JOURNEYING WITH YOUTH
By Daniel Ronchetti, Director of Faith and Justice, St Aloysius’ College, Milsons Point
“We are happy as princes in the poverty of our surroundings. It is not to have much that makes a man rich, but to want little.”
These were the words of Fr Aloysius Kranewitter SJ, speaking with two fellow Jesuits in their simple slab hut while building St Aloysius’ church and the adjacent residence at Sevenhill, South Australia, in 1852.
More than 170 years later, Fr Aloysius’ words came to life in the lives, the laughs and the smiles of the kids at Bagong Silang, on the outskirts of Manila, during the June/July Philippines Immersion. Aloys’ has been visiting this area for decades and it is where the College has assisted in building houses for local benefactors for many years.
These families and communities lack some of what we might consider the basics of life. Many do not have running water, drinkable water is scarce, many of the children only have one set of clothes and some do not have shoes, yet they find fun and joy in life’s simple things – from creating games with bottle tops to performing their favourite dance moves on the street. These young people have found riches in their friendships, in their communities and in God.
Immersions provide students with the opportunities to move beyond being mere tourists, beyond the notion of so-called poverty tourism. They allow students to engage in service that will require them to roll their sleeves up and get their hands dirty. Immersionistas do not stay in the relative safety of their luxury air-conditioned coaches and watch the conditions of the disregarded from afar, but they come to know and love the people whom they encounter; relishing in their shared humanity.
Our immersions intentionally push participants out of their culture – and hopefully their comfort zones as well – to learn more about themselves, the world, God and his people. Immersions are paradigm shifters. They change the way our students view the world and themselves, while simultaneously challenging the notions of success, happiness and wealth.
According to research from Harvard University, gratitude helps people value their present circumstances rather than always seeking something new to fulfill them or believing satisfaction is unattainable until every material desire is met. The term “gratitude” originates from the Latin word gratia, which encompasses the meanings of grace, kindness and thankfulness. It involves a heartfelt recognition of all we receive, often seeing these as gifts beyond our control, which fosters a sense of connection to something greater than ourselves. Studies in modern positive psychology also affirm that a regular practise of gratitude can significantly enhance our sense of joy and wellbeing.
Of course, not all our Immersions are overseas. Our remote Indigenous immersion to Arnhem Land brings to life the deep First Nations connection to land. The immersionistas discover that happiness, nutrition and life itself can be found everywhere in nature, if we know where to look. Students who visited Arnhem Land in July this year were amazed when one of the traditional owners and a director of our provider, Culture College, Marcus Lacey, could smell honey below the bark of a tree from a hundred metres away. He showed them the great joy of hunting for mud crab and the happiness that can be found through a sense of connection and belonging.
The media, as well as social media users and advertisers tell us that happiness can be found in that next promotion, on that next holiday, in a new sports car or in our dream home. We are made to feel that if we just have that next thing then all our problems will be solved, and we will be happy.
But for those who come to know true happiness, like Fr Kranewitter in his slab hut, or the children of Bagong Silang, or the researchers at Harvard University, they all share in the discovery of the universal wisdom of happiness – it is not to have much that makes a person rich, but to want little.
For many of our young men who participate in an immersion, it is this lesson that they continue to live out well beyond their return home, and it is this wisdom that leads them to further service and greater communion with our world.
This article was originally published in a recent edition of ‘The Gonzagan’ newsletter for St Aloysius’ College, Milsons Point.
Banner image of Arnhem Land immersion by Sam Eveleigh.