ALL ARE INVITED:

CATHOLICS IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE: A SHORT COURSE

The last few election cycles have witnessed increasing political polarization within the Catholic Church in the United States. Catholics have argues with one another about what their faith requires with respect to positions on discrete issues, individual candidates and political parties.

Many Catholics have reacted angrily to attempts by bishops and other Catholic leaders to take strong public stands. Many who welcome the Church’s prophetic voice on these issues, by contrast, argue that too many Catholics are poorly educated in the faith and lack an adequate understanding of the Church’s social teaching.

As faithful citizens we need to address these tensions. Catholics are called to act in the world on behalf of what Catholic social teaching calls “the common good.” But how do we use the resources of the Catholic tradition—scripture, Church teaching, reason, the natural law—to form our consciences and discern what the common good is in a particular situation?  Before we can wrestle with discrete issues, we need to have a shared understanding of how we go about doing this.

Our Social Justice Committee invite you to join in such a discussion. Once a month, we will come together to learn about the Church’s approach to moral discernment and decision making, with a particular focus on how this is applied to issues of public concern. Each session will be led by Peter Nixon, our parishioner and an award-winning journalist who writes regularly for U.S. Catholic magazine. The evenings will be divided into two parts. The evening will begin with a presentation followed by small group breakouts for discussion of the evening’s topic.   

The Sessions will be held at St. Bonaventure Catholic Parish, 5562 Clayton Road, Concord in the Parish Small Hall from 7pm to 9pm. You are invited to join us at any session. You are not required to attend all.  Any questions can be addressed to Christa Fairfield This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 672-5800 x2205.

Date                           Topic
September 22              A Spirituality of Politics 
                                                >Presentation 
                                                >Hand Outs
                                                        -  Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Virtues
                                                        -  Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium
                                                        -  Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People, 
                                                              The Basic Sixteen Documents Vatican Council II        
                                                 *click on text to open document                                            

October 20                  The Laity in the World
                                                >Presentation

November 17              Politics as a Moral Act
                                                >Presentation

December 15               Resources for Discernment: Scripture
                                               >Two readings for this discussion. Both are accessible by 
                                                  clicking on the links below.
                                                 - "The Use and Abuse of the Bible" 
                                                        by Ronald D. Wetherup                      
                                                   http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/SFS/an0899.asp
                                                 -"Who Do You Say I Am? The Fundamental Question
                                                  For the Moral Life" by Fr. Richard Gula
                                                 > Presentation

January 19                   Resources for Discernment: Reason and the Natural Law
                                               >Readings on the Natural Law
                                                > Presentation

February 16                 Resources for Discernment: Church Teachings
                                               >Readings on Faithful Citizenship
                                                 Historical overview of the development of Catholic Social Teaching
                                               > Presentation

April 20                     Conscience: An Owner’s Manual
                                              > Readings on Conscience

May 18                       Putting the Method to Work: Some Test Cases
                                              > Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience text
                                              > Manhattan Declaration discussion questions

JUST A BIT ABOUT THIS MINISTRY:

This ministry responds to the needs of our brothers and sisters and also works for social change. It addresses the implementation of Catholic social justice teachings on a parish level, and encourages the participation of parishioners to address unjust structures and situations in society. It also fosters the charitable distribution of time and money for appropriate causes. If you are interested in either of these areas, you are most welcome to join us. Meetings are held monthly. For more information contact Christa Fairfield at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

GABRIEL PROJECT
Provides assistance to pregnant women in time of crisis.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
St. Bonaventure is a covenant church for Habitat. We provide both spiritual and practical support to this ecumenical Christian organization that builds decent, affordable housing for families in need.

RESPECT LIFE
Stimulates Respect for Life at all stages by studying and informing parish of developments in science and thinking; facilitating action to further respect for life; focus on improving the quality of life issues which cloud the inherent value of life. Four to five hours per month every two months.