Catholic Social Teaching

At Catholic Charities, our mission to demonstrate the Gospel values of love and justice is rooted in the seven principles of Catholic social teaching.

• We believe in the life and dignity of the human person. This belief is the foundation for Catholic social teaching and we strive to uphold it in all we do. Our standards are measured through this core belief.

• We believe that the person is not only sacred, but also social. The organization of our society in economics and politics, in law and policy directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened. All have the right to participate in society for the common good, especially the poor and vulnerable.

• Every person has a fundamental right to life and to those things that are necessary for human decency. This is the tradition of the Catholic Church that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities to one another, to our families and to the larger society are met.

• The Catholic tradition instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first, as recorded in the Last Judgment (Mt. 25:31-46).

• Our economy must serve people. Work is more than a way of making a living; it is a form of participation in God’s creation. Dignity of work is to be protected and thus the basic rights of the workers must be respected, including a right to productive work, fair wages, private property and economic initiative.

• Loving our neighbor has global dimensions. Solidarity is necessary – we are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. The virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers.

• Stewardship is how we show our respect to our Creator. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith with all of God’s creation.