Destination Justice Focus Statement

We believe that a commitment to social justice is as much a part of being Catholic as the Eucharist is. In fact, Good Shepherd Parish was founded on this vision, and we think it's time to bring involvement in social justice back to the center of our parish life. We believe that renewed social justice awareness and commitment will enrich all other areas of parish life, such as worship, education and charity.

Jubilee 2000 reminded us that Jesus' mission was "to bring glad tidings to the poor...to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free." (Luke 4:18) If we are to be Jesus' disciples, his mission must become our mission.

As we anticipate our parish's Jubilee in 2007, we believe that the Preparation-Action-Reflection (PAR) process is the tool that will transform our community into one that is more fully Catholic. PAR will help us to understand local, national and international issues in the light of the Gospels and Catholic social teaching, and then to speak and act accordingly.

DESTINATION JUSTICE PRESENTS:
The Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

Click here to see another example of the our Social Teachings.

Did you know that the Catholic Church long ago defined a set of principles related to social and environmental issues? And did you know that we, as Catholics, are expected to not only believe in these principles but actively live them out in our daily lives? That’s hard to do if we don’t know what they are or if we don’t understand them.
That’s why, through the Destination Justice initiatives over the next several months, we will be exploring and sharing these principles and discussing how we as Catholics can live them out. Join us on the journey toward 2007, and Good Shepherd’s 50th anniversary!

Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching.

Call to Family, Community, and Participation
Human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in community.

Rights and Responsibilities
Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met.

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
We are called to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
The economy must serve people, not the other way around.

Solidarity
We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological difference.

Care for God’s Creation
Care for the earth is a requirement of our faith.