Catholic Social Teaching is: The underlying insight is that everyone has the right and responsibility to live in our world constructively, not destructively, and to ensure that we leave it in a better state than when we entered it.

At the core of Catholic Social Teaching are a number of key concepts and principles.

Chief among these are: justice, human dignity, the common good, the principles of participation, solidarity, and subsidiarity, the universal destination of the world’s goods, and the option for the poor.

Life and dignity

Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God.  Therefore, every person’s life and dignity must be respected and supported from conception until the end of their natural life on earth.

Solidarity 

The human person is not only sacred, but social.  How society is organized, be it socially, economically, legally or politically has a direct impact on the dignity and growth of every human person and community.  Marriage and family should be supported and strengthened.  Every person has a right to work to support themselves and their families as well as the building up of the common good for all.

 Common Good

We are all People of God, one family.  Therefore what happens to one has an impact on all, locally, nationally and globally.  At the heart of solidarity is the pursuit of peace and justice.  Our love for all calls us to work for a peaceful and just society where everyone has a fair share of the goods needed for a sustainable life, and opportunities for growth and development are offered equally.  The dignity of every person is respected.

Dignity of Work

Work is a way in which we can continue to participate in God’s creation.  Work gives dignity to life and must be carried out in such a way that the basic rights of workers are respected.  Everyone has the right to productive work, to fair and liveable wages, and to organize and join a union.  The economy must be conducted so that it serves the needs of the people.

Rights and Responsibilities

Every person has a fundamental right to life.  It is this right that makes all other rights possible.  Everyone has the right to food, health care, housing, education and employment.  We all need to strive to secure and respect these rights for others both locally and globally.

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Society is judged on how it cares for the poor and vulnerable – our brothers and sisters.  We read in scripture how God has a special concern for the oppressed, poor, vulnerable and those forced to the margins of society.  The Church calls us to respond to the cry of the poor and put their needs first.  This preferential treatment for the poor and vulnerable must be seen in action in our daily lives.

Care for creation

The world God has created for us has been entrusted to everyone and we are responsible and accountable to God as stewards of the earth.  The world has been given to us as a gift, to enjoy and care for so that future generations can enjoy it too.  It is in caring for creation that we show our love and respect for its creator.

We were honoured to receive the ‘DEVELOPER’ level Oscar Romero Award for our dedication to Catholic Social teaching.  This award reflects the hard work of our amazing staff and the commitment to our Catholic mission. Here is what they said.

Well done for incorporating more aspects of CST into your school life, showing you have taken on board the suggestions from your participator award. The weekly headteacher’s award assembly rewards children who display aspects of CST in their behaviour; this term, the focus is Dignity. In discussion with the children, they evidenced that they were very familiar with the principles and were able to explain confidently their meaning and discuss their learning. They follow this through with their behaviours at home, where they recycle, turn off lights etc. They were clear that they were listened to when they made suggestions to ‘improve the school’ or support others, e.g. by clearing the pond, helping animals or supporting various charities. In the curriculum strand it was good to see that CST is evidenced in some subjects. You obviously take Care for the Common Home and for Creation seriously-e.g. in your participation of POP23; your excellent displays of children’s work all around the school and your focus on Laudato si. Inviting CAFOD for assemblies and workshops has broadened the children’s awareness of global concerns. On our visit we observed evidence of CST themes in subjects other than RE, e.g. geography, where we saw work on using natural resources to produce energy, and in English there were extended pieces of writing on deforestation of the rainforests and the extinction of animals.   

What is Catholic Social Teaching?

Frankie – “kind teaching”

Antonia – “help people in need”

Zosia – “help people even though they look different.”

Evie – “I litter picked and got an award.”

Freddie – “helping people who are less fortunate than you. We raise money for Mary meals and charities”

Rosa “if you see someone one the street you can give them money. I do gardening  club looking after the birds and our environment.”

Dylan – “looking after and respecting everything and everyone.”

Issac “help other people who are poor.”

Shantelle – “help people who are sad.”

Grace – “help people when they are poor and give money”

As a school we attended an online love event for POP 23 Protecting our planet. We learnt about our world’s global warming, melting sea ice and destruction of rainforests. We worked hard researching and finding ways we can help our planet.