Serving Communities with Courage and Compassion
Gabrielle McMullen, Patrice Scales and Denis Fitzgerald (eds)
This book contains the reflections given at the Catholic Social Services conference early 2020. The immediate experience that enlivens many of the contributions is the Bushfires. But that already seems half a lifetime ago, so strong has been the impact of the Coronavirus. It has changed our lives as individuals, as members of our church communities, and as part of the universal Church. The themes of the publication – courage and compassion – however, remain more important than ever.
The thrust of the longest pieces, including Francis Sullivan’s passionate speech, is on weaving courage and compassion into the relationships that shape us as Church and society. The contributors emphasise the importance of compassion towards the people met in programs, but focus on the corresponding need for it to be embodied in the Church, particularly in its dealings with people who have been abused it, and in the relationships between clergy and laity.
Some contributors describe courage as speaking truth to power. For the most part that is defined as speaking truly and uncompromisingly to Church authorities. This emphasis indicates that in the Church structural questions need to be addressed.
The consolations we find in serving our communities often have less to do with big issues than with in the variety and dedication of the initiatives being taken, the reflection on them, and the enthusiasm for compassionate and courageous service.
This book offers a lively, messy picture of good and creative people working at the limits of possibility. The world of Catholic social ministry after Coronavirus is in good hands.
Connor Court Publishing
ISBN: 9781922449085
This review first appeared in the Autumn 2021 edition of Madonna magazine.