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Promoting Justice

Eliminate Poverty Through Justice and Charity

“The empowerment of the parish as the people of God to fulfill the Church's mission of love, justice, freedom, and peace, by communally responding in an organized way to societal and individual human needs.” (Catholic Charities USA)

Parish Social Ministry, based on the US Catholic Conference of Bishop’s document, Communities of Salt and Light, describes a vision of the social mission of the church (charity/direct service and justice/repairing the social structures) as a constitutive element of parish life; and as such, the mission is to engage parishioners in concrete acts of charity and foster justice (community organizing, acts of global solidarity and legislative advocacy) by:

• Providing educational and transformational opportunities to Catholics on the social mission of the church through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching.

• Provide professional support and technical assistance with respect to Parish Social Ministry

• Collaborate with diocesan offices of Parish Life and Faith Formation, Multicultural offices and other diocesan offices in ongoing efforts to engage all Catholics in the social mission.

• Serve as a catalyst and ongoing resource to parishes to develop and maintain parish efforts which link prayer and worship, preaching and education, direct service, legislative advocacy, community organizing and solidarity activities in the spirit of the USCCB’s Communities of Salt and Light.

• Identify and form social justice leaders/committees in parishes through programs such as JustFaith and Servant School.

• Promote and coordinate efforts to encourage participation in national Catholic organizations and programs such as Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, JustFaith, and JustNeighbors.

• Promote collaboration with government, civic, social service, diocesan and interfaith partners to engage in the work of the social mission of the church.


For more information on the Parish Social Ministry services available through Catholic Charities of Idaho, please contact Christine Smith at 208-350-7486 or csmith@ccidaho.org.

Click the links below to go directly to resources on the issues: