Welcome to the first episode of the Catholic Workers’ Podcast! In this podcast, I hope to explore how Catholic thought applies to modern problems. More than that, I also want to help build a community that pushes for effective change.

Over the coming episodes, I hope to explore Catholic Social Teaching (CST), how it applies to modern policy problems, and how to effectively organize for change.

The papal encyclical Rerum Novarum, written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is considered the foundation of modern Catholic Social Teaching.1 Since the beginning, however, the Church has always spoken about the nature of our relationship with the world. The following is an excerpt from Acts 2:40-47 describing the community of the early Church that was being created by the Apostles:

"40He spoke to them for a long time using many other arguments, and he urged them, 'Save yourselves from this perverse generation.' 41 They accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number. 42 These remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. 43 And everyone was filled with awe; the apostles worked many signs and miracles. 44 And all who shared the faith owned everything in common; 45 they sold their goods and possessions and distributed the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed. 46 Each day, with one heart, they regularly went to the Temple but met in their houses for the breaking of bread; they shared their food gladly and generously; 47 they praised God and were looked up to by everyone. Day by day the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved."

The Apostles called the Christian community to break bread with one another and distribute resources according to need. What can this tell us about our modern, complex economies? CST proceeds from Catholic first principles to systems that encourage piety and virtue. The USCCB lists 7 themes to of Catholic Social Teaching:2

  • Life and Dignity of the Human Person. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says, "The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society." Economics frequently claims to be a field devoid of value judgments. This is a fundamentally flawed view as our societies should be designed to afford everyone in it their dignity. Economies are formed by humans to serve certain ends. Those ends should be serving the poorest amongst us and leading all those to piety.
  • Call to Family, Community, and Participation. The USCCB says, "The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society -- in economics and politics, in law and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community." The full participation of each member in our community is an impulse shared by my American heritage. Throughout the United States' history, the best among us have fought for the full participation of each member of our community. Everyone is called to participate in the creation of a society that serves humanity and God. This includes the economic resources that currently lie outside of democratic control. Workers lack widespread participation in the economic decision-making process. Consequently, we have an economy that fails to serve the poorest among us, doesn't improve the lives of workers, and concentrates power in the hands of a few. CST calls us to build an politics, economy, and society that is built for all.
  • Rights and Responsibilities. The USCCB says, "The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met." Enlightenment liberalism tells us that all of us are endowed with rights. The Church not only agrees with this, but the Church is also the originator of these ideas. More than just rights, the Church teaches us that we have responsibilities as well. In fact, rights can only be safeguarded in a society in which responsibilities are borne. Only once we fulfill our duty to our fellow people by ensuring their rights are protected and that they have those things required for human decency can we safeguard the rights that are due to all of us.
  • Option for the Poor and Vulnerable. As Jesus taught us, we should always put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. Our economy increasingly serves the people in whose hands wealth has been increasingly concentrated. This means that we have a responsibility to care for children, the elderly, the disabled, and anyone else that is at the margins of our society.
  • The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers. The USCCB says, “The 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 Gods creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.” There isn’t much that needs to be said about that.
  • Solidarity. The Church, starting all the way back at Pentecost, has called all nations to join Her. All are called to Christ and all are to be treated as our neighbors. We have a duty to promote justice and peace, especially in a world that is already so violent.
  • Care for God’s Creation. Beginning with Adam and Eve, humanity has been called by God to be the stewards of nature. Caring for God’ creation means protecting people and the planet.

Finally, I want to close on an idea that Pope Saint John XXIII wrote about in his encyclical, Mater et Magistra. In it, he writes in Paragraph 230, “A purely theoretical instruction in man's social and economic obligations is inadequate. People must also be shown ways in which they can properly fulfill these obligations.”3 For this reason, I don’t want to just create a podcast to discuss issues, although that is certainly important. More than that, I want to start a conversation in a community that leads to actionable steps that can be taken. Theorizing for its own sake helps no one. Only when we turn theory into action can we practice Christian virtue. 

Thank you for reading!

  1. https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html
  2. https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching
  3. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_15051961_mater.html