Catholic Social Teaching
What is Catholic Social Teaching?
"Little children, let us not love in words or talk but in deed and in truth." John 3:18
Catholic Social Teaching is based on the belief that God has a plan for creation, a plan to build his kingdom of peace, love and justice.
God has a special plan for every single one of us, whoever we are. Our part in this plan isn’t just limited to things ‘spiritual’, or times when we do “religious things.” It involves every aspect of our lives, from the things we pray about, to how we live as a responsible global citizen.
At St Bernadette's, Catholic Social Teaching is incorporated into our curriculum. Children are asked to put their faith into action and reflect on how their learning enables them to do so. Prayer and liturgy opportunities refer to Catholic Social Teaching which helps make the worship relevant to our lives today.
Catholic Social Teaching underpins the essence of our daily school life. As members of the Catholic Church, we are all called upon to preserve the dignity of all human beings, to care for creation, and to reach out to our sisters and brothers in need. Pope Francis emphasises that it is our duty to work together to bring about a more just and peaceful world: to put love into action. It is vital that our children can articulate the connection between Jesus' teaching and doing good deeds.
Our Prayer Tree
In the entrance of our school we have a prayer tree. Our prayer tree is an interactive prayer space for all of our school community. Prayers are grouped into three main types:
Red leaf- prayer for ourselves, friends, family and colleagues.
Gold leaf- prayers for those around the world who are unknown to us.
Green leaf- prayers for the wonders of God's creation.
Our Mini-Vinnies are responsible for taking care of our prayer tree. Visitors and parents are welcome to add their own prayers to our tree when visiting school.
We regularly invite visitors and charities into school to speak about Catholic Social Teaching and the work that they do. All year groups have taken part in the CAFOD Catholic Social Teaching workshops. As a school we regularly work alongside CAFOD, Cartias and local charities such as The Wellspring, Stockport and the local food bank.
Catholic Social Teaching at St Bernadette's is led by our Mini-Vinnies, Eco-Council and School Council. They are living out our school mission and they are currently completing the CAFOD Live Simply award. Each of these groups have their own page of our website.
Key Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
At St Bernadette's we have chosen six key principles of Catholic Social Teaching. We have chosen some appropriate scripture to match each of these principles. Along the main corridor of our school you will see photographs of Catholic Social Teaching in action. Each half-term, there is a greater focus on one of the principles. The principles we have chosen are:
Human Dignity- "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10.
Community & Participation- "Love one another, just as I have loved you...By this all people will know that you are my disciples." John 13:34-35.
Care of Creation- "The Lord God put man in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2:15.
Dignity of Workers- "Happy are those who are fair, who do what is right at all times." Psalm 106:3-5.
Preferential Option for the Poor- "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves." Proverbs 31:8-9.
Solidarity & Peace- "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you." John 14:27
