive, when trying to catch the attention and enlist the co-operation of socially well-intended secular  aussies.

Les does it his way and I my way, and hopefully, you, your way. This is the “trickle up” way of getting a community to look after itself.

There’s a guru of this approach, apparently, Saul Alinsky (Chicago, 1909-1972). Google him. Barack Obama is a disciple of his.

Les and I haven’t heard of him. But we agree with “”trickle up”.

I sat next to a priest mate at a meeting last week. WYD was the topic of discussion, as it is at most Aussie Catholic meetings these days.

You don’t have to wait for the Pope at Randwick to feel the excitement of WYD “said he”. The excitement’s already all around us. “The genie’s out of the bottle.”

And, so it came to pass. Gonzo Catholicism has hit the ground running.

The Aussie bishops have issued a nationwide invitation to members of the catholic family who, for one reason or another, have left home.

“We’re sorry if the family has offended you. Come home.” Another mate of mine – a pinko leftist this time says maybe it’s the bishops and senior church officers who need to “come home” to the church!

The invitation appears in the national print media. It reads well. A touch of paternalism, but not enough to put you off. Let’s all go home, so long as we don’t cop it when we do.

Music will do what it always does. At WYD it’s going to speak to the heart. Paulini and Guy and the rapping Franciscan and the NSW supreme court judge’s music for the Pope’s half a million gathering – the kids’ much loved “wow” factor will kick in for sure.

With a bit of amazing grace or good luck or whatever this WYD and it’s regional little league DID ’08 may put a bit of colour in the pale cheeks of Aussie catholics and their fellow travellers.

So said ex-federal minister Tony Abbot in a weekend “glossy” expressing hope that B16 will bring his unique message that “out of little things, big things grow”, so long as that big thing is all inclusive respect.

R.J.M.

Comments

[Helper]

Hey, nice post Henri you have a big heart mate..