Mission Statement:

Recognizing that baptism calls each of us to work for social justice and following the guide of Catholic Social Teaching, our mission is twofold: to empower our fellow parishioners through education and to engage them in works of advocacy, with the goal of changing policies, structures, and institutions so that ultimately they work on behalf of the common good.

The Social Justice Committee meets monthly to identify and implement projects reflecting this mission statement. On-going activities include Catholic Social Teaching bulletin articles, and fair trade coffee sales and education. Ideas for future projects that are consistent with our mission are welcome. Parishioners who are interested in education and advocacy related to social justice are encouraged to consider this opportunity.

For more information, contact Mike or Sally Burns (507-287-0133, smburns@charter.net)

The Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic Social Teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society.

• Life and Dignity of the Human Person
• Call to Family, Community, and Participation
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
• The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
• Solidarity
• Care for God’s Creation

From Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, more information is available at the United States Council of Catholic Bishops' website (USCCB).

Recommended Reading

The Social Justice Committee recomends the following books. They are listed by topic, although several books cover multiple topics, Enjoy!
 

Featured Book of The Month
 
“Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (The World As Home)” by Janisse Ray

“What impresses me most about this astonishing book is the seamless interweaving of personal memoir and natural history – an interweaving more remarkable in view of the jolting differences between the junkyard of the author’s childhood and what is left of the natural landscape of her beloved south Georgia” (Jim Kilgo, author of Deep Enough for Ivorybills)

A unique book that is autobiographical, ecological, spiritual, and historical.
 

 Care for the Environment, Climate Change

“Laudato Si -- On Care for Our Common Home” by Pope Francis “Climate Change – What Everyone Needs to Know” by Joseph Romm

“This Changes Everything – Capitalism Versus the Climate” by Naomi Klein

“Living Beyond the ‘End of the World’: A Spirituality of Hope” by Margert Sweedish

“Please Don’t paint Our Planet Pink: A Story for Children and Their Adults” by Gregg Keiner

“How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming” by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch

“Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (The World As Home)” by Janisse Ray

Israel and Palestine

“Blood Brothers: The Dramatic Story of a Palestinian Christian Working for Peace in Israel” by Elias Chacour  and David Hazard

“An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel” by Jeff Halper

“My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel” by Ari Shavit

“Palestine Speaks: Narratives of Life Under Occupation” by Cate Malek and Mateo Hoke

Social Justice

“Dispossessed: Life in Our World's Urban Slums” by Mark Kramer

“Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson

“Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation” by Jonathan Kozol

Racisim

“Uprooting Racism - 4th edition: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice” by Paul Kivel

“The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother” by James McBride

Globalization / Global Issues

“The True Cost of Low Prices: The Violence of Globalization” by Jeffry Odell Korgen  and Vincent Gallagher

 “Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes” by Robert McAfee Brown

War

“What It Is Like To Go To War” by Karl Marlantes (Vietnam War)

The Thing They Carried” by Tim O'Brien (Vietnam War)

“The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam” by Bao Ninh

“Survival in the Killing Field” by Haing Ngor (Cambodian holocaust)

“Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War” by Anthony Shadid

Peace

“The Road to Peace: Writings on Peace and Justice” by Henry Nouwen

Sex Trafficking

“The Blue Notebook: A Novel” by James A. Levine

Homelessness

“Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together” by Rone Hall and Denver Moore

“Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of My Grandmother” by Kate Hennessy

Immigration  

“The Death of Josseline – Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands” by Margaret Regan

Compassion

“Tattoos on the Heart – The Power of Boundless Compassion” by Gregory Boyle

“Barking to the Choir – The Power of Radical Kinship” by Gregory Boyle

 

Information on Catholic Social Teaching

     * Office of Social Justice of the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis

    * USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops)

 

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Faith and Political Responsibility

Become Involved! The following are a few of many web sites that discuss legislative action related to social justice issues

    * JRLC (Joint Religious Legislative Coalition - http://www.jrlc.org/  )

    * Network (A National Social Justice Lobby)

    * Bread for the World (http://www.bread.org/ )

    * Faithful Citizenship (USCCB)

    * National Catholic Rural Life Conference

 

Peace and Nonviolence

The following web sites are focused on peace and nonviolence issues

    * Pax Christi USA (http://paxchristiusa.org/ )