RESIDING in England some decades ago, Joan Gilmartin was pleased to hear the name of God nominated during the time of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II and the heralding of King Charles III, imploring young people to turn to silent prayer and reflection in uncovering their God-given vocation.
“The Queen was quite exemplary, and I’ve always admired her,” Ms Gilmartin told The Catholic Leader over morning tea just days before the September 19 funeral of the monarch.
“She led a very good family and loved them all, and because of that, she held England together too.”
Spurred by the commencement of the rule of King Charles III, saying, “He’s off to a good start,” what struck the Dalby-born Brisbane resident most was the notable and unquestioned recognition of God in the media coverage.
“King Charles said he will serve God for the number of years that God will give him,” she recalled. “It was good to hear the name of God (mentioned as such) as His name isn’t heard very frequently. The Queen, too, referred to God, and I think she had faith.”
With this “good start” for Britain and the Commonwealth’s new King, and in the assurance of her vocation which she uncovered when living overseas – namely, to be dedicated to the philosophies of Opus Dei – Ms Gilmartin implores young people to “forget themselves when they help others”.
“There are a lot of volunteers, doing a lot of good,” she continued. “(But) because we are away from the physical needs of other countries, we can see the floods in Pakistan on television, for example, and there’s a sense of not being able to help.
“Young people need more opportunities to forget themselves and give to other people. There are so many wonderful cultures in the world. People do visit but it’s different when you live with them.”
While in England, Ms Gilmartin attended a life-changing lecture by the United Nations Association and The Newman Society, with a speaker she’d admired the work of.
“One of the things he (the speaker) said was that underdeveloped countries were in need of technical help,” she remembered. “(And) I thought, ‘I’ve been enjoying my life for two years in England, it’s about time I did something for someone else’.”
From there, Ms Gilmartin joined the Graduate Voluntary Service Overseas (GVSO) – “a very active and thoughtful organisation” – it was 1963 and she arrived in Kenya, Africa.
“I went on a pilgrimage to Our Lady and there was a ‘flash’ from God that I could do something more with my life, so I joined Opus Dei,” she said.
“It was like a clear light that I could do something. I joined Opus Dei but had to come back to Australia for a time. I ended up in Nairobi for five years before they said we are going to West Africa.”
For a remarkable stretch of time, from 1972 to 2008, Ms Gilmartin was involved in the formation and education of women, “setting up projects” as part of an Education Co-operation Society in what she described as “a rural centre in Lagos”.
“We assisted in hospitals with various projects in three of four cities and our role was to see they had enough funds to start centres and maintain them.
“Today, the centres, and those women who lead them, are thriving.”
Ms Gilmartin confirmed that her years of outreach in the role “flew by” because she “was busy and occupied”.
All the while, the lessons were many, and she brought those learnings back to Australia.
“Being in Africa teaches you a lot of about human life and the people of Africa who have wonderful qualities,” Ms Gilmartin said of the contacts she continues to maintain.
“It was very enriching to have been there and to raise the self-esteem of women and help them be leaders in society.
“It’s one thing to be educated but another thing to teach them virtues of how to help more people so they can hold positions of society where they can help positively.
“This is the meaning of Opus Dei too – to help and inspire the human virtues to be raised to a supernatural level.”
What struck Ms Gilmartin most is how interested Africans are “in the spiritual life” and in their “thirst for God”.
“Faith is in their interior,” she said. “Africans have a natural closeness with God and when they say, ‘Please God’ or, ‘Thank You God’, they mean it. That really encouraged me and helped me strive harder to make the most of my circumstances.”
In Africa, Ms Gilmartin, who is called by her first name at Merindah, was often referred to as “Aunty” and her vocation to be within the Opus Dei charism is a constant.
“My vocation is a call from God to make the most of my daily work, to love God more, do everything for the sake of God, to love Him more and help other people as much as I can,” she said.
“Opus Dei means to use everyday circumstances to be part of the world and among the people. The Merindah Study Centre promotes positive character development, leadership, and service.
“Working with people means it doesn’t matter how close or far you are to God, you try and help people to the best of your ability.
“I find that rewarding and challenging.”
Of her age she “isn’t concerned”, mentioning catching the train often and walking as much as possible.
“Ageing is a normal process,” the well-read leader concluded, reaching for a book on Opus Dei founder St Josemaría Escrivá, who died unexpectedly in Rome in 1975, reportedly looking at an image of Our Lady before his passing.
“I’ve enjoyed my life before Opus Dei, and I’ve enjoyed it after,” she said.
“What the founder of Opus Dei taught us is to strive to do our daily work for the sake of God, and help others come closer to God.
“When people are depending on you, it helps you be purer, and God gives you the grace to be happy.”
