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Social justice for dummies: a guide to what you can do to give social justice a good name.

A guide to what you can do to give social justice a good name.

Includes bonus information on:

* The easy way to know the difference between justice and charity

* The pitfalls that lead to "fringe-ism"

* What's in it for you

"He's on the social-justice committee she said, a sound of fear, wariness, even a little contempt in her voice. Here, in the middle of a parish potluck dinner, that phrase came up again.

Social justice.

How is it that the concept of justice--so central to both the Bible and Catholic theology--has gotten such a bad name in many parishes? With a little education, it doesnt't have to be that way. Let's take a look at what social justice is. The U.S. bishops refer to social justice as part of a larger umbrella of activities called social ministry. This broad term includes direct services that most Catholics would call charity: food pantries, clothing drives, and homeless shelters. Our faith calls us to respond immediately to the requests of individual families by providing them with the temporary assistance they need: a bag of groceries, a winter coat, or a place to sleep. But it is only one part of social ministry.



Catholic social teaching calls us to

serve those in need and to change

the structures that deny people their

dignity and rights as children of God.

Service and action, charity and

justice are complementary

components of parish social ministry.

Neither alone is sufficient; both are

essential signs of the gospel at work.

Causes for concern





Who should do social justice? Everyone seems to have an answer to that question. There is a tendency to delegate the responsibility of doing social justice to anyone except oneself. A common complaint of social-justice leaders is the lack of vocal support from pastors and clergy. They believe nothing is as effective as a call from the pulpit--and from the pastor in particular--to participate in specific justice actions. Many lay leaders feel that homilists regularly miss opportunities to highlight justice themes found in the lectionary readings. Some believe these omissions are intentional, not accidental.

Most pastors believe that for justice efforts to be successful, the issues and responses have to come from the average parishioners. "They have to be the leaders, not me," says a pastor of a suburban parish near Atlanta. "Legislators want to hear from taxpayers and businesspeople, not from priests."

There is also the staffing dilemma. In an effort to develop a more structured and effective social-ministry effort, many parishes hire a staff person to coordinate charity and justice activities. Too often, however, the staff person becomes the "designated doer." This lets the rest of the parish--laity and clergy alike--off the hook. "Communities of Salt and Light" has this to say about the question of who should do social justice:

The most serious danger is for parish

leaders to act as if the social ministry

of the Church was the responsibility

of someone else. Every believer is

called to serve those in need, to work

for justice, and to pursue peace.

Every parish has the mission to help

its members act on their faith in the




Paul Woolley, director of the Social Justice Resource Center in Oakland, California, says, "The best parish justice leaders--the ones who don't burn out--get lots of other people doing social-ministry work. They see their role as coordinators, not doers." Successful justice leaders involve the inexperienced in advocacy work, even though it might be quicker and easier to do it themselves. They explain issues in plain language, avoiding unnecessary jargon that might intimidate others from taking action.


"You have situations where a few, self-selected people get together, form an only-people-like-us group, get a bit too self-righteous, and talk about how they're way ahead of the rest of the church," says Polly Duncan Collum, director of Parish Social Ministry for both the parish level and within a diocese, where one or two parishes become the social-justice 'hotbeds,' attracting activists from around the region."



What's in it for me?

Community-organizing schools emphasize the concept of self-interest: the idea that people will only get involved in a campaign if they see how they are personally affected by an issue. This simple concept is often overlooked by parish leaders. Problems occur when the justice committee--frequently made up of six to twelve people--decides what issues the parish ought to work on for the next year and how people ought to respond.


"The best issues to work on," according to Collum, "generate activities that are based on the real needs of parish neighborhoods. The justice committee doesn't decide the issues rather it facilitates a one-to-one visiting process that surfaces the issues most on the minds of the community, even if it takes more time."










Political pitfalls





A significant challenge is to avoid

divisiveness; to emphasize

common ground among social

service and social action,

education and advocacy, prolife

and social justice, economic

development and environmental

commitment. We need to work

together to reflect a

comprehensive concern for the

human person.


Leaders in learning

Successful parish social-justice leaders seem to share an insatiable desire to always learn more--about Catholic social teaching, about a specific issue, about the way a governmental board makes public-policy decisions. This quest for education on social issues is not limited to just activist types, says Mary Heidcamp, coordinator for the Peace and Justice Office with the Archdiocese of Chicago. "Most Catholics really want to understand the theology behind I justice. They are hungry to know how actions for justice connect to their faith lives."



When it comes to justice education, most successful leaders recommend a firm foundation in the basics--the biblical stories of justice and the key principles of Catholic social teaching--for all members of a Catholic community. Entrusted with this task are the many Catholic educators at a parish, including homilists, school instructors, religious education teachers, and adult-faith formation leaders.

In many cases, diocesan and Catholic Charities offices are available to assist parishes in improving justice-education efforts. (To find out what resources are available in your region, call Catholic Charities USA Parish Social Ministry Office at 703549-1390, extension 21.)

Keep it simple

A well-running parish social-justice committee--with balanced leaders who have good relationships with people and know how to work on an issue--can still have problems, if they "bite off more than they can chew," according to Oakland's Woolley. The list of social-justice issues is so huge, leaders must make choices. The U.S. bishops agree:

Another danger is to try to do too

much on too many issues, without

clear priorities and an effective

plan of action. Not everyone can

do everything, but the parish

should be a sign of unity in

pursuing a consistent concern for

human life and human dignity.


Good committees make sure that other parish leaders--like the staff, parish council, and education board members--are not just informed about the plan but add input into the parish social justice planning process.







Effective social ministry helps the

parish not only do more, but be

more--more of a reflection of the

gospel, more of a worshipping and

evangelizing people, more of a

faithful community. It is an essential

part of parish life.


CHARITY Good Samaritan story

The gospel story does not attempt to survey the causes of highway banditry. The Samaritan provides temporary and immediate relief to someone in need.

Social service . . . Charity

* private, individual acts

* responds to immediate need

* provides direct service: food, clothing, shelter

* directed at the effects of injustice (symptoms)

* usually noncontroversial


Homeless shelters, food pantries, clothing drives, emergency collections.

JUSTICE Exodus story

Moses does not ask for food and medicine for the laborers. He challenges the institutional system of slavery. Message: "Let God's people go."

Social change ... Justice

* public, collective actions

* responds to long-term need

* promotes social change in institutions

* directed at the root causes of injustice (search for cure)

* often controversial


Legislative advocacy, changing a corporate policy, church-based community organizing.


* Dignity of the human person All people are sacred, made in the image and likeness of God. People do not lose dignity because of disability, poverty, age, lack of success, or race. The emphasis is on people over things, being over having

* Community and the common good The human person is both sacred and social. We realize our dignity and rights in relationship with others, in community. As Saint Paul said,'We are one body: when one suffers, we all suffer." We are called to respect all of God's gifts of creation, to be good stewards of the earth and each other.

* Rights and responsibilities People have a fundamental right to life, food, shelter, health care, education, and employment All people have a right to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to respect the rights of others and to work how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of any community. We are called to look at public-policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor.

* Dignity of work People have a right to decent and productive work, fair wages, private property, and economic initiative. The economy exists to serve people, not the other way around.

* Solidarity We are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other cross national, racial, economic, and ideological differences. We are called to work globally for justice.


ST. RICHARD PARISH in Richfield, Minnesota regularly includes visiting outreach as part of its social-justice ministry.

In these one-on-one visits, parishioners are asked about their hopes, dreams, and concerns about life in their community. Usually, six or seven issues surface in visit after visit.

The committee hosts an all-parish meeting to summarize what they heard in their one-on-one visits. At the end of the meeting, participants are asked to vote for two priority issues. The votes are tallied, and the justice committee focuses its work on those two issues for a year.

When a visiting process like this takes place, many positive things happen that give justice committees like St. Richard's an edge.

The parish has more input into the focus of the justice committee's work and more ownership of parish social ministry. The visiting process gives the justice committee a human face because the leaders go out to homes, meet parishioners, hear their concerns, maybe even explain what social justice is and does.

Finally, when action opportunities arise, the justice leaders can personally follow up with the people who have already expressed an interest in one of the focus issues.



A 16-by-38-inch poster offering an overview of 100 yeas of Catholic social teaching with summaries of all the major documents from the 1891 papal encyclical Rerum novarum to the 1991 Centesimus annus. A great teaching tool for the classroom, church lobby, or meeting room. Price: $3.95 each; laminated copies, $14.95 each. Call 1-800-328-6515 to order. Or visit the timeline online at http://www/ ~uscath/cstline/tline.html.


A three-part booklet that gives parishes the tools they need to get a thriving social ministry off the ground, including expert advice; a reflection and action process for parish groups; and practical tips on how to reach the person in the pew. Price: 1-4 copies, $2 each; 5-19, $1 each. For further pricing or to order, call 1-800-328-6515.


Provides a growing array of social-justice resources.


Social Analysis is a fancy term for reading the signs of the times with Christian eyes. Any issue can be used in this process, which helps us integrate justice in our daily lives-from the way we read the newspaper to the decisions we make in the workplace:


* What is your experience of the issue?

* What was the experience of others affected by this issue?

* When did this problem begin? What has changed over time?

* What are the economic, political, cultural, and social factors that play a role in this situation?


* Why are things this way?

* Who makes decisions?

* Who gets left out?

* What would be Good News to the victims?

* How does scripture speak to this problem?

* What do the social teachings of the church tell us about how to respond?


* How can we engage others in this issue?

* Who has the power to make changes for justice?

* How do we approach them? What is our specific proposition?

* Will this improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable?
COPYRIGHT 1997 Claretian Publications

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Title Annotation:includes list of resources and related articles on charity and justice, Catholic social teaching, one-on-one meetings and social analysis
Author:Sullivan, Joe
Publication:U.S. Catholic
Date:Jul 1, 1997
Previous Article:Family secrets: should you know the truth?
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