Welcome To

Catholic Social Teaching

The vision and mission of the Catholic Church proclaims, teachers are witnesses to the belief that God has freely chosen to create every human being. Why? Because God is love. Human beings are created in love and for love. Furthermore each person is made in the image and likeness of the Creator and as such reveals something of who God is. When we see one another, we are called to recognise the dignity and beauty of the person. The basic human dignity comes not from our race, gender or social status, but from God.

Catholic Social Teaching calls us to recognise that all human beings are our brothers and sisters designed to be one race, one people, one family – the human race, the human family, called to be the People of God, the Body of Christ, to live in communion, one with the other and our God.

Catholic Social Teaching tells us how our Catholic faith guides our actions.

It comes from scripture, letters written by popes and holy people called Encyclicals and the examples set by Christians through history. Jesus tells us to love God and to love our neighbour… every neighbour!

By living out Catholic Social Teaching we can build a world of justice, love and peace, where everyone has what they need.

The Catholic Church has seven principles of social teaching that we share with our children through all that we do, through the curriculum, special events and activity and through our ordinary actions in school.

At St Luke’s, we teach Catholic Social Teaching or CST each half term following the ‘CARITAS in Action: Education and Formation in the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church.’

Catholic Social Teaching further encourages our school values and our mission to create a caring, loving community that supports each other. Alongside teaching an area from the CARITAS scheme of work, we embed and share the teachings of CST into every part of school life. We ask that through acts of service, our children will grow as modern day disciples of Jesus who become empathetic citizens of the world.

Our pupil leader groups support a range of elements of Catholic Social Teaching and lead on this across school:

CARITAS Ambassadors

Mini Vinnies

Eco Council


Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

Every human being is created in the image of God and deserves respect and protection. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society.

The human person is not only sacred, but social.  How society is organised, 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.

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.

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.

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.

 

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 livable wages, and to organise and join a union.  The economy must be conducted so that it serves the needs of the people.

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.

Related Pages


Catholic Social Teaching Documents