Social Justice

Exemplifying the Christian ideal in home and family life, upholding and defending Christian education and values, protecting the sanctity of human life, recognizing human dignity of all people and contributing to the understanding and growth of religious freedom are all foundational in achieving social justice.
Social justice enables the League to affect change in areas like policies and legislation within various levels of government. Social justice is guided by Catholic teaching.
~ National Manual of Policy and Procedure: Positions and Responsibilities Page 76

Guided by Catholic social teaching, Councils are encouraged to:

  1. uphold the life and dignity of the human person
  2. advocate for the poor and the vulnerable and their inclusion in society
  3. advocate for the dignity of work and the equal rights of workers
  4. care for God’s creation
  5. educate members and keep them informed of relevant social justice issues
  6. initiate resolutions on relevant issues
    ~ Calgary Diocesan CWL Policies and Procedures

 

Social Justice Standing Committee

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Some ways in which local councils may deepen their commitment to social justice:

  • Encourage participation in activities that uphold the life and dignity of the human person.
  • Advocate for the complete inclusion in society and the church of the poor, vulnerable and marginalized.
  • Advocate for the development of support services in the community.
  • Promote stewardship for God’s creation.
  • Initiate/participate in letter-writing campaigns to politicians on adopted League resolutions.
  • Request to be placed on the email/mailing lists of local, provincial and federal government representatives.
  • Advocate for the dignity of work and the rights of workers.
  • Recognize and uphold the principle that with rights come responsibilities.
  • Encourage members to promote peace in parishes, communities, nationally and globally.
  • Educate members about relevant social justice issues through guest speaker presentations.
  • Study and implement the action plans of related adopted resolutions.
  • Consider initiating a resolution on a topic of interest to the council (see Resolutions Handbook).
  • Monitor legislation of social justice topics at various levels to keep abreast of ongoing changes in legislation.

Source: 614 Handbook for Chairpersons 2022

Other resources from CWL.ca:

639 - Toolkit for Social Justice