Seven ways for the parish to live more justly
Take up the cross leadership this Lent with these concrete ideas
Photo from Photos.comSometimes the gospel can feel overwhelming and unrealistic. So the church gave us Lent to try new things that bring us closer to the gospel vision. It’s a time to take a step forward in our walk toward sanctity. It is also a time for parishes to shine the light of Catholic social teaching into the familiar areas of parish life and clean up the clutter found there.
As a parish leader, you carry special responsibility to help lead your community toward a deeper understanding of gospel justice. Here are a few ideas, correlated to the seven key themes of Catholic social teaching.
Give up space. (Rights and responsibilities) A biblical understanding of property reminds us that we don’t own anything. Everything is owned by God, and we are tenants. We are the stewards, the caretakers of God’s property.
We can be God’s voice pushing against a culture of ownership and entitlement by putting our parish facilities at the service of the community. So many organizations whose mission is to uplift the poor and vulnerable often just need space to do their good work. Here are some ideas:
- Provide meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
- Provide office space for Habitat for Humanity or a homeless coalition.
- Provide worship and gathering space for another church community in the middle of a church remodel.
- Provide space for a community soup kitchen.
- Provide space for a preschool in a language like Spanish or Portuguese or Basque or Vietnamese or Nez Perce, helping the children hold on to their traditions.
Give up trash. (Care for God’s creation) The ease of throwing things away can be a hard habit for a parish to give up. Many people recycle in their personal and professional lives, but recycling is still not the norm in many parishes.
This Lent put together recycling bins, well labeled, that parishioners and staff can use. Create a plan for getting the bins emptied and to the recycling center with all the necessary who-what-when-where-how details. Research new processes for using washable dishes instead of disposable ones at coffee hour and receptions.
Give up easy buying. (Solidarity) Every purchase we make contributes to the economic system and creates pressures and energy in that system. In a worldwide market, our buying has global implications, and our moral duty to uphold the dignity of every human person now takes on far-reaching weight.
Make one small but real change by moving the parish coffee buying to fair trade. You can buy fair trade coffee through Catholic Relief Service’s Equal Exchange program. Make it bigger than just the parish office and coffee hour by sharing information with parishioners about the coffee market and fair trade coffee. Set up a group buying process where parishioners can join in the order to buy their coffee for home.
Give up disconnection. (Call to family, community, and participation) Life in the parish is busy, and it is easy to become disconnected from the larger community. But our faith calls us to mission, to balance our ecclesial concerns with an outward focus, to care for the other and welcome the stranger and alien with love. When we have a healthy outward focus, it strengthens and builds up the internal life.
Find a group outside the church to partner with on a project as a way of building bridges and connections within your city. Partner with another church on a Habitat for Humanity project. Go in with another church to run a joint food bank. Partner with the local Human Rights Commission to educate about immigration.
Give up money. (Option for the poor and vulnerable) Tithing isn’t just for individuals; it’s for parishes, too. In a very public way, examine the parish budget, and put some money toward parish tithing. Parish income is a gift from God, and all gifts are meant to be shared. It might even be wise to talk about the struggles of establishing and living with the tithing, the same struggles families go through.
Many parishes start with one percent of annual budget and work up to five or ten percent. Establish a committee whose mission is to select the groups who receive the tithe. Give the committee the mandate to balance tithing for charity with tithing for justice. We are called to both feed the hungry and work to end hunger. We are called to both care for the imprisoned and to work to end crime.
Give up authority. (Dignity of work and the rights of workers) The justice teachings of the church never have more bite than when focused on ourselves. This Lent, do a just wage audit of all parish staff. Is the parish providing a just wage to all its workers? The audit needs to include those who receive any kind of financial compensation from the parish. Ask the diocese or Catholic Charities to help you learn about what is a living wage for your area. Do a workshop on living wage for the whole parish. Ask a third party to audit your compensation practices and report on the parish’s rate of compliance with the moral obligation to provide a living wage to its workers, being mindful of privacy and discretion
Give up the comfort of the familiar (Solidarity) In the United States, the face of the church is changing quickly from predominantly European immigrant to Latin American immigrant. For the descendents of the first wave of immigrants, it is often difficult to make the changes required of this new Hispanic church. Culture is different, and language is different. But we believe in the God who came to unite, and we follow the Savior who reconciled the whole world by his death.
This Lent work to bring the English and Spanish-speaking communities together. Start with the liturgy. Do all the Masses this Lent and Holy Week bilingually. Contact your diocesan office of worship to learn how to make this liturgical change uplifting and effective for your community. Prepare the community in advance, inviting the early immigrants and the recent immigrants to welcome each other in language, practices, and culture. Invite the community to look for the gifts that the other cultures bring, and provide lots of space for conversation and dialogue. Maybe organize a series of conversations or lectures during Lent to learn about the different cultures. Lent can be the discovery of the gifts and Easter the celebration. TP
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Alcoholics Anonymous
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org
Click on “How to Find AA Meetings” and find the central offices nearest you. Contact them and offer your space.
Habitat for Humanity
www.habitat.org
Click on “Get Involved” and find numerous ways the parish can get involved.
Living Wage
www.livingwagecampaign.org
This Web site is dedicated to political living wage campaigns and has a lot of useful research information.
Recycling
www.epa.gov/recyclecity
A fun project put together by the EPA about how to reuse and recycle in all areas of life. www.earth911.org A comprehensive resource site for recycling. You can even look up your local area for resources.
Fair Trade Coffee
www.equalexchange.com
Click on “Interfaith Program.” www.crsfairtrade.org Click on “Coffee.”
Immigration
www.justiceforimmigrants.org
This site contains information and resources on the American church’s campaign for immigration reform.
Responsible Shopping
www.responsibleshopper.org
This site reports on global research about the social and environmental impact of major corporations.
*This article appeared in the February 2007 issue of Today’s Parish.
Mia Crosthwaite is an author, lecturer, catechist, and minister who puts her energy into ministering to the people of God in Idaho and sharing the joys of Catholic social teaching with the larger church. She makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and five children.
