Bishops Launch Campus Web Site to Promote Catholic Social Teaching, Life, and Dignity

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development has collaborated with eleven Catholic organizations to create a new web site, “Transforming Our World: Our Catholic Faith in Action,” to help college students and campus ministers promote Catholic social teaching on campus.
          
Site elements include principles of Catholic social teaching, prayer materials, small group resources, tools for action, and multimedia such as videos and podcasts. The home page features quotes from Church leaders, ideas of the week and an invitation to site visitors to submit resources and ideas for possible features on the Web site. Collaborators hope the Web site will become an online clearinghouse featuring “best practices” to promote Catholic social teaching on campus.
          
Development of the site was initiated to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the U.S. bishops’ statement Sharing Catholic Social Teaching. The spring 2010 launch of the site responds to Pope Benedict XVI’s Message for World Youth Day 2010, in which he mentioned challenges such as respect for the environment, just division of goods, solidarity with poor countries, promotion of dignity in labor, building a culture of life, and promoting peace.
 
Collaborators involved in the Web site include Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Catholic Campus Ministry Association, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Catholic Relief Services, Fellowship of Catholic University Students, The National Association of Diocesan Directors of Campus Ministry, National Council of Catholic Women, National Catholic Student Coalition, National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association, and Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

The web site:

     USCCB: Transforming Our World: Our Catholic Faith in Action

Reflections of the U.S. Catholic Bishops on Catholic Social Teaching:

     USCCB: Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions

Themes of Catholic Social Teaching:

     USCCB: Themes of Catholic Social Teaching