Catholics in the Public Square
Rooted in our Catholic and Benedictine identity, the Office of Campus Ministry is committed to providing resources that will help foster an environment where people of all backgrounds, cultures, and identities can flourish and feel welcomed.
We are committed to this because of our faith. In President Favazza’s message on racial equality on September 30, 2020, he opened with, “As an institution, we are guided by our Catholic and Benedictine mission and identity in which all human life is valued and all are worthy of the same dignity and respect.”
The very foundation of Catholic Social Teaching is the protection of the life and the dignity of the human person. We are called to be in solidarity with those who suffer and to participate in our communities to make them more reflective of the Kingdom of God. We recognize that ‘any kind of social or cultural discrimination in basic personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language or religion, must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.’ 1
Therefore, may the resources found here guide all of us in our understanding of the dignity and sacredness of all life and drive our dedication to creating the Kingdom of God in our own community both through individual education and our own civic engagement.
1 Gaudium et Spes (“The Church in the Modern World”), Vatican II, 1965, #29.
Catholics and Race
Racism is not merely one sin among many; it is a radical evil that divides the human family and denies the new creation of a redeemed world. To struggle against it demands an equally radical transformation, in our own minds and hearts as well as in the structure of our society.
Brothers and Sisters to Us, U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1979.
Resources
Open Wide Our Hearts: the enduring call to love - A Pastoral Letter Against Racism
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 2018
USCCB committee against racism website with recommended readings and tools.
The top 5 lessons from the 2018 USCCB letter against racism - YouTube
Life Series
As Catholics we proclaim that human life is a precious gift from God; that each person who receives this gift has dignity and worth, and that society, through its laws and social institutions, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence.
Campus Ministry provides a wide variety of programs and groups that help realize the sanctity of all life.
Resources
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Life and Dignity of the Human Person →
Faithful Citizenship
We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.
Pope Francis, 9/16/13
As Catholic citizens, we must have a well-formed conscience. A properly formed conscience comes through prayer, Scripture and studying the teachings of the Church. It seeks to understand the truth and allows itself to be guided by the Holy Spirit.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship →