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Durham E-Theses Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium KELLY, MORAG,PATRICIA How to cite: KELLY, MORAG,PATRICIA (2016) Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium , Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11819/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Patricia Kelly Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium ABSTRACT This thesis argues that the theological narratives about industrial work which Joseph Cardijn and M.-Dominique Chenu developed during the inter-war and immediate post-war period should be read in terms of ressourcement theology. Cardijn and Chenu recovered the sources of theology of work, whilst acknowledging the critical importance of the everyday experience of working life, the hallmark of ressourcement theology. In doing so, this thesis makes the first sustained scholarly comparison of the theological narratives of work of Cardijn and Chenu. Drawing on archival material, I argue that Cardijn was fully conversant with the debates on Mystical Body ecclesiology of the mid-twentieth century, linking the experience of factory work to the Eucharist, and thereby offering workers a concrete method of integrating their faith into their working life. I argue that his development of the See-Judge-Act methodology was a practical way of reinforcing workers’ identity as dignified human persons created in the divine image. Turning to Chenu I draw on his French-language publications, few of which have been translated into English, to argue that by publishing much of his theological writing on work in popular (rather than academic) format, he was putting the ressourcement methodology into practice, by bringing theological discourse into the heart of life. I show how Chenu shared Cardijn’s concern for the salvation of the working classes, then largely absent from the churches and parish life. I demonstrate that he employed the dramatic socio-economic changes of the high medieval period to interrogate contemporary theological discourse on work, and to develop a theological narrative appropriate to twentieth-century industrial work, whether for the Jeunesse ouvrière chrétienne (JOC) or for the Worker Priests. Finally, I draw out their critical contributions to contemporary theologies of work. KEY WORDS Cardijn, Chenu, ressourcement theology, Jeunesse ouvrière chrétienne, JOC, theology of work 1 Patricia Kelly Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium TAKING THEOLOGY TO WORK: RESSOURCEMENT THEOLOGY AND INDUSTRIAL WORK IN INTERWAR FRANCE AND BELGIUM MORAG PATRICIA KELLY DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES DURHAM UNIVERSITY 2016 2 Patricia Kelly Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations 5 Statement of Copyright 6 Acknowledgements 7 1 Introduction 8 1.1 Statement of the thesis 8 1.2 Why a ‘theology of work’? 11 1.3 Work in the biblical, magisterial, and monastic sources of Catholic Theology: an overview 18 1.4 Ressourcement theology 39 1.5 Scholarly context and author’s contribution 50 1.6 Conclusions 61 2 Social Catholicism in France and Belgium 65 2.1 Introduction 65 2.2 The context of Social Catholicism 69 2.2.1 Anti-worker legislation 73 2.2.2 A de-Christianised working class? 75 2.2.3 Karl Marx 79 2.3 The development of Social Catholicism 81 2.4 Stage 1: Legislation 86 2.5 Stage 2: Relieving poverty 89 2.5.1 The SVP 89 2.5.2 The patronages 91 2.5.3 L’Œuvre 93 2.6 Stage 3: Harmel and Fribourg 96 2.7 Stage 4: Sangnier and Le Sillon 101 2.8 Le bilan du Catholicisme social 104 3 Joseph Cardijn – man of action, teacher, writer, theologian 107 31. Introduction 107 3.2 Cardijn: biographical notes and founding of the JOC 108 3.3 Cardijn the teacher 117 3.4 Cardijn the writer 122 3.5 Cardijn the theologian 128 3.6 Joseph Cardijn, Theologian, Writer, and Teacher 146 3 Patricia Kelly Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium 4 Cardijn’s theology of work 147 4.1 Introduction 147 4.2 Divinely called to work 148 4.3 Cardijn’s theology of work: your workbench is your altar 157 4.4 Without work, no Mass 167 4.5 Work as collaboration with God 170 4.6 The complementary apostolate 175 4.7 Worker Priests? 183 4.8 Cardijn’s theology of work: conclusions 186 5 Marie-Dominique Chenu – medieval theology as théologie engagée 191 5.1 Introduction 191 5.2 History of a historical theologian 193 5.3 The history of Christian doctrine 198 5.4 Regent of Le Saulchoir: Une école de théologie 207 5.5 The ressourcement of the twelfth-century renaissance 217 5.6 La théologie, intelligence de la foi 227 5.7 Conclusion: Theology as la foi engagée 230 6 Pour une théologie du travail 233 6.1 Introduction 233 6.2 Work as part of the Incarnation 235 6.3 L’Église en état de mission 243 6.4 Tool to machine 250 6.5 Pour une théologie du travail? 257 6.6 The Church goes to the factories: Christian Workers or Worker Priests? 264 6.7 Conclusion 269 7 Theologies of Work: A Review 273 7.1 Introduction 273 7.2 First-wave twentieth-century theologies of work 274 7.3 Second-wave twentieth-century theologies of work 280 7.4 A new Reform: contemporary Reformed theologies of work 286 7.5 Conclusions 306 8 Conclusion 309 8.1 Summary of the thesis: foundations for a theology of work 309 8.2 The work of the Gospel: areas for further research 312 8.3 The future of work 314 Bibliography 319 4 Patricia Kelly Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium ABBREVIATIONS ACO Action catholique ouvrière ACJF Association catholique de la jeunesse française ACJB Association catholique de la jeunesse belge AAS Acta Apostolicae Sedis ASS Acta Sanctae Sedis KAJ Kristene Arbeidersjeugd JOC Jeunesse ouvrière chrétienne L’Œuvre L’Œuvre des Cercles catholiques des ouvriers PL Migne, Patrologia Latina SJA See-Judge-Act ST Aquinas, Summa Theologiae STO Service du Travail obligatoire YCW Young Christian Workers I use the French term ‘Jociste(s)’ to refer to the members of the JOC. Translations of papal encyclicals, etc., are taken from the Vatican website. Unless otherwise indicated, all translations are my own. 5 Patricia Kelly Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium STATEMENT OF COPYRIGHT The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the author’s prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 6 Patricia Kelly Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Just as it takes a village to raise a child, so it takes a lot of people to write a PhD! Thanks are due to many people for their patience, belief in me, kindness, and encouragement, but particularly to the following: - the late John Russell and the late Rev Dr Bernard Green, Rev Henry Wansbrough, Rev Dr Wulstan Peterburs, and Rev Oswald McBride, for encouraging me to study Theology; - Rev John Marsland, the CIJOC, and YCW England & Wales, for encouraging and supporting my study of Cardijn; - the Pastoral Review, for fees bursaries, and the Newman Association for top-up grants; - KADOC for access to their archives; the librarians of Milltown Institute Dublin, New College Edinburgh, Pontificia Università Gregoriana, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, and the Venerable English College; - Café des Femmes, especially Allison, Belinda, and Jo; and friends in ‘No.5’, especially Dorothea, Ed, and Ed, for eclectic conversations, theological conversations, occasional prayer, and general fun; - students and colleagues at Leeds Trinity University; - the nuns of Stanbrook Abbey for their prayers; - Professor Emerita Ann Loades, Dr Gabriel Flynn, Dr Christopher Insole, and David McLoughlin, for reading, re-reading, and commenting on multiple drafts, suggesting structural changes, and pushing various authors, ideas, and useful suggestions my way; - Professor Lewis Ayres and Dr Ethna Regan, my examiners, for an enjoyable conversation and constructive corrections; - Dr Marcus Pound, for what must have seemed at times like unending supervision, which was always given with kindness, patience, and good humour; - Liam Kelly, for unwavering support, encouragement, wiping away of tears, and belief in me. I just hope I have done you all proud! 7 Patricia Kelly Introduction Taking theology to work: ressourcement theology and industrial work in interwar France and Belgium CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the thesis This thesis has two central themes. First, making extensive use of unpublished archival material, it demonstrates that Joseph Cardijn (1882-1967), founder of the Jeunesse ouvrière chrétienne (JOC), was a theologian as well as a pastor and an educator.

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