50 years of CAFOD: What lit your flame?
As we begin to mark our 50th anniversary year at CAFOD, it is a time to give thanks to all those staff, volunteers and supporters whose hard work and generous donations have made the last 50 years possible. It is also a time to reflect on what we have achieved, and how we have fulfilled our mission, both as an organisation and as individuals.
In that spirit of reflection, I have been asking CAFOD staff to look back over their lives and recall the moment when they were first drawn into the fight against poverty and injustice; the moment when that burning desire to help others was set aflame in their souls.
Their stories have amazed and moved me.
Many took their inspiration from individual role models.
For Catherine Mahony, it was seeing her disabled mother take on a group of bullies throwing stones at a young boy with cerebral palsy.
For Pascale Palmer, it was watching Father Roy from Zambia work for 24 hours at a stretch to help local farmers seed their fields.
Many recalled being dragged along as children to take part in marches against apartheid or debt, and said they had been marching ever since.
Some traced their commitment back to a particular assembly or lesson at school or hearing a parable read and explained in church; The Good Samaritan came up frequently.
For others, it was the news broadcasts from the Ethiopian famine in 1984, watching a speech by Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela, reading a book, or watching a film.
For many, it was the indelible experience of taking a trip overseas and seeing poverty close up for the first time.
One member of staff told me that until a visit to Cambodia, she’d regarded her work for CAFOD as just another job. She returned with the flame inside her.
The events, experiences and people that have combined to inspire my colleagues are diverse, but I can recognise common bonds in our stories: the awakening of compassion for others; and the discovery of a world outside our own.
But why is it important to look back on these moments?
Just as CAFOD must continually ask whether we remain true and faithful to the vision and mission enshrined by our founders 50 years ago, so must we as individuals continually ask ourselves: are we as passionate about our mission as we were when first drawn to it; does our fire for justice burn as bright?
For me there were two strong influences.
The first was my mother, herself a migrant from southern Europe, who stood up to racists in our street protesting at black families living in neighbouring houses. This was in the late ‘60s just after Enoch Powell's "rivers of blood" speech and was at huge personal cost as previous friends shunned her.
If my mother's action moulded my values then a speech given by a South African Dominican, Picton Mbatha OP, at a Catholic society Mass during my university days really set my flame alight. He talked of life under apartheid, of poverty in his parish in the townships, a quarter of the children dying before they were five, and of members of his family being imprisoned.
It was the first time I heard someone say: "And the worst thing you can do after this talk is nothing!" It led to me taking development economics options in my degree, becoming an activist for Third World First, and volunteering for VSO after leaving university.
That was many years ago, but each time I visit our programmes today, my thirst for justice and fairness is renewed. For example, last year I met a shy woman called Dorcas in a drought-stricken area of Zimbabwe, who - with the help of CAFOD and Caritas - had become a champion of dry farming in her community. As a result, she tripled her maize yield, and gained status and power in her community. The work we did in South Sudan, helping the Church tackle the consequences of conflict and then celebrating with the South Sudanese people as they claimed their independence, could also warm any heart.
While we remember what first lit our flame, we must also look around us at the poverty, suffering and injustice still facing millions of people around the world, to ensure that flame burns brighter than ever.
It is in this spirit that I would like to invite all readers to get in touch with us by post or by email and tell us what first lit your flame, and what keeps it burning today.
Share with us your stories, and let us share them with staff, volunteers and CAFOD’s church and lay partners throughout the world.
Whatever age we are, whatever background we come from, and however different our stories are, we are united by our fire for justice. So let us share that fire, and celebrate our unity.
To tell us what lit your flame, please post your story on our blog , email: flame@cafod.org.uk or write to What Lit Your Flame? CAFOD, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7JB.
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