Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic Social Teaching tells us how our Catholic faith guides our actions.

It comes from scripture; letters written by popes and holy people; and the examples set by Christians through history. Jesus tells us to love God and to love our neighbour… every neighbour!

By living out Catholic Social Teaching we can build a world of justice, love and peace, where everyone has what they need.

Pope Francis says “Each of us has a part to play” and there are many ways of living out Catholic Social Teaching.

We are each beautifully made in the image and likeness of God. Because everyone is special, we should treat every person the way we would like to be treated ourselves. We are called to work for the good of each and all - the common good. What we do affects everyone and when we make choices we should think about how it affects others.

We show that we care for others. We can be better global neighbours by speaking out for justice and working actively for the good of all our sisters and brothers. We are living out all of these principles of Catholic Social Teaching every day.

By looking after others and the world around us, speaking out for justice and putting Catholic Social Teaching into action we are building a brighter world together.

Modern Catholic Social Teaching is said to have originated in 1891 with the encyclical letter, Rerum Novarum. Since then, a wealth of teaching continues to give new life to the Scriptures and shape the Church’s response to our modern world. Pope Francis’ continues to add to Catholic Social Teaching with his own encyclicals including Laudato Si’ (2015) and Fratelli Tutti (2020).

At St Wilfrid's we have chosen to highlight six principles of Catholic Social Teaching, one per half term which we mark as a school through our ordinary daily actions, through curriculum activities, special events, prayer and reflection times and dedicated Catholic Social Teaching assemblies.