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Peace & Justice

Social Mission of the Church

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Mission

Our Catholic faith calls us to work for justice, to serve those in need, to pursue peace, and to defend the life, dignity, and rights of all our brothers and sisters, near and far away. This is the call of Jesus, the challenge of the prophets, and the living tradition of our Church.

Social Mission of the Church

From the U.S. Bishops' Conference, 1994

The social mission of the Church belongs to every baptized person, and is the call to serve "the least of these," to "hunger and thirst for justice," to be a "peacemaker." Catholics are called by God to project human life, to promote human dignity, to defend those who are poor, and to seek the common good.

The parish is the heart of Catholic life and the most important setting for sharing and acting on our faith. This faith calls us to live the social mission of the Church, a mission rooted in Scripture and handed down through the centuries in the life and tradition of the Church. It is in the parish community that the Word of God and the Sacraments empower every person to take on the task to live the social mission of the Church in her / his particular daily life. This mission connects us to self, family, parish community, local community, nation and world. That is: "walking with the Lord, doing justice, loving kindness, and living peaceably among all people." The call and challenge to charity, justice and peace are rooted in Scripture, especially in Genesis, the Hebrew prophets, and the life and words of Jesus. In the Gospel according to Luke (4:18), Jesus began his public life by reading from the prophet Isaiah, introducing his ministry and the mission of every parish. The parish must proclaim the message of the gospel and help:

  • Bring "Good News to the poor" in society where millions lack the necessities of life;
  • Bring "liberty to captives" when so many are enslaved by poverty, addiction, ignorance, discrimination, violence or disabling conditions;
  • Bring "new sight to the blind" in a culture where the excessive pursuit of power or pleasure can spiritually blind us to the dignity and rights of others; and
  • "Set the downtrodden free" in communities where crime, racism, family disintegration, and economic and moral forces leave people without real hope.

The biblical call to charity, justice and peace claims not only each believer, but also each parish community. This tradition has led the Church to stand with the poor and vulnerable against the strong and powerful. It brings occasional controversy and conflict, but it also brings life and vitality to the People of God. Our Holy Father, John Paul II along with the U.S. Bishops' Conference carries forward this challenge and call, stating "for Catholics, social mission takes on special meaning today." Thus, over the centuries these biblical mandates have been explored, and expressed in a special way in Catholic Social Teaching for our understanding, formation and putting the Gospel message to practice.

Our parish communities are measured by how they serve "the least of these" in the parish and beyond its boundaries - the hungry, the homeless, the sick, those in prison, the stranger (cf. Mt. 25:31).