Catholic Social Responsibility – Installment #3
The Catholic Social Responsibility Guidebook is designed to provide educators in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee with clear guiding principles for integrating Catholic social responsibility into school culture, and provides theological resources that correspond to four contemporary challenges, and alignment of Catholic Social Teachings to current Archdiocesan curriculum, policies, and accreditation standards. CatholicSocialResponsibilityGuidebookforCatholicSchoolsFinal9.22.21.pdf
All SMSA parents and guardians are invited to become familiar with this document. The two previous installments provided excerpt overviews of the challenges associated with ‘Culture’ and ‘Racism.’ This week’s challenge overview, “Civic Participation for the Common Good:”
“Contemporary political dialogue has become more contentious and polarized. This divisive
approach to political discourse has influenced all aspects of society, including Catholic
Schools. The Catholic Church’s role in guiding its faithful into active political life is to
instruct and illuminate the consciences of the faithful, so that their actions may promote the
dignity of all human persons and enhance the common good. Catholic schools are called to
equip our students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills to interpret and respond to
contemporary social circumstances in light of the Gospel and the truth of our Catholic Church
and Tradition. Catholic schools, while respecting the human dignity of every person, realize
that not all points of view are equally valid, and therefore place a high value on the
development of conscience, positive communication skills, reflection, negotiation and
problem solving in the context of a Catholic faith. Catholic schools form faithful citizens who
act with courage to build common ground and make peace even in deeply fractured
communities.” [Guidebook p. 12]
I urge parents and guardians to take a closer look at the Church’s theological response to the challenges associated with “Civic Participation for the Common Good,” provided in the Guidebook.
Click here for a link to further resource information on Catholic Social Responsibility released by the Archdiocese:
Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us.
Eamonn O’Keeffe
Principal, High School