Catholic Social Teaching Archives - Page 2 of 3

10 Catholic Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

This year, Earth Day (April 22, 2016), takes on a special meaning in light of the publication of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical “On Care for Our Common Home.” The Holy Father’s message is loud and clear: caring for our environment is a fundamental tenet of our Catholic faith. As such, Earth Day presents a golden opportunity for teaching about Laudato Si’ as well as the Catholic principle of Care for God’s Creation, one of the seven principles of Catholic […]

Connecting Catechesis to Social Action

Eric Gurash

With the catechetical year set to get underway in just a few weeks, now is a good time to reflect on where you are directing your efforts and decide on any changes that you may need to make in the year to come. This evaluation and planning process may benefit from a brief review of the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC). Intended to be a central reference point for all aspects of catechesis, the GDC […]

Teaching Care for Creation

Darcy Osby

One of the first things we teach children about God is that God is the creator of everything around us. One of the most accessible examples we use to talk about God’s presence in our world is the beauty of creation: the splendor of a sunset, the repetitive motion of ocean waves, the diversity of animals and plant life, the intricacy of the human body. Creation is one of the most tangible ways that we […]

A Twist on the Traditional Food Drive

Barb Gilman

Every November our school has a food drive for a local pantry, in which we practice the Catholic social justice teaching of caring for the poor. We have worked with The Heart Ministry Center for several years, and we have a very close relationship with them. As our students collect food with Thanksgiving in mind, our goal is to help provide a special dinner for each family. To make it fun we assign specific food […]

If I Were King/Queen for a Day: Students’ Ideas

Joe Paprocki

So, this past Tuesday, I asked my sixth graders to dream of what it is that they would do if they could be king or queen for a day. The purpose of this was to introduce to them the concept of the Kingdom of Israel leading up to Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God. I was blown away by their responses! They were not only imaginative but also very caring and Gospel-centered! In fact, […]

Dreams Are the Foundation of Tomorrow’s Reality

Joe Paprocki

As we celebrate this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we turn our thoughts to the importance of dreaming. Not the kind of dreaming we do in our sleep, but the kind of dreaming that involves imagining. Like the prophets of the Old Testament, Dr. King imagined the possibility of a world that would more closely reflect God’s will. The words of his famous “I Have a Dream Speech” echo the dreams of the Prophets, most […]

Catechists in Action – RCIA Participants Take Ownership of Discussion

Joe Paprocki

In this segment of Catechists in Action, Marge Garbacz continues facilitating a discussion with her RCIA about Catholic Social Teaching. Watch for the following: Marge summarizes the discussion so far and poses a question for discussion. Participants begin talking about examples and strategies for practicing the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Marge takes a back seat to the discussion and allows it to progress, enabling the participants to take ownership of the discussion and converse […]

Catechists in Action – Applying Catholic Social Teaching to Current Events

Joe Paprocki

In this segment of Catechists in Action, Marge Garbacz continues her introduction to Catholic Social Teaching by inviting the participants in her RCIA to apply the 7 themes of Catholic Social Teaching to current events in the news. Watch for the following: Marge distributes copies of breaking news stories from local Chicago newspapers. Marge identifies one of the news stories and invites participants to look over the themes of Catholic Social Teaching and apply them […]

Catechists in Action – Marge Introduces Catholic Social Teaching

Joe Paprocki

In this segment of Catechists in Action, Marge Garbacz introduces her RCIA to the concept of Catholic Social TEaching. Watch for the following: Marge welcomes the group back from break…she is always SO hospitable! She introduces the concept of the “best-kept secret” of the Catholic Church and invites one of her team members to identify that as Catholic Social Teaching Marge expounds a bit on CST and then invites participants to find the 7 themes […]

A Catholic Response to the Haiti Tragedy

Joe Paprocki

How sad that certain voices have chosen to pass judgment on the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Times like this call for compassion, not judgment. As catechists, we can help those we teach to shape their/our response according to Catholic principles. With that in mind, I offer the following thoughts. How Catholics Can Talk About and Deal with the Tragedy in Haiti The tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti calls us to respond according […]