Former Young Christian Workers (YCW) leaders from across Perth and interstate gathered at Mary MacKillop Church, Ballajura Parish on Pentecost Sunday 8 June for a special Mass to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the movement in Belgium in 1925.
New parish priest, Fr Vinh Dong, welcomed the participants for the Eucharist, which was concelebrated by former Perth youth chaplain and retiring Parish Priest Fr John Jegorow, and Fr Geoff Aldous, a former diocesan chaplain of the Young Christian Students (YCS).
Former Perth YCW diocesan president and national secretary, Gemma Wooltorton, introduced the event, recalling the achievements of the movement in Western Australia over the decades.
Gemma Wooltorton and Sara Kane, both former national secretaries of the Australian YCW.
Current YCW youth engagement officer, Miranda Naprelac, explained the movement’s efforts to rebuild in the Rockingham area.
Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton spoke of his YCW chaplaincy experience as a young priest in East Perth. The movement sparked many marriages, he noted.
“I am grateful for my own experience of YCW (the Movement itself and also the Basketball/Netball Association), its leaders, and chaplains,” commented Jan Fitzhardinge.
“There would be far too many to name individually; however, I would like to mention Fr Jim O’Brien, Margaret Collopy, and Kath (Healy) Joynes.”
“A highlight of the day was catching up with friends from many years ago,” she added. “It also brought back to mind (International YCW pioneer) Maria Meersman’s words ‘Begin again each day’.”
Greg Lopez, a former member of the Malaysian YCS, who now belongs to the Cardijn Community emphasised the importance of the occasion.
“The YCW Centenary in Perth reaffirmed a profound truth: for a hundred years, the See-Judge-Act method has formed young people to discern faithfully and act justly – grounded in their lived reality, guided by the Gospel, and sustained by community,” he said.
“More than a method, it is a formation process that continues to shape their response to the world and becomes a lifelong compass for Christian living.
“For those who accompany them, it offers a path to listen with compassion, judge with wisdom, and walk in solidarity with young people in hope,” Greg said.
