Catholic Professionals: Form a Society

by Letters Editor · August 29, 2017

South African Catholic involvement in the wider society – Paul Goller proposes a body of Catholic Professionals involved in discussion and dialogue, research and promotion in all areas of society.

Paul Goller, Johannesburg – As part of your admirable attempt through editorials to revitalise and professionalise South African Catholic involvement in the wider society (YCW in the working world, a media strategy, and so on), I offer my proposal for a Catholic graduate body.

I have mentioned this idea to a few people who have welcomed it. I propose that such a Catholic graduate society would be guided by certain principles.

First, there should be fundamental elements:

Role of Catholic professionals in SA and other African societies
Role of Catholics in their particular professional bodies
Role of laypeople in the Church organisationally and theologically
Participation in training and formation in SA seminaries
Critique of poverty, inequality and unemployment
Combating racism and other prejudices

Next, we’d engage in activities:

Promotion of discussion and dialogue within the Church and, later, ecumenically
Support for St Augustine College and Catholic student bodies
Scholarships for Catholic students at secular universities
Promotion of research in relevant spheres and, later perhaps, a loose association of Catholic academics
Participation in national higher-education structure debates and discussions
Development of policy on engagement as a body in SA society and its issues

Then, there’s the question of membership:

Catholic university graduates: full membership
Retired Catholic graduates: non-voting membership
Other tertiary institutions?
Priests? Deacons? Religious?
Individual honorary membership

Possible models could be the Newman Association (UK) and bodies affiliated with Pax Romana, the international federation of Catholic intellectuals (university students and graduates), one of the oldest international lay Catholic movements with membership from other African countries.

Is there a group of younger graduates who would like to run with the idea?