Unfortunately we did not capture on tape all that Fr Charlie Mayne said to us. We have included here some of what we did manage to keep — some of the thoughts of an 80 year old man who, like Cardijn, has always continued to search, and whose priesthood has been characterised by his belief in the value and necessity of the Jocist method. Practically every movement or event of great historical importance has come from a small beginning, in groups. The French revolution began with discussion groups of Encyclopaedists. All religious orders began with small groups. Communism has its beginnings in communist cells. When the Newman Society began, letters were sent to ex-students from all Catholic colleges in Melbourne. Only nine came to the first meeting. *** How did it ever happen that when the dregs of the world had collected in Western Europe — when Goth and Frank and Norman and Lombard had mingled with the rot of old Rome to form a patchwork of hybrid races, all of them notable for ferocity, hatred, stupidity, craftiness, lust and brutality — how did it happen that from all this should come Gregorian chant, monasteries and cathedrals, the poems of Prudentius, the commentaries and histories of Bede, and St. Ausgustine's "City of God" — Thomas Merton. So there is no reason ever to despair — and every reason to hope. *** Cardijn said: "I am 80 years old and every year I am getting younger and younger and younger." He also said, "We are always beginning," and "The YCW always has to be born again, in parishes, regions, dioceses, and countries. The time may come when it has to be born again all over the world." At that time the YCW existed in more than 100 countries. *** It is ironical that in the 60's and 70's when YCW diminished in so many countries of the world, it was taking hold in South America. Dom Helder Camara and Cardinal Arns talk of their indebtedness to the YCW method: See, Judge, Act, changing the environment, the importance of small groups, relating the Gospel to life, the importance of the milieu, and the apostolate of like to like. *** Sometimes we seem to view the church as an aquarium — but we are called to be fishers of men. If we concentrate on looking at what we have got already, we will find that they will just fade away. The only way to hold the young is to turn them into apostles. St. John Bosco used to say: "The young will be either apostles or apostates." *** Jack Dominian wrote an article about the three churches that exist today: 1. People who were alive before Vatican II and grew up inspired by the pre-Vatican church. Mostly, these people accepted Vatican II, but they have never cottoned onto the idea of co-responsibility of the laity. 2. People who have absorbed Vatican II and try to live it to the full. These are a small percentage in the church today. 3. The under 35's — who never experienced Vatican I or the newness of Vatican II. For these people the things that an earlier generation saw as so central such as Mass-going, confession, etc., are less important than things like relationships and building a better world. The church needs to transfer some of its resources from children in schools to youth and the under 35's. Cardijn said: "There is a river and we want to get across to the other side —so we build a bridge across the river, but stop halfway, and let people fall in where the water is most deep." *** As a novice in 1926, I remember working out that 99% of the church is laity. I thought: If the laity are inactive, then the church will be ineffective. If the church wants to be effective, then it had better produce an active laity. Later, I read somewhere: It is better to get ten men to do the work than to do the work of ten. Then I read William James' comment that few people develop more than 10% of their potentiality. From these things I became convinced of the absolute necessity of formation for laity. Formation can at least quadruple the effective value of an apostolic person.It is little actions that count. Cardijn began with three girls aged 15-16. The first thing he did was to teach them to read and write and add and subtract. He did this because you have to have minutes and subscriptions if you are going to have a group. *** Pius XI said to bishops: "It is your chief duty, venerable brothers, and that of your clergy, to seek diligently, select prudently and train fittingly, these auxiliary soldiers of the church." He was talking about young apostolic workers. How many bishops and priests think this today — Your chief duty?
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Pius XI said: "It would be a miracle that we have no right to expect if the church was to ever make any progress in winning the world for Christ without Catholic Action." But even in those days, it was not clear exactly what Catholic Action was. Every bishop and priest around Australia was calling their particular enthusiasm (be it prayer in the home, the devotion of the First Fridays or the Holy Name Society) Catholic Action. That same scattering of direction is evident in the church today.
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