Catholic social teaching are pronounced teachings by the Church on social principles that are part of our tradition. Our Catholic Church has a tradition of charity and social ministry that exist since the time of Christ and the Apostles. We invite you to go over this Prezi (an educational tool) that shares some of that tradition through scripture and the early Church.
Modern Catholic social teaching has developed from this tradition through the doctrinal pronouncement, usually through official documents known as Papal Encyclicals or letters that are called Apostolic Exhortations. Modern Catholic Social Teaching began when Pope Leo XIII wrote an Encyclical in 1891 titled Rerum Novarum in which he addressed the dignity of work in light of the modern economic system and the errors of Communism and Market Fundamentalism. The tradition continues with Pope Francis 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ which explored the ecological concerns of the Church. The following Prezi looks at these teachings and the seven acknowledged principles of Catholic social teaching that comes from these pronouncements.
Flowing from our Catholic social tradition the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has promoted the idea of organizing social ministries within the parish communities. This comes from the Bishop’s document “Communities of Salt and Light.” The following Prezi highlights the mission of the Church and the place of parish social ministry.