THEMES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

THEMES OF CST  PFV.02 explore the origin and purpose of Catholic social teaching;  PFV.03 explore ways Church teaching can help people understand contemporary ethical and moral issues as part of the discernment process.  FLV.01 describe the meaning of “the intrinsic dignity of each human person,” and its impact on our inherent sense of responsibility towards self and others;  We will be able to identify and describe the eight themes of CST.

What is Catholic Social Teaching?  Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is the way that the Church examines human society in light of the Gospel and tradition for the purpose of guiding Christians to carry on the mission of Jesus in the world.  Watch the video:  What does the video suggest about CST?  What knowledge does it add?  What learning does it challenge?

THEMES OF CST  There are seven major themes of CST: 1. The life and dignity of the human person; 2. Participation: the call to family and community; 3. Rights and responsibilities; 4. The preferential option for the poor and vulnerable; 5. The dignity of work and rights of workers; 6. Solidarity; 7. Care for God’s creation.

THEMES OF CST  Each theme is interdependent and builds one of the other. We must understand them all together: 1. The life and dignity of the human person; 2. Participation: the call to family and community; 3. Rights and responsibilities; 4. The preferential option for the poor and vulnerable; 5. The dignity of work and rights of workers; 6. Solidarity; 7. Care for God’s creation.

THEMES OF CST  In groups of four, consider a theme responding to the following prompts and preparing to share with the class (LJP, pages 56-73): 1. What is a working definition of your theme? 2. What might be some important terms/concepts? 3. What might be 2-3 examples of the theme? 4. What might be the impact of the theme’s absence?

THEMES OF CST  An additional theme is often described as: The Promotion of the Peace. 1. Accepting the essential goodness of each person, we are called to act with love individually and corporately – war is a direct challenge to loving relationships. 2. Just War; Non-violence; Restorative Justice. 3. Gandhi’s response to British colonialism; World War II; Intervention in Syria. 4. Human rights violations, war crimes, civil conflict

THEMES OF CST  Open your ‘news app.’ and review the local and global stories. 1. Identify 2 stories which demonstrate a variety of themes. 2. How are the themes present or absent in the situation? 3. How might the situation change if people fully reflected the themes of CST