Catholic Social Teaching

Community (Participation)

We are not called to live alone. The practice of community is wired into our brains and bodies. Every member of society has a duty to pursue the common good for their community, to develop it, and a right to enjoy the benefits brought about by it.

Human Dignity

Since we are created in the likeness of GOD, we exist as brothers and sisters in a shared human experience. This relationship calls us to treat each other with respect, value, and a call to a common dignity for ourselves and each other.

Solidarity

Because we are one human family, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other regardless of racial, national, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. This is how we practice the Presence of GOD.

Non-Violence

The evils of violence - whether delivered through word, system, institution, or deed - cannot lead to a truly better world. War and violence impose an unjust peace. We are called to actively work for justice through means that honor our solidarity, the good of our community, and human dignity.

Preferential Options for the Poor and Marginalized

The true measure of morality is how we treat the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. In our pursuit of non-violence and our work on behalf of human dignity, we must oppose institutions of oppression and provide resources to those who would be marginalized or invisible in our society.

Dignity of Work

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it’s a form of continuing participation in community and in the economy of Creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, we must work to protect the rights and fair wages of workers.

Creation Care

The benefits of justice and peace extends to all living things. As humans created in the likeness of a creative and compassionate Triune GOD, we recognize our interdependent place in the physical world. Responsible choices for the good of the earth and her natural economies is good news for all.