Catholic Social Teaching

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” ~ Matthew 22:37-40
Love one another. Simple... yet challenging. 

Jesus calls us to love one another, and in answering this call we build up the Kingdom of God here on Earth. Our Catholic social teaching is a response to that call. Rooted in the Hebrew prophets who announced God's special love for the poor and called God's people to a covenant of love and justice, it is a teaching founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ, who came "to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . liberty to captives . . . recovery of sight to the blind"(Lk 4:18-19), and who identified himself with "the least of these," the hungry and the stranger (cf. Mt 25:45). Catholic social teaching is built on a commitment to the poor that we find in the Gospel.

The 7 themes of Catholic social teaching are:
  • Life and Dignity of the Human Person
  • Call to Family, Community, and Participation 
  • Rights and Responsibilities
  • Option for the Poor and the Vulnerable
  • The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
  • Solidarity
  • Care for God's Creation
To learn more, visit USCCB  Seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching  

See resources on our Catholic Social Teaching at the bottom of this page, or on each of the themes by clicking on the buttons below.

Themes are under construction at this time. Please check back for updates.

Resources

Examination of Conscience in Light of Catholic Social Teaching (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) - Use this resource to do, or to facilitate, an examination of conscience based on each of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.​

Scripture Vigil on the 7 Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
 (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Use this resource for a prayer reflection on Sacred Scripture and the 7 Themes of Catholic Social Teaching.

Explanation of the 7 Themes of Catholic Social Teaching (Catholic Relief Services) - CST 101 handout that defines the 7 themes of Catholic Social Teaching. 

7 Themes in Memes (Buzzfeed and #ProjectCST) FUN explanation of the 7 themes of Catholic Social Teaching done in memes. 

What Exactly is Catholic Social Teaching? A comprehensive, integrated look at the Church's social doctrine (OSV) This article by Emily Stimpson explores the Church's womb to tomb approach to life, along with why the Church seems on both sides of our political lines - hint: it has nothing to do with politics. It's all about Jesus!

Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching (Kennedy Catholic High School) One Catholic high school explores the Catholic social teachings through a group video project.

Catholic Social Teaching (Loyola Press) Articles to learn more about social justice and Catholic Social Teaching

Social Justice- Catholic Social Teaching (Loyola Press)  Joe Paprocki
D Min. in this article reminds us that if we want to live as followers of Jesus we need to live as people for others.