Ministry
of Social Action
(In
collaboration with the other five Ministry Areas: Church Life, Faith Formation,
Family
Life, Finance and Administration and Liturgy)
“The
Mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord”.
When the deacon sends us forth from
the Mass with this commission, it is a key starting point for the ministry of
social action. Social action calls us to go forth beyond the walls of the
church buildings and be “salt and light” in our neighborhoods and communities.
When we do social action, we are responding to our baptismal call to live out
the teachings of Jesus and the Church and to transform society by expressing
our love in service to others.
The love which Jesus calls us to
express is not only a love for family, friends and fellow parishioners. It is
also a love for those in need, for the marginalized,
for the enemy, and for those whom we love even when we expect no love in
return, which is the meaning of agape. The celebration of the Mass and the sacraments, our
participation in faith formation and our active membership in the parish is all
preparation to go out and live the gospel in our workplaces, our neighborhoods,
our communities, and the world.
Social action is the work we perform
in the world, but it is performed in balance with prayer, education and the
regular celebration of the sacraments, which give us the strength to continue
to live the Christian life in the world. When we do social action, we are
living out the message of Jesus who tells us that in the final judgment, we will be asked whether we cared for the sick,
visited the lonely and sheltered the homeless (Mt. 25).
Our Catholic faith calls us into
social action that does not stop with direct services or the corporal works of
mercy.
Catholic social teaching prepares us
to go out and “create a society with more just laws and social structures” (
Catholic Bishops, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, 1998).
This is perhaps best explained by the model for social
action prepared by Fr. Marv Mottet in the “Two Feet of Christian Service”.
In this model, the parish - and the individual Christian - is called forth to do both charity and justice. Charity is the work we do, individually or as parish, to perform direct services to those in need. Justice requires community action. Its aim is to change structures and policies in society. In order to live out the Bishop’s vision to “walk together in faith”, Fr. Mottet would say that we need both feet — charity and justice — to walk. We cannot ignore the urgent needs of people while we struggle for social justice and social change. Justice demands that we go that extra step. Our works of charity motivate us to work as a community to change the structures of society so that we build a world based on justice and peace, fully protecting the rights of others, beginning with the right to life.
“By means of catechesis, the Church
desires to stir Christian hearts ‘to the cause of justice’ and to a
‘preferential option or love for the poor’, so that her presence may really be
light that shines and salt that cures (General
Directory for Catechesis #17)
“Our
belief in the sanctity of human life
and the inherent dignity of the human person
is
the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching”.
Sharing
Catholic Social Teaching, US Catholic
Bishops, 1998
“The life and words of Jesus and the teaching of his church call
us to serve those in need
and
to work actively for social and economic justice.”
Economic
Justice for All, US Catholic Bishops,
1986
Responsibilities
A parish social action ministry
develops programs to focus the work of the parish in reaching out to those in
need and taking action on community issues. A complete range of social action
ministry in a parish would include these four components:
Direct Service
• To
reach out in charity to the poor, the homeless and the hungry.
• To
offer care to those who are homebound, hospitalized or in nursing homes.
• To
minister to those in jails and prisons, and to their
families.
Advocacy on Public Policy Issues
• To
participate in the diocesan legislative network.
• To
collaborate with coalitions (e.g., pro-life, rural life, and social justice).
• To
participate in local community groups (e.g., church-based community
organizations,
Global Solidarity
• To
develop an understanding and appreciation for the global church.
• To
create opportunities for the parish to celebrate cultural diversity.
• To
support programs of groups whose mission is to promote global solidarity (e.g.,
Catholic Relief Services and Pax Christi USA).
Catholic Social Teaching
• To
create or send parishioners to social action training programs.
• To
organize parish education programs for youth and adults.
• To
promote an active commitment to Christian stewardship.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:
• Support
the work of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) through the
annual collection and funded groups.
• Develop
a plan to observe Respect Life Month (and other significant events) with
prayer, education and action programs.
• Develop
parish or deanery programs to respond to local issues, such as abortion,
housing, civil rights, health care or the needs of children.
• Send
representatives to the annual, statewide training for parish leaders, called
the Iowa Institute for Social Action.
• Participate
in campaigns to oppose abortion, the death penalty, war, and other violence,
and to promote health care, human services, and alternatives to abortion.
• Publicize
the availability of social action programs like Project Rachel (post-abortion
counseling and reconciliation) and HAWK-I (child health insurance).
• Start
or support an existing parish nurse program, perhaps in conjunction with other
parishes in a deanery.
• Send at least one parish representative to the regular meetings of the deanery social action committee.
• Train
leaders and potential leaders.
SUPPORT:
• Diocesan
Social Action Commission/Director of Social Action
Contact: Dan
Ebener, 563-324-1912 ext. 268,
ebener@davenportdiocese.org
• SI-CARE Iowa
Contact: 800-344-1107,
1102 5. 7fl~ St.,
•
Contact: 515-243-6256,
505 5th’ Ave.,
• National
Catholic Rural Life Conference
Contact: 515-270-2634,
•
Contact: 202-541-3339,
Department of Social Development and World Peace,