Adult Faith Formation Course Description

505 Catholic Social Teaching

(English)

505. Catholic Social Teaching  Social Teaching is integral to our identity and mission as Catholics.  It is rooted in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets who announced God’s special love for the poor and called God’s people to a covenant of love and justice.  Catholic Social Teaching is a teaching founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ, who came to bring glad tidings to the poor…liberty to captives…recovery of sight to the blind (LK 4:18-19), and who identified himself with the hungry and the stranger (Mt 25:45). 

It emerges from the truth of what God has revealed to us about himself.  Made in God’s image, we share this communal, social nature and are called to see, judge, and act as we reach out, building relationships of love and justice.  Every person, from the moment of conception to natural death, has inherent dignity and a right to life consistent with that dignity.  In our relationship with God we experience the conversion of heart that is necessary to truly love one another as God has loved us.

Objectives: At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the history and background of Catholic Social Teaching
• Learn the scriptural roots of Catholic Social Teaching
• Become familiar with the major themes of Catholic Social Teaching
• Learn how to incorporate these tenets into their daily life
• Be aware of the need of conversion, service, and action
• Incorporate Catholic Social Teaching Methodology: see, judge and act, into their daily lives