Is Catholic Social Teaching a thing?

Is Catholic Social Teaching a thing?

I live in a predominantly conservative, solid Protestant neighborhood. We have the obligatory minority of Catholics, some active, some lapsed, and some in-between. Most reformed churches are within walking distance and are of various varieties. Also, we are within walking distance of a Christian grade school and middle school and about two miles from a huge Protestant (reformed) Christian High School. My neighbors are some of the most caring human beings you could meet. They support each other and neighbors in times of need. They first support each other's businesses and tend to socialize at their churches and events. Wednesday evening scripture study is a thing. 

Sound Parochial? That's the point. 

Catholicism was much more parochial at the turn of the last century, especially mid-century. The parochialism of the time formed a whole generation of Catholics in movements to express their voices, beliefs, and thoughts. We see these movements in the Young Christian Students (YCS) and Young Christian Workers movement (YCW), and today, many people are concerned those organizations are receding into history. Or are they being replaced by other organizations? Or are they being re-branded?

When Cardijn saw a need to bring Catholic Social Teachings into the lives of the laypeople, he called laypeople to form the YCS and YCW because that was the pressing need at the time. In the US, followers of Cardijn saw a need to express Catholic social teachings within the context of families. The movement began 1943 as a men's Catholic Action group in Chicago. In 1947, it became an organization for couples. Then, the first chaplains of CFM in Chicago, Fr. Louis Putz and Msgr. Reynold Hillenbrand taught Pat and Patty Crowley and the other founding couples a method of faith formation based on the dynamic See-Judge-Act methods developed by Cardinal Cardijn, the founder of the YCW and YCS. Two CFM groups emerged almost simultaneously in the 1940s -- one in South Bend, Indiana, and one in Chicago, Illinois. Then, In June of 1949, 59 delegates representing the Christian Family Movement in 11 different cities met for the first national seminar. By this time, CFM had its publication, ACT, contact with similar groups in other cities, and official church recognition. Pat and Patty Crowley were elected Executive secretaries and served as leaders of CFM for nearly 20 years. Within a year, more than 2,500 copies of the first CFM program, For Happier Families, were distributed. CFM had become a nationwide movement.

What's the point?

Joseph Cardijn said, "For me, laypeople are not formed ... through books, purely theoretical teaching or spoken lectures however magnificent, or even through discussions… Laypeople are formed first of all by the discovery of facts, followed by a Christian judgment, resulting in the actions they plan, the plans they carry into effect, and the responsibilities they shoulder." 

That statement by Cardijn led to the creation of the Young Christian Workers, Young Christian Students, the Christian Family Movement., and the International Confederation of Christian Family Movements. Movements using observation, judgment, and action exist on every continent. Better known as See-Judge-Act.

The point is to Look for the Patterns and see how the patterns developed and flowed. The foundation of Cardijn's work was understanding the patterns in Catholic Social Teachings and the method of See-Judge-Act. Those patterns led to movements. Movements that changed the hearts and minds of people for the greater good of the Kingdom of God here and now.

Now, remember that Cardijn's formula of See-Judge-Act took seriously the different social contexts of the time (think patterns here) that people lived in and which affected them.

Guiding their lives was the formula: See, Judge, and Act. The KEY here is the formula to better understand the situation in time. The formula is designed to be used in pattern-recognition scenarios to help us stay focused on the goal and not find ourselves going down the rabbit hole.

Have you ever thought about the difference?

Think of the differences in organizations and movements. What would Cardijn do today? What patterns would he see, and what movements would he encourage laypeople to create? What movements would he encourage people to re-brand to be more reflective of the situation in time?

For Cardijn, Catholic social teaching was the KEY to the patterns and using the method to focus on the common good and human dignity in society.

What do we SEE today that Cardijn and his followers would say we need to address? 

Catholic Social Teaching and the method See-Judge-Act are the foundation of who we are as Catholics, all twenty-four rites, and together, they address the following themes: 

• Understanding the dignity of the human person

• We are all "Called" to family, community, and participation as a community of believers

• Rights and responsibilities are for all people, not a select few

• We must never forget the Options for the poor and vulnerable and the marginalized in society

• The importance of the dignity of work and the rights of workers, especially in emerging technology

• Solidarity is about innovation-education-collaboration

• Care for God's creation. This is the only planet we have to live on, and we must take care of the planet

When we Discern and Judge, we focus on the seven principles of Catholic social teaching: 

• Respect for the human person

• Promotion of the family

• The individual's right to own property

• The common good

• Subsidiarity

• The dignity of work and workers

• Pursuit of peace and care for the poor

We need to refocus on study circles or groups; we can combine unperson and virtual participation with technology. Many people may be home-bound for various reasons, and distance could be a factor. Still, today, we have the technology to provide a blended environment to gain more diverse perspectives and the patterns and the necessary change. Joseph Cardinal Cardijn, who is dedicated to changing the world by inspiring laypeople to find and live their true Christian vocation, would second that sentiment and urge us to renew our commitment.

"Thus they develop together a concrete professional conscience in discussing together the day-by-day conditions of their work and their lives. They prepare themselves for their future family and civic responsibilities by a loyal study of Catholic moral teaching..." 

Cardijn was convinced that private devotions were not enough for the Christian layperson, and in our world today, we are seeing a movement back to a world that only focuses on "personal piety." This is the opposite of what Catholic Social Teaching is all about.

 Faith must be put into action. If we use study circles or groups effectively, Cardijn reminds us, "Faith without works is dead. The study circle is not just a teaching business. It communicates a faith, a faith enthusiastic for social, moral, and religious action and organization."

Where do we go from here?

To reenergize Catholic Social Teachings into action, we must re-establish study groups or circles and focus the groups on understanding the patterns in our lives, in the society we live, in the church as a whole, and using the method with an understanding of the teachings of Jesus and encyclicals over time what action is necessary for bringing about the Kingdom of God here and now if we remember to let the Spirit work within the group because we all know that where two or three are gathered, Christ is there among us. Great things will happen, and movements will spring forth.

SEE

• What are the Patterns in Play in My Environment?

• What Does the Strategic Landscape Look Like for Catholic Social Teaching?

• What Conditions and Triggers Are Changing in the World of CST?

  • Dysfunctionality

  • Variation

  • Rate of Change

• Where did the concern or problem take place?

• Who was involved?

• What actually happened?

• How often does this occur?

• How did the situation affect those involved?

• What was said? Why did this happen?

• Why did people act as they did?

• What are the causes and consequences of what happened?

JUDGE

• Where will people disagree on the problem? Is this really about CST? The Gospels? The Kingdom of God?

• Do we have Disagreement on the direction of the solution?

• Disagreeing that the proposed solution solves the problem?

• Claiming that the solution will also lead to negative effects?

• Pointing to obstacles blocking or distorting the implementation of the solution?

• Do we understand why people have unverbalized fear, and how do we address this?

• Should this situation be happening?

• Is this right? What makes it right or wrong?

• Can we change the situation?

ACT

• Agree on the problem ~ do a “gut check” to make sure

• Agree on the direction of the solution (Agree that the solution solves the problem) 

• Agree that the solution doesn’t lead to negative effects 

• Agree on how to overcome any obstacles 

• Agree to implement

• How do we act? How do we implement it?

• Does our plan demonstrate that we achieve the original purpose in our plan? Did it change the situation of the person(s) who initially brought the case to our attention?

• What difficulties will we come up against? And are they addressed?

• What effect will our actions have on us and others?

• What do we learn from the action? From the planning sessions?

• How did we feel about what we SAW and what we JUDGED before we were ready to implement? 

• During implementation, do a status check. Do a wrap-up After

• Is there anything we would do differently?

• Is there any further action we can take?

Photo: Cornerstone Protestant Reformed Church – St. John, IN