Hotline Asia -- Social Concern Notes

Parish Social Concern Groups - Church's Social Teachings
~ National Security: Article 23 ~
Lesson 26

Question || Church Teaching || "Doing Justice" || Facilitators' Notes
 

Introduction

For the past two years Polly has been attending Social Concerns Meetings in her parish. The group discusses the social teachings of the Church. They talk about social issues such as: suicide among the young, unemployment, pollution, right of abode, and democracy in Hong Kong, world hunger. They have sponsored seminars, collected money for those with disabilities and signed petitions sent by the Justice and Peace Commission. But their efforts are so scattered and they don't do anything very well.
 
Question

What are some things that you might say to Polly so she doesn't quit the group?
 

Social Teachings of the Church

"The Church's social teaching proposes principles for reflection; it provides criteria for judgment; it gives guidelines for action..." [Emphasis added] Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Mission Hills: Benziger Publishing Co, 1994), #2423 p. 582.
 

Doing Justice

Reflection:

List one important issue on which you would like our group to concentrate these next 12 months.

____________________

See:

Look at this issue for a few minutes to discover ways in which we may wish to approach this issue. List four ideas.

  1. ____________________

  2. ____________________

  3. ____________________

  4. ____________________

Judge:

Practically speaking, judge this issue in the light of the social teachings of the Church. Referring to the teachings of Jesus and the Church, my judgment of this issue is:

________________________________________

Act:

I would consider that our group would be successful if by December 31, 2003, we will have done the following:

________________________________________

Therefore during this first month, I suggest that our group carry out the following action:

________________________________________
 
Facilitators' Notes

  1. See-Judge-Act
    This approach was used by the founder of the Young Christian Workers Movement as well as by other groups such as Young Christian Students, Christian Family Movement. Each element is essential to our mission.

  2. Polly's Problem:
    Polly's dissatisfaction is common to many groups that start out to change the world.
    -- The group is so saturated with local and world problems that they run from one cause to another. Soon they feel they are accomplishing nothing.
    -- The social problems are so great and the forces of injustice are so powerful and the experts so learned that there is no hope for doing anything worthwhile.

  3. Responses to Polly's Problem:
    Study of the Church's social teaching is very important but this study should be accompanied by "seeing" what is happening, making judgments from God's point of view and performing some action no matter how insignificant it may seem.
    It may be that some members of the group are already engaged in such an activity and the Social Action group is a support group and a place to learn the Church's teachings. He/she should do well the justice task already undertaken. But he/she might invite other members to share in their social concerns work.

  4. Planning Possibilities:
    It is perhaps time for each individual and the group to evaluate and make a simple plan.
    At Our Lady of Fatima we talked about the following social issues: computer game centers, suicide among the young, unemployed youth, education system, Cheung Chau environment, plight of people in Afghanistan. The meetings might proceed in this manner: next step would be to choose one area: viz. smoking among youth.

January Meeting:   Determine focus for year ______.
Viz. Smoking among young people.
Homework: Gather background information from newspapers, Internets and anti-smoking groups. Arrange a research file.
February:   Decided to continue to gather background information.
And each member will interview three young people to find out how they feel about smoking.
March:   A presentation by a medical person on the health effects of smoking.
Group decides to talk to owner of big restaurant in which smoking is permitted.
April:   Met owners of restaurants. They were polite but noncommittal.
Group has a gathering of local leaders the principal of the Catholic school, two Protestant ministers and a youth worker to plan next step. The gather decides to prepare a petition letter
May:   Petition letter is agreed upon and signatures gathered during the month.
June:   The owners of two restaurants have read the petition and have decided to ban smoking on the first and second floor of restaurants. The group sends them a letter thanking him and suggesting that those who signed the petition show their gratitude by patronizing the restaurant.
July:   During July our group approaches other neighborhood restaurants and three comply immediately.
August:   Invite a singing star to come to parish and invite teenagers. Give a short talk

Group prepares a petition letter and offers it to local Churches as well as the Catholic Church.
 

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