Over the past several decades the work around the social teaching of the Church has been segmented, often by politics, and various turfs have been established that are essentially in conflict with each other, when the social teaching itself is a beautifully woven tapestry that has grown within the Church since Genesis and calls for a complete embrace rather than the partial embrace we see all too often within the Church where those who support social justice for the poor downplay support for the prolife groups and vice versa.
A recent conference in New Jersey, reported on by the Catholic News Service, brought all of the elements together and the presiding bishop gave a talk calling for unity among those involved with the teaching and practice around social doctrine.
An excerpt.
“CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CNS) -- Bishop Joseph A. Galante challenged leaders of Catholic pro-life, family life and social justice offices around the country to "tear down our cubicles" and "give up our turf" in order to model collaboration for the rest of the church.
“The bishop of Camden, N.J., spoke July 25 at the close of the first day of a national conference in his diocese called "Life, Justice & Family: Partners in the New Evangelization."
“Bishop Galante said those in the church are sometimes guilty of "paralysis by analysis," with each person examining only his or her own area of expertise and then "wondering why we're not having a greater impact on those whom we serve."
"In a culture of individualism it is most important that we live and model communally what we teach," he added. "By giving up the prerogatives of turf, we can discover a more ecclesial way of ministering."
“Bishop Galante said the Trinity, with its "divine unity and divine diversity," offers the "key to how we live and are church."
“Reminding his audience that the body of Christ includes everyone, from the moment of conception to the "the last breath breathed," the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned and the homeless, the bishop asked, "How can we dishonor, dismember, destroy that body? How can we kill the unborn, bomb the Iraqis, shun the one who is different from us?”
Lampstand Foundation website, http://www.lampstandfoundation.org/
"The sinner is at the very heart of Christianity. Nobody is so competent as the sinner in matters of Christianity. Nobody, except the saint." Charles Peguy (1873-1914)
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.