Catholic IdentityCatholic IdentityCatholic Charities Portland, OregonCatholic Charities Portland, Oregon

Senior Managers RetreatSenior Managers Retreat

Rachel LustigCatholic Charities USA

Today’s Objective

• Part I – Our Catholic Identity– Strengthening grounding in the Catholic foundation

of Catholic Charities

• Part II – Opportunities to Showcase Identity– Drawing the connection between identity and

execution of the mission.

• Part III – Catholic Social Teaching– Understanding how CST can be a tool as we strive to

live out the Gospel call through the mission of Catholic Charities

Part I: Our Identity

What do you think makes Catholic Charities Catholic?

Part I: Our Identity

1. The foundation of what we do, service, advocacy and convening, springs from our faith tradition.

2. Our understanding of the human person shapes how we serve people.

3. We are catholic, universal, in whom we serve and with whom we work.

4. We have a structural connection to the Bishop and diocese.

1. Faith Foundation

• The foundation of what we do - service, service, advocacy and conveningadvocacy and convening - springs from our faith tradition. – Scripture, especially the life and witness of Jesus

Christ– Catholic teaching, especially Catholic moral and

social teaching– The living witness of the Catholic Church– Reinforced and challenged by the Sacramental

and Prophetic Traditions

Call to Care for the Poor

Since the LORD, your God, will bless you abundantly in the land he will give you to occupy as your heritage, there should be no one of you in need.

If one of your kinsmen in any community is in need in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand to him in his need. Instead, you shall open your hand to him and freely lend him enough to meet his need.

~ Det. 15: 4, 7

The Prophetic Witness

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:

Releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke;

Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke;

Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;

Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.

~ Is 58: 6-7

Luke 10: The Good Samaritan

Dt 6:5 You shall the love the Lord, your God…Lev 19:18 You shall love your neighbor…

The way that we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.

(1 John 3:16-18)

Acts of the Apostles

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Acts 3: 42-47

Early Church

St. Basil of Caesarea

The bread that you hold on to belongs to the hungry; the cloak you keep locked in your storeroom belongs to the naked; the shoe that is moldering in your possession belongs to the person with no shoes; the silver that you have buried belongs to the person in need. You do an injury to as many people as you might have helped with all these things!

Deus Caritas Est

• The Church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the Sacraments and the Word.

2. Made in the Image of God

• Our understanding of the human person shapes how we serve people. – Made in the image of God– Life is sacred and all people have

dignity– Sinful and redeemable, blest and

broken• Balance compassion and

professionalism

God created man in his image; in the God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and divine image he created him; male and female He created them.female He created them.~ Gen. 1: 27~ Gen. 1: 27

Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, you do it to me. ~ Mt 25

Those who work for the Church’s charitable organizations must be distinguished by the

fact that they do not merely meet the needs of the moment, but they dedicate

themselves to others with heartfelt concern, enabling them to experience the

richness of their humanity.” Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, #31b

Universal

• We are catholic in whom we serve and with whom we work. – Serve all people, with special attention give to the

poor and vulnerable– Will partner broadly - government, corporations,

people of other faiths, when doing so will support our mission and is in line with our values

– Respect the religious identity of the people we serve and the people with whom we partner

Part of the Church

• We have a structural connection to the Bishop and diocese. – Bishop holds ultimate authority– Catholic Charities is an Apostolate of the Diocese– Follow the Social and Moral Teaching of the Church– Special connection to the church and the parishes

Catholic Social Teaching

The Truth of God’s Love in Society

“the expression of the whole truth about man know by reason and faith…born of “the encounter of the Gospel message and of its demands summarized in the supreme commandment of love of God and neighbor in justice with the problems emanating from the life of society.”

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church

U.S. Bishops

“As Catholics, we must come together with a common conviction that we can no longer tolerate the moral scandal of poverty in our land and so much hunger and deprivation in our world. As believers, we can debate how best to overcome these realities, but we must be united in our determination to do so. Our faith teaches us that poor people are not issues or problems but sisters and brothers in God's one human family.”

A Place at the Table, U.S. Bishops 2002

The central message is simple: our faith is The central message is simple: our faith is profoundly social. We cannot be called truly profoundly social. We cannot be called truly “Catholic” unless we hear and heed the “Catholic” unless we hear and heed the Church's call to serve those in need and work Church's call to serve those in need and work for justice and peace. for justice and peace.

Communities of Salt and Light, U.S. Bishops, 1993Communities of Salt and Light, U.S. Bishops, 1993

Grounded in Faith

Vision 2000

“In fulfilling its own servant role, Catholic Charities must help the Church at large to fulfill its service mission. The services provided by Catholic Charities agencies were never intended to exonerate the faithful of the responsibilities of Christian discipleship and the need for a community of believers to be personally involved in caring for one another…Vision 2000 calls Catholic Charities agencies to become more fully integrated into local parish communities, providing stimulus and leadership in nurturing faith, proclaiming justice, serving people and building community.”

Our History

Arrival of the Ursuline Sisters in New Orleans 1727

Beginnings

1910 Founding of the National Conference of Catholic Charities(over 50% of Catholics are foreign born)

-to promote the creation of diocesan bureaus-to bring about a sense of solidarity-to encourage professional social work

practices-to be “the attorney for the poor”

The Cadre Study

Toward a Renewed Catholic Charities Movement

Service Advocacy Convening

(1972)

Vision 2000

I. Relating to Those We ServeQuality serviceEmpowerment

II. Relating to CommunitySocial changeDiversity

III. Relating to ChurchCatholic Identity Mission

IV. Relating to One AnotherCommunicationParticipation

Mission of Catholic Charities

The mission of Catholic Charities is to provide service to people in need, to

advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and

other people of good will to do the same.

Service • Advocacy • Convening

Part II - Opportunities to Showcase Our Identity

1. Setting the Direction – Mission, Vision and Values– Determining Programs– Allocating Resources– Identifying Options– Making Adjustments– Establishing and Ending

Partnerships– Monitoring Trends

Opportunities to Showcase Our Identity

2. Inviting People into the Mission– Helping people to understand and

take an interest or ownership in your mission

• Donors, Partner, Politicians, Staff etc.

– Identifying and solidifying alliances on emerging issues and opportunities

– Branding and Crisis Communication

Opportunities to Showcase Our Identity

3. Setting a Standard for Service Delivery – Balancing professionalism - following codes of

ethics and standards of practice – Compassion – how we treat people based in

respect their inherent dignity – Teaching and Values - context within which we

work and the basis by which we make our decisions

Opportunities to Showcase Our Identity

4. Making Professional Development and Formation a Priority for Yourself – Keeping yourself up to speed on the

opportunities and challenges of this sector

– Providing yourself with the “Formation of the Heart” in which you are lead to an encounter with the creator which awakens their love and opens their spirit to others.

Part II: Opportunities for Showcasing Our Identity

1. What struck you about the results of the survey?

2. What are you pleased to see that you are doing well?

3. What strikes you as requiring the most immediate attention?

How Can Catholic Social Teaching be Helpful to Catholic Charities?

Catholic social teaching provides us with tools to guide us as we strive to live out the Gospel call through the mission of Catholic Charities.

What Catholic Social Teaching provides…

1. Link between Beliefs and ActionThe Principles Help Make the Connection

2. Evaluation CriteriaThe Principles of Catholic Social Teaching Gleaned from the Body of Catholic Social Teaching

3. Process for EvaluationThe Theological Reflection in a Catholic Social Teaching Document

PART I: LINK BETWEEN BELIEFS AND ACTIONS

HOW?

The deeper the connection between our beliefs and actions the closer we stay to our mission and identity.

B -> A

How do we create a link between beliefs and actions?

Beliefs Principles Action

Vision Statement

Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

Belief

Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

Principles

Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

Practice

Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

The Link

Beliefs Principles Action

PART II: EVALUATION CRITERIA

Catholic Social Teaching

1891 Rerum Novarum Leo XIII1931 Quadragesimo Anno Pius XI1961 Mother and Teacher John XXIII1963 Peace on Earth John XXIII1965 Church in the Modern World Vatican II1967 The Development of Peoples Paul VI1971 A Call to Action Paul VI1971 Justice in the World Synod of Bishops1979 Redeemer of Humanity John Paul II1981 On Human Work John Paul II1988 On Social Concern John Paul II1991 The One Hundredth Year John Paul II1995 The Gospel of Life John Paul II2009 Charity in Truth Benedict XVI

Part I: Principles

“These principles, the expression of the whole truth about man known by reason and faith, are born of “the encounter of the Gospel message and of its demands summarized in the supreme commandment of love of God and neighbor in justice with the problems that emanating from the life of society.”

Compendium of the Social Doctrine # 160

Compendium of the Social Doctrine

1. Dignity of the Human Person

2. Common Good3. Subsidiarity4. Solidarity

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person2. Family, Community and Participation3. Rights and Responsibilities4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable5. Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers6. Solidarity7. Care of God’s Creation

PART III: A PROCESS FOR EVALUATION

Part II: Process

Each document is a theological reflection of the signs of the times – an in depth analysis of a moment in time and evaluation of that reality in light of the teaching and witness of Christ.

The Pastoral Circle

1. What is going on?2. Why is it happening? 3. How do we evaluate it? 4. How do we respond?

Social Analysis: Linking Faith and Justice, Joe Holland and Peter Henriot, S.J.

Moment I: Israelites in Egypt

1. What is going on? 2. What is it happening?

Exodus 1: 1-14

Moment I: Israelites in Egypt

“I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt into… a land flowing with milk and honey.”

(Ex 3: 16-17)

3. How do we evaluate it?

Moment I: Israelites in Egypt

4. How do we respond? “If you live in accordance with my precepts and are careful to observe my commandments…I will set my dwelling among you, and will not disdain you. Ever present in your midst, I will be your God, and you will be my people, for it is I the Lord, who brought you out of the land of the Egyptians and freed your from their slavery, breaking the yoke they had laid upon you and letting your walk erect.” (Lev 26: 3, 11-13)

Moment II: New Testament

1. What is going on?2. Why is it

happening?

Moment II: New Testament

3. How do we evaluate it?

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,Because he has anointed meTo bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captivesAnd recovery of sight to the blind,To let the oppressed go free,And to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Luke 4: 18-19

Moment II: New Testament

4. How do we respond?

Moment II: New Testament

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Acts 3: 42-47

Moment III: Industrial Revolution

1.What is going on? 2.Why is it happening?

Moment III: Industrial Revolution

3. How do we evaluate it?– Urban Poverty – Must address the

miserable and wretched conditions of people living in poverty on top of one another.

– Worker’s Rights – People are more important than capital

4. How do we respond? – The Progressive Era– Labor Unions

The Pastoral Circle

1. What is going on?2. Why is it happening? 3. How do we evaluate it? 4. How do we respond?

Social Analysis: Linking Faith and Justice, Joe Holland and Peter Henriot, S.J.

A Helpful Paradigm

Beliefs Principles Action

Materials