Social Justice

The Social Justice Committee is a team of parishioners who provide opportunities for the church community to engage in education and action in the areas of Social Justice and Social Ministry. The Social Justice Committee has participated in educating and raising awareness in various areas of Catholic social teaching (including environmental justice, justice for immigrants, and others) and has collaborated in the past with different groups including the Connecticut Catholic Advocacy Network, Faithful Citizenship, and the Office of Catholic Social Justice Ministry of the Archdiocese of Hartford

Catholic social teaching is a essential element of our faith with roots that can be traced back through Sacred Scripture and the history of our Church. It is a teaching, too, that finds strength in the life and words of Jesus Christ, who said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free" (Luke 4:18-19)
 

Social Ministry has two main aspects:

• Social Service  (primarily addressed in our parish by the Human Needs Committee)

• Social Action  (primarily addressed in our parish by the Social Justice Committee)
   

Social Service is giving direct aid to someone in need. It usually involves performing one or more of the corporal works of mercy. That is: giving alms to the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick or imprisoned, taking care of orphans and widows, visiting the shut-ins, etc. Another name for it is charity.

Social Action is the work of correcting the structures that perpetuate the need. Another name for this is Social Justice. Social justice takes a look at the problems and issues facing our communities, the nation, and world and asks questions such as: Why is there so much unemployment in our area? Why are there so many poor in our community? How will the deforestation of our rain forests affect our global climate? 

Very often when people are performing social service,they also become involved in trying to solve the problem which created the need. The two are closely related and often blend together. Because of this, it is critical that the Human Needs Committee, Social Justice Committee, and other groups and committees of St. Mary Star of the Sea Church work together in serving our community and helping to serve those in need.