Catholic Social Teaching

At St Charles Borromeo we believe it is our mission to love God, to love each other and the world – our common home. Catholic Social Teaching (CST) provides the principles which helps us to do this.  It is about how we can live our lives and put our faith into action.

Catholic Social Teaching is based on the belief that God has a plan for creation, a plan to build His kingdom of peace, love and justice. At St Charles Borromeo, we recognise that God has a special plan for every one of us, whoever we are. That plan involves every aspect of our lives, from the things we pray about, to how we live as a responsible global citizen. Our part in this story is a vocation for the common good, a call to treat everyone as our brothers and sisters. 

Catholic Social Teaching underpins the essence of our daily school life. As members of the Catholic Church, we are all called upon to preserve the dignity of all human beings, to care for creation, and to reach out to our sisters and brothers in need. Pope Francis emphasises that it is our duty to work together to bring about a more just and peaceful world: to put love into action.

CST comprises seven key principles that help to guide Catholics in their mission to walk in the footsteps of Christ and to share the good news of his Gospel with all those that they encounter.

These principles are intrinsic to how we live our lives as a Catholic community. We share these principles with our children through all that we do, through the curriculum, prayer and liturgy, fundraising activities, through our ordinary actions in school and in service of others in our community.

At St Charles Borromeo, we strive to put CST at the heart of all we do. The principles are displayed in every classroom and in the school hall where we gather together as a school family. CST is referred to in prayer and liturgy, which makes the worship relevant to our lives today.  CST is incorporated into RE lessons, where relevant, and links are made with the actions of the saints, people from the Bible and people today.

As a school we use CAFOD’s resources to support our children in recognising how to become the best global citizens that they can be. The animal mascots are used with Nursery, Reception, KS1 and Lower KS2. The keys are introduced in the resources for Upper Key Stage 2 – see below. Children from all year groups take part in workshops led by CAFOD which have helped to enrich their understanding of these principles.

In addition to this, each half term, using the Caritas resources, the children explore different aspects of CST and how they can live these principles in their everyday lives.

The key principles of CST are:

Human Dignity

We believe everyone is made in the image and likeness of God. This is a gift that we all share as fellow humans; we are all infinitely loved by our Creator. God is present in everyone, each one of us is unique and beautiful. We are called to treat every person and every creature with loving respect.

We celebrate everyone’s skills and talents, recognising that we are all individuals. We encourage the children to be respectful of themselves and others, treating everyone equally, raising awareness of civil rights, and supporting the vulnerable.

Solidarity

We believe that solidarity arises when we remember that we belong to each other and that it is our duty to be active members of the communities we are part of. We teach the children the importance of standing side by side with our sisters and brothers, especially those living in poverty.

We ensure that we teach the children the importance of social justice and the need to make socially responsible choices. We fundraise throughout the year for our local, national and global charities, ensuring that our pupils understand who we are fundraising for and why.

The Common Good

The Common Good means that the fruits of the earth belong to everyone. No one should be excluded from the gifts of creation. We teach our children to work together as families, friends, classmates and citizens of a local and wider community. We reflect on the impact we have on the world that we live in, we recognise the world and its resources are a gift from God, and that we as Global Citizens have a duty to actively ensure everyone has access to these gifts.

Option for the Poor

The option for the poor reminds us of God’s preferential love for the poorest and most vulnerable people. Our children recognise how important it is to help people in need. They take part in a number of fundraising activities across the year, in order to support not only our global neighbours, but also people in our local community. In addition to fundraising, we also support the less fortunate within our community by signposting families to resources, to support them within our local area.

Promoting Peace

All peace requires respect for human life. As global citizens we strive to ensure our children are aware of the world around them. We encourage children to consider the ripple effect, that one small act of kindness can create a ripple and that we as a school can start that ripple effect within our community. This begins at the heart of our school, where we encourage children to follow Gospel values by demonstrating peace and reconciliation towards each other. We teach the children to treat everyone that they encounter with kindness and share forgiveness when conflicts arise. We hope to provide the children with a clear understanding of their responsibility to promote peace in all aspects of their life. In addition to this, we encourage the children to pray for a world that proclaims the peace of Christ.

Stewardship

Everyone on the planet must consider how our actions are affecting the earth, and how this has the greatest impact upon the poorest people. Everything is interconnected, and all of creation praises God. It is our Christian vocation to care for creation.

We believe our world is a gift, and that we have a responsibility to take care of it. We teach the children to respect the natural world around them and to make environmentally responsible choices. We encourage the children to look upon God’s creation with eyes full of awe and wonder so that they can appreciate the importance of its protection.

The Dignity of Work and Participation

We teach the children that work is an essential part of our human dignity and everyone has the right to participate. Our children are educated on the importance of respecting all workers, making responsible economic choices e.g. Fair Trade and about the wellbeing and rights of workers.