Social Ministry

The human person is central, the clearest reflection of God among us.  Each person possesses a basic dignity that comes from God, not from race or gender, age, or economic status.    We believe people are sacred and deserving of life from conception until natural death.  In a materialistic world and declining respect for human life, we must proclaim the dignity of the human person.  We believe this is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching.  In our society human life is under attack from abortion to the death penalty to assisted suicide.  Every human person is precious, people are more valuable than things. The test of every institution or policy is whether it enhances or threatens human life and human dignity.

The human person is both sacred and social.  We realize our dignity and the rights in relationships with others in our community.  "We are one body; when one suffers we all suffer."  Our participation in the up-building of society is both a right and an obligation.   We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.  We believe that the role of government and other institutions is to protect human life and human dignity and promote the common good.

People have a fundamental right to life, food, shelter, health care, education, and employment.  All people have a right to participate in decisions that affect their lives.  Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to respect the rights of others in the wider society and to work for the common good.  Any denial of these rights harms the persons and society.  In a world where some speak mostly of "rights" and others mostly of "responsibilities," we believe that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved.  Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.

The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.  The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation.  We are called to look at public policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor.  The overarching Gospel principle is the obligation to attend to the poor - "what you did for the least of these is what you did for me."

People have the right to decent and productive work, fair wages, to form and join unions, private property, and economic initiative.  The economy exists to serve the people, not the other way around.  Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a vocation, a participation in creation.   Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation.  If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected. Respecting these rights promotes an economy that protects human life, defends human rights, and advances the well-being of all.

We are one human family and are interdependent.  Our responsibilities to each other cross national, racial, economic, and ideological differences.  We are called to work globally for justice.  Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in an interdependent world.  Solidarity calls us to stand united with the poor and the powerless as our own brothers and sisters.  We believe that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, wherever they live.   Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that "loving our neighbor" has global dimensions.  This virtue is described by John Paul II as "a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all" (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, no 38).

On a planet struggling over environmental issues, we believe that we show our respect for our Creator by our stewardship of creation.    We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God's creation.  This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.