a chosen race, a royal priesthood - Corpus Christi Catholic Church

What is the Peace and Social
Justice Ministry?
Our Catholic teaching calls us to serve those in need and to
change the structures that deny people their dignity and rights
as children of God. The act of seeking justice works
hand-in-hand with acts of charity. In addition, taking action to
gain justice for those in need is a complementary component of
serving those in need.
The Peace and Social Justice ministry of Corpus Christi parish
will work in a number of ways:
• We will share the social
teaching of the Catholic
Church with all parishioners.
• We will apply Catholic social
teaching to major
contemporary domestic and
international issues which
have significant moral and
religious dimensions.
• We will advocate for the poor
and vulnerable and for
genuine justice and peace in
the public policy arena.
We will work to defend human
life, human dignity, human rights and the pursuit of justice and
peace in our community, in our state, in our nation, and in our
world.
What are the Core Values of Catholic
Peace and Social Justice Teaching?
As Catholics:
• We believe in the life and dignity of the human
person.
• We believe that family, community and social
participation must be supported and strengthened.
• We have a responsibility to act in order to help one
another and the larger society.
• We need to place the needs of the poor and the
vulnerable first.
• We believe in the dignity of work and the right to
productive work, to decent and fair wages, to private
property, and to economic initiative.
• We must work to promote peace and solidarity in a
world surrounded by violence and conflict.
• We believe that care for the earth and for God’s
creations is a requirement of our faith.
How is Peace and Social Justice Different from the
Ministries Corpus Christi Parish Already Pursues?
Corpus Christi parishioners accomplish so much in the area
of pastoral ministry, but we rarely pursue peace and social
justice responses to problems that we see. For example, a
pastoral response to hunger in
the community would be to set
up a food drive, donate to soup
kitchens, and volunteer to help
at a food pantry. The peace and
social justice response could
involve lobbying for a more
extensive food stamp program,
asking more corporations to
support food distribution organizations, and trying to
improve the minimum wage laws.
Members of a pastoral ministry may confront the problems
of refugees in a community by sponsoring and supporting a
refugee family. Members of a peace and social justice
ministry will look at the same problem and advocate that
government and law enforcement officials need to
strengthen the laws protecting refugees in this state or
educate the community about the importance of Sanctuary
protection for political refugees.
The Peace and Social Justice ministry at Corpus Christi will
look for ways to work hand-in-hand with all the pastoral
ministries at our church, and will also be an advocate for
individuals and populations in our community who are in
need, but may be overlooked by those who can best help
them.
What are Some Examples of Peace and Social
Justice Issues?
The issues can be local, nationwide, or worldwide. They
include: hunger, gun control, the death penalty, the
environment, faithful
citizenship and voting,
affordable housing, war in
the world, migrants and
refugees, immigration,
minimum wages, human
trafficking, affordable
healthcare, abortion, unemployment, support for the
elderly, support for the disabled, euthanasia, Catholic
persecution, poverty, and welfare.
What Peace and Social Justice Issues will Corpus
Christi’s ministry be working on?
Initially, the Peace and Social Justice ministry will be
focusing on issues of hunger, on banning the death penalty,
and on developing affordable housing for those in need.
Corpus Christi Peace and Social Justice Ministry
“Empowered by Unity, We Extend Ourselves.
Instructed by Jesus, We Work for Justice.”
Do you want know more? Contact Sue Junkroski at:
suejunkroski@hotmail.com