The Social Justice Ministry is about transforming the dominant culture of our society from one of materialism and individualism to one of relationality and justice. We embrace the social teachings of the Church and practice living in a way that addresses the root issues of injustice in our community. This ministry is about building relationships with others who want to act with power for the common good. We seek first to understand the social issues impacting the families of St. Thomas More, so we can act together to solve these issues. We stand in solidarity with all who suffer injustice locally and abroad.
- LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSONEvery person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, each person's life and dignity must be respected, whether that person is an innocent unborn child in a mother's womb, whether that person worked in the World Trade Center or a market in Baghdad, or even whether that person is a convicted criminal on death row.
- Genesis 1:26-27 (we are created in God's image)
- Deuteronomy 30:19 (choose life)
- John 12:32 (Christ will draw all to himself)
- 1 Corinthians 15:22 (Christ died for all)
- CALL TO FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND PARTICIPATIONThe God-given institutions of marriage — a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman — and family are central and serve as the foundations for social life. Every person has a right to participate in social, economic, and political life and a corresponding duty to work for the advancement of the common good and the well-being of all, especially the poor and weak.
- Genesis 17:7-8 (God covenants with all people)
- Exodus 6:6-8 (God's covenant frees a people)
- Mark 1:14-15 (the reign of God, a social image)
- HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIESEach person has a fundamental right to life — the right that makes all other rights possible. Each person also has a right to the conditions for living a decent life — faith and family life, food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing.
- Deuteronomy 5:17, 30:19 (right to life)
- Sirach 34:22 (rights of workers)
- Psalm 146:5-8 (freedom from oppression)
- Isaiah 10:1-2 (against unjust laws)
- OPTION FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLEThe Church calls on all of us to embrace this preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, to embody it in our lives, and to work to have it shape public policies and priorities. A fundamental measure of our society is how we care for and stand with the poor and vulnerable.
- Exodus 22:20-22, Leviticus 19:33-34, Deuteronomy 24:17-18 (laws protecting aliens, widows, orphans)
- Deuteronomy 14:28-29, 26:12-13 (laws providing for the poor)
- Matthew 25:41-46 (judgment of nations)
- Luke 4:16-21 (Jesus' mission to the poor and outcast)
- Luke 14:12-14 (reach out to the poor and vulnerable)
- THE DIGNITY OF WORK AND RIGHTS OF WORKERSThe economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's act of creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers, owners and others must be respected — the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organize and choose to join a union, to economic initiative, and to ownership and private property.
- Genesis 2:15 (humans cultivate earth)
- Exodus 20:9-11, 23:12, 34:21; Leviticus 23:3; Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (Sabbath gave laborers rest)
- Leviticus 19:13, Deuteronomy 24:14-15, Sirach 34:22, Jeremiah 22:13, James 5:4 (wage justice)
- Matthew 20:1-16 (Jesus uses wage law in parable)
- Matthew 10:9-10, Luke 10:7, Timothy 5:17-18 (laborer deserves pay)
- SOLIDARITYWe are one human family. We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, wherever they may be. Pope John Paul II said, "We are all really responsible for all." Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. Pope Paul VI taught that "if you want peace, work for justice."
- Genesis 22:17-18, Psalm 22:28-29 (save all nations)
- Isaiah 2:1-4, Micah 4:1-3 (peace for all nations)
- Romans 10:12 (no national distinctions in God)
- Galatians 3:28 (all one in Christ)
- CARE FOR GOD'S CREATIONThe world that God created has been entrusted to us. Our use of it must be directed by God's plan for creation, not simply for our own benefit. Our stewardship of the Earth is a form or participation in God's act of creating and sustaining the world. In our use of creation, we must be guided by a concern for generations to come.
- Genesis 1:31 (goodness of creation)
- Genesis 2:15 (stewardship of the earth)
- Daniel 3:74-81 (all the earth blesses God)
- Hosea 4:1-3 (humans wound the earth)
- Romans 8:18-25 (all creation awaits redemption)
Since the summer of 2007, we have talked and listened to over 300 parishioners to deeply understand what pressures are experienced by St. Thomas More families. We then compiled a Parish Agenda and presented it at the Parish Assembly in November, 2007. All of these issues truly reflect the social teaching of the Church. It is our hope to have all parishioners “sign up” on the agenda.
Your signature indicates your agreement that these are important issues which you support. Gaining as many signatures as possible will show strength and solidarity and serve as an organizing tool as we work to address these issues impacting families. Your signature will be added to other parishioners’ names who are working to make a difference. Rest assured your name will not be used for any other purpose outside our parish or given to any outside organization.
Please take some time to read the agenda below . In order to sign up, please download the attached form, print it and sign it. You can drop the completed form in the collection basket at Mass, or mail it back to the parish office, marking the envelope to the attention of the Social Justice Ministry.
The Church’s Social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. With these teachings as our guide and through ongoing conversations, we choose to devote our energies and attention over the next three years in the following areas.
Believing that St. Thomas More Parish is a network of supportive relationships that help us grow spiritually and act powerfully in the world, we will build the avenues that:
- enable neighbors to know and support one another by conducting voluntary Neighborhood Walks to meet our neighbors,
- create a culture of conversation within the parish where parishioners can share their concerns and have the capacity to act on those concerns by holding monthly Conversation Groups,
- improve communication and conversation among and between parish ministries by working with the parish communication director and heads of ministries,
- participate in larger, ecumenical efforts that seek to address social justice issues through membership in Austin Interfaith and other appropriate state and national organizations.
All people have a right to adequate health care as we are all created in the image of God. Access to affordable health care should be within the reach of all persons. Fair and reasonable health care should be available in a way that makes it possible for health care providers to practice and patients to receive health care regardless of income level, stage of life, or current health condition.
Recognizing the complexity of these issues we will research this issue seeking perspectives of health care providers, insurance providers, hospital administrators, patients, and other pertinent stakeholders. We also will share this research with other churches engaged in this issue to develop a strategy for action.
We believe as a church we should support both Catholic and Public education. We believe that all teachers should be respected, supported and compensated as professionals. Without sacrificing high standards, we want to shift the focus of the educational system away from an overemphasis on standardized testing and toward a renewed emphasis on critical thinking, reasoning and problem solving for all students.
Further, we are concerned about what often seem as excessive time devoted to excessively high expectations in the fields of competitive sports, arts, and performances.
To achieve these efforts in the most fair and effective way, we will build strong working relationships among school personnel and our members/parents to achieve a balance of priorities. We will conduct meetings with principals and school board members to begin developing these relationships.
The most vulnerable among us need support and care. We want adequate resources in the larger community that provide the services that make it possible for the disabled and elderly to live quality lives. As a parish, we can come together to facilitate support groups, to exchange ideas, to ask questions, and to support care-givers, as we lessen the sense of isolation among this population. We can network with and become advocates for those community and societal organizations that make our parish efforts more effective.
Families and individuals of all income levels are experiencing economic pressure. In many settings an imbalance of economic power creates insecurity, hardship, and isolation. Globalization, for example, contributes to the growing insecurity that jobs will be outsourced and even where there are important social benefits from this movement many are displaced and disenfranchised. We believe the economy must serve the people, not the other way around. People have the right to decent and fair wages for basic necessities; work hours, which preserve family life, and social safety nets to protect families from the hardships of unemployment, illness, separations and divorce. The Church stands with all people for reasonable working conditions and job security. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities—to one another, to our families, and to the larger society. We will learn about workforce and economic strategies that lift people out of poverty. We will then conduct workshops about economic and business policies and practices that impact our families.
| Contact: | Patty Saragusa
918-0146 |
Enedelia Obregon 331-1890 |