Beyond charity: Conference urges Catholics to build social justice

Maria Arroyo, relationship manager with Catholic relief Services, discusses immigration advocacy at a social justice conference in Santa Clara, Nov. 29. The conference discussed the local and global context of Catholic social justice. (Photo by Nicholas Wolfram Smith/Catholic San Francisco)
 
December 13, 2018
Nicholas Wolfram Smith
 
A Santa Clara conference Nov. 29 challenged Catholics to to establish social justice in their local communities. “Centering Social Justice in the Life of the Church,” presented by Catholic Campaign for Human Development and Catholic Relief Services, discussed issues at the heart of the Catholic Church’s work to build a more just society locally and across the world.
 
In sessions on economic justice, global migration, and immigration advocacy, conference participants got a glimpse into how the church serves the marginalized at home and abroad.
 
In the keynote address, Diocese of San Jose Coadjutor Bishop Oscar Cantú talked about his experience as a committee chair for the U.S. Catholic Bishops Committee on International Justice and Peace. Bishop Cantú said the church’s work on behalf of the marginalized displays its values and points to “a human dignity that is not sectarian. It speaks to the ‘imago dei,’ the fact that every person is created in God’s image and likeness.”
 
Bishop Cantú also discussed the distinction between charity and justice. Echoing Pope Benedict XVI, he said “The need for charity never ends,” because God is love. Justice, however, is “giving to each what is due to them,” like safety, health, dignity or housing. Injustices can be not just between individuals, but also structural, he said, like the Bay Area’s housing crisis.
 
Sean Wendlinder, a Catholic Campaign for Human Development grant specialist, discussed his organization’s work of translating Catholic social teaching into practice. Some grants go toward local organizations working for long-term social change, while others focus on affordable housing enterprises and social enterprise businesses. Wendlinder said the principle they follow is that “the poor are the experts of their own solutions in their communities,” he said.
 
Two grantees spoke at the conference. Anna Eng, an organizer with the Industrial Areas Foundation, has been working with the campaign in San Jose to incorporate Catholic parishes into a movement focused on institutional and structural change in the area on issues like housing and immigration. Eng connected organizing for social change and confronting unjust systems to the prophetic vocation all Catholics receive through their baptism.
 
Teamworks Cleaning Coop, a business supported by the campaign also sent representatives to discuss their work. A worker-owned cooperative staffed by women from low-income backgrounds, Teamworks has seen success by focusing on the common good of all employees. Worker-owners discussed how their company not only turns a profit but also respects their human dignity.
 
Martin Ford, the social action coordinator for the San Francisco archdiocese’s Office of Human Life and Dignity, told Catholic San Francisco that the presentation by Teamworks was the highlight of the conference. “Cooperatives represent a model of democracy in the workplace,” Ford said, “and they fit in well with our office’s mission to advance the dignity of human life.”
 
While the conference presentations found an enthusiastic reception, implementing them at the local level presents a challenge for parishes. Kathy Mattingly, social ministries liaison at St. Thomas of Canterbury in San Jose, told Catholic San Francisco that she found the discussions exciting, but the envisioned goals were vague.
 
“We need to persuade people to commit to long-term organizing, but it’s so far out, and it’s nebulous and fuzzy,” she said. “There’s nothing that says, ‘Come do this and you’ll get this result.’” Mattingly said “individual relations are key” for mobilizing a community for long-term social change.
 
Besides the difficulty of bridging ideas and actions, Mattingly said bureaucracy and institutional concerns about liability tend to impede effective action.
 
“When I have a crisis, I go do something – now. Commissioning pilot programs and studies acts like it’s not a crisis,” she said.
 
Sabrina Harper, the pastoral associate at St. Matthias, told Catholic San Francisco building a faith-based social justice movement would require a change in how Catholics engage their faith.
 
“I think the church is really good at charity; justice and peace are less of a focus,” she said. “People want to keep their faith lives separate from politics,” she said, and can be uncomfortable with the political overtones of social justice.
 
“The challenge is in pursuing justice, and trying to get people to see the way they live their faith is in action,” said Harper.