CSAN Conference 2011
St Mary's University College, Twickenham. 9 - 10 June 2011
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One hundred delegates gathered together on the 9 - 10th June for a two day conference at St. Mary’s University College in Twickenham. Members of Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) and their friends and partners had a lot to discuss.
The setting was a reminder of the visit of His Holiness last September when the college hosted the meeting between Pope Benedict and school children from all over the country. The photos and the ‘Heart to Heart’ banners in the college reception spoke mutely of the visit and its legacy - a renewed energy and confidence in the Catholic community. That visit, where Pontiff and Prime Minister spoke about the role of religion in the public square and the need for a culture of social responsibility, was the trigger for the call by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales last November for ‘a richer community life’ and a project which would need to be a ‘common endeavour owned by society as a whole’. It was a moment in time of both challenge and opportunity. Now, by June, and two conferences and a seminar later, the Bishops are calling for ‘a better coordination of social action....under the auspices of Caritas’ and that was the major topic for the Conference
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Paul Marriott |
Austin Donohoe |
Rt Rev Terence Brain, Bishop of Salford |
The conference was chaired by Bishop Terence Brain, the chair of CSAN, who invited delegates to spend ‘family time’ together celebrating our Caritas witness, reflecting on our journey of deepening social engagement with the disadvantaged of our society and looking at how best to organise ourselves and engage all people with the Good News.
Paul Marriott, CEO DePaul UK and Austin Donohoe, CEO St Cuthbert’s Care, Newcastle spoke of their experiences in running large catholic charities and the need to be bold and spirited in addressing the needs of the poor. The De Paul trust is the largest charity in the UK for young homeless people and relies heavily on volunteers, while St. Cuthbert’s has a growing reputation for innovation and social enterprise and has recently launched the ‘5p bus’ in Newcastle. Speaking about what it means for him to be Caritas, he said ‘We need to be doing what nobody else does and to do that we need to put ourselves on the edge to be with people on the edge.’
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Andy Keen-Downs, Cathy Corcoran and Dr Anna Rowlands |
Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster |
Dr Anna Rowlands |
Theological reflection is now established as cornerstone of Caritas conferences and Dr Anna Rowlands, affiliated lecturer in Theology at Cambridge delivered a thought provoking critique on the less well known teachings of Quadragesimo Anno, Pope Pius XI encyclical of 1931 on the organising of catholic social concern and its contribution to Catholic Social Teaching. She called Catholic Social Teaching ‘a dramatic love affair with humanity’ and the gospel imperative was simply to help those who cannot advocate for themselves. In such advocacy we must not be afraid to be ‘islands of contradiction’.
Further helpful reflections on Catholic social teaching and the current context were provided by Cathy Corcoran, Director of the Cardinal Hume Centre and Andy Keen-Downs Director of PACT. The evening speaker, Austen Iverleigh, of London Citizens, gave an engaging account of the synthesis between Catholic social teaching and social action. The Catholic Church has integrity, credibility and witness – ‘We have everything, in other words, to make a difference’.
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Bishop Brain and Austen Iverleigh |
Mass at St Mary's University College Chapel |
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The key note speaker, Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, shared the deliberations of the Bishops’ Conference and their desire for Caritas to bring about a better coordination of social action in England and Wales. How best to bring together this work ‘under the auspices of Caritas, whilst fully respecting the proper autonomy of local dioceses, groups and agencies involved in Catholic social action’ was the next challenge. By November, following CSAN’s consultation process with all working in social action in the Church, it is hoped that clarity around the development of the network capable of advocating for and supporting the most vulnerable in society will emerge.
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Mark Wiggin |
Edmund Adamus |
Conference Marketplace |
Two examples of work in progress were offered. Mark Wiggin, the Director of the newly formed Caritas Diocese of Salford shared his mission to create new opportunities for people in the Diocese of Salford to respond to the Gospel imperative to love our neighbour. "There is a need to create an inclusive support network for similar minded but diverse social care organisations in the diocese who wish to work collaboratively and who have a unique identity and role
Edmund Adamus, Director of the Pastoral Affairs department in Westminster Diocese is leading an exploration towards the set-up of a Caritas in the Diocese. The consultation exercise, ‘A Conversation in Caritas’, is the beginning of a process to identify examples of Catholic social action in parishes and to explore ways in which resources can be channelled to support, encourage and facilitate this work. The consultation, which has attracted over 400 responses so far, has led to the identification of priorities for development such as sharing good practice, recruitment, training and deployment of volunteers, provision of funding and matching skills and services to local needs.
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Chris Bain |
Monsignor John Armitage |
Conference Marketplace |
An important contribution and example of a developed network came from Chris Bain, Director of Cafod who gave a master class in how Cafod organised its advocacy, built its Catholic identity and support and worked with integrity alongside the Bishops Conference of England and Wales. The range of advocacy and the number of partners and organisations in collaboration gave testimony to some years of effective and mission-led development. The conference ended with an engaging and inspiring contribution from Mgr John Armitage, from the Brentwood Diocese. Drawing upon his extensive experience, Mgr Armitage referred to aspects of our Catholic identity that galvanise and direct us and keep us fresh in our mission. He offered an apostolic strategy for Caritas and some practical pointers. He said that ‘Caritas can become a structure that is sacramental; …giving new life to all who work in the service of the poor’. This was both challenge and support
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Feedback from workshops |
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The CSAN conference hinted at a new confidence to step up and into the public space and engage with other providers including local authorities and government itself. Amongst delegates there was also a very positive atmosphere and confidence that Caritas was stepping up to the mark as the organisation that would take forward an important legacy form the papal visit and establish through the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales a network capable of delivering a coherent response to the ‘common endeavour’ of deepening social engagement, developing our services and the capacity for advocacy for the poorest and most marginalised in our society. The Caritas conference is held every two years, though with the current momentum this may need to become an annual event.
CSAN will be producing a report of the conference. The photos will try, but fail, to capture the warm atmosphere, the friendship, and the robust discernment which characterised this assembly. The last word may be left to our commentator, Clifford Longley. ‘It was a mature and thoughtful gathering, largely lay-led, a sign of a new growth in well-tilled soil. The potential is unlimited, the mood optimistic.’
Media Coverage:
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