CST Clarion

Catholic Social Thought, Its History and Application Today

Catholic Campus Ministry continues its year-long series on different dimensions of Catholic Social Thought (CST) this Wednesday, October 3 at 6:30 pm.

This session will focus on the Church’s response to the Industrial Revolution through its landmark document The Conditions of Human Labor (Rerum Novarum). Fr. Jim Faluszczak will be the presenter.

The series takes place the first Wednesday of each month and is presented by members of the University community. Among the topics to be considered are conditions of labor, market economics, manipulation of economies, the idea of the common good, corporate sin and virtue, and many others. These discussions will take place from 6:30pm-7:30pm at Clarion Campus Ministries, across from Tippin Gym.

Each meeting will include a summary of the previous topic/s and will invite questions for clarification, after which the evening’s presenter will offer a thumbnail presentation of some aspect of the social thought which has developed as a result of the Church’s reflection on societal events. Each presentation will underline the societal factors which influenced the development of a particular teaching or stance taken by the church. Then equal time will take place for discussion and evaluation by those in attendance. To facilitate this, discussion questions will be distributed in advance and will be available on the Campus Ministry website (www.ccmcup.com) prior to each meeting.

For example, the groundbreaking document On the Conditions of Human Labor (1891) was a response to the dramatic forces associated with the industrial revolution. In a way that might have been considered novel at the time, the Catholic Church made an attempt to address the effects of economic and social changes on the social relationships that exist among people. Then at varies times since the promulgation of this document, the church has attempted to evaluate these societal changes and its own response. In other words, there have been numerous attempts by the church to interpret the “signs of the times” in reference to the multiple levels economic reality.

Presenters for the series include Dr. Miguel Olivas, Dr. Sandra Trejos, Dr. Rod Raehsler, Dr. Paul Woodburne, Dr. Joseph Grunenwald, Dr. Deborah Sarbin, and Fr. Jim Faluszczak.
Be sure to check posters on campus and www.ccmcup.com for the specific topics and presenters.

All members of the University community are welcome to attend, as are guests from the wider Clarion community.

Introduction to Catholic Social Thought: History and Overview
Presenters: Dr. Miguel Olivas and Fr. Jim Faluszczak
September 5

The Conditions of Labor: The Church’s Response to the Industrial Revolution
Presenter: Fr. Jim Faluszczak
October 3

The Social Teaching of John Paul II
Presenter: Dr. Deborah Sarbin
November 7

Economic Justice for All: The Social Thought of the American Bishops
Presenter: Dr. Joseph Grunenwald
December 5

The Social Thought of Vatican II
Presenter: To Be Announced
February 6

Evaluating the Church’s Response to Industrialization: Forty Years Later, One Hundred Years Later, and Today
Presenters: Dr. Sandra Trejos, Dr. Rod Raehsler, and Dr. Paul Woodburne
March 5

CST, Politics, and Economics: Series Summary
Panel Presentation
April 2