Faithful Citizenship
Local Elections will be May 10, be sure to vote!
Our Mission as Faithful Citizens
Discipleship demands that all Catholics work with others to build a civic society aligned with Catholic Social Teachings in which all people are able to reach their fullest calling in both personal and community life. The Faithful Citizenship Committee of the Diocese of Austin exists to promote this mission.
We align ourselves with the USCCB who believe: Catholic social teaching is a central and essential element of our faith.... Because this commitment to social justice is at the heart of who we are and what we believe, it must be shared more effectively.
The Faithful Citizenship Committee in line with the USCCB seeks to address the pressing need to educate all Catholics on the Church's social teaching and to share the social demands of the Gospel and Catholic tradition more clearly.
If Catholic education and formation fail to communicate our social tradition, they are not fully Catholic.
- Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from The Catholic Bishops of the United States
Catholic Identity
In the Bishop’s document, we are told that “In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue; participation in the political process is a moral obligation.”(p. 13). It further states that Faithful Citizenship is about more than elections. It requires ongoing participation in the continuing political and legislative process.
To participate in the political and legislative process as a faithful citizen requires that first of all our political positions be grounded in our faith. For this the Bishops point us to “Scripture and the Catholic Social teaching” and specifically mention “the themes at the heart of our Catholic Social Tradition.” These themes are:- Life and Dignity of the Human Person
- Call to Family, Community, and Participation
- Rights and Responsibilities
- Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
- Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
- Solidarity
- Caring for God’s Creation
In addition to this new document on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has published the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church which gives us a more complete picture of the Catholic Social teaching. The Bishops point to the full scope of the Social Teachings as the proper grounding for being faithful citizens. It is not a matter of making selections.
Second to be a faithful citizen it is important to be informed about how the social teachings apply to the issues that are either being considered or should be considered in the political arena.
Third being a faithful citizen cannot stop there but calls for us to be “active and responsible participants in the political process.”
To support the effort for all of us becoming faithful citizens the bishops say “Forming their consciences in accord with Catholic teaching, Catholic lay women and men can become actively involved: running for office; working within political parties; communicating their concerns and positions to elected officials; and joining diocesan social mission or advocacy networks, state Catholic conference initiatives, community organizations, and other efforts to apply authentic moral teaching in the public square. Even those who cannot vote have the right to have their voices heard on issues that affect their lives and the common good.” (p.16)
The purpose of the Faithful Citizenship committee is to lead and support implementation of the themes of our Catholic Social Traditions throughout the institutions of the diocese to help all Catholics meet the responsibilities required to be a faithful citizen.