Faithful Citizenship: Our Catholic Call to Participate in the Political Process
Election season is the perfect opportunity to think about how we can bring the values of our Catholic faith to the political process. As Catholics, we are called to be “faithful citizens,” working for justice and for the protection of human life and dignity. We must bring the values of our faith to the voting booth and we must also work on a regular basis, all-year-round, to create a society in which the most vulnerable are protected.
In their election-year statement, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the Catholic bishops of the United States stress the importance of ongoing conscience formation in helping Catholics know what is right and just. As part of this process, we are called to learn about Catholic social teachings in order to apply them to the issues that face our communities and world.
This issue of To Teach offers suggestions for exploring what it means to be a “faithful citizen” and provides ideas for empowering administrator, educators, campus and youth ministers, and families to form their consciences and to participate in the political process during the election season—and throughout the entire year.
Plan a school-wide liturgy or prayer service to celebrate Faithful Citizenship before the elections. Use the Ideas for Liturgists and Prayer Leaders to incorporate themes of political responsibility and Catholic social teaching into the liturgy.
Distribute copies of the Faithful Citizenship statement and summary to all staff and school board members.
Initiate a school-wide “Faithful Citizenship” advocacy day that focuses on the value of human life and dignity. For example, students could write letters, make posters urging adults to vote, or create displays on bulletin boards around the school about the Catholic position on particular issues.
Include some of the featured articles from the Faithful Citizenship web site in your regular parish or school board newsletter or mailing as a means of helping parents or school board members reflect on how Catholic social teaching applies to the many issues being discussed this election season.
At your next PTA/PTO or school board meeting, show the Faithful Citizenshipvideo and invite a speaker from your diocesan social concerns or pro-life office to do a brief presentation on Faithful Citizenship. Encourage the speaker to highlight activities for parents and board members this election season (and afterwards) to build awareness of the Catholic Church’s teachings on human life and dignity.
Stay up-to-date on issues of human life and dignity by subscribing to action alerts from the USCCB Domestic and International policy departments, Pro-Life, Migration and Refugee Services, the Justice for Immigrants Campaign, and Education.
Incorporate Ideas for Catholic Schools from the Faithful Citizenship web site into the schools’ activities from now until the November elections.
Introduce students to the idea of “faithful citizenship” by showing the “Go Make a Difference” and the “Living Faithful Citizenship” videos for young Catholics.
Introduce students to the seven themes of Catholic social teaching with the Themes from Catholic Social Teachingcards and poster, the In the Footsteps of Jesus video, and the activities found in the accompanying resource manual.
For younger students, use the three creative games on the Faithful Citizenship website to illustrate Catholic social teaching concepts.
Use discussion and learning activities from the Ideas for High Schools for creative classroom activities with older students.
Ask students to engage in some independent research by exploring the Young Catholics section of the Faithful Citizenship website.
As a homework assignment, ask students to listen to one of the Catholic Social Teaching podcasts and to write a short reflection on what they have learned and how they can apply that teaching to their lives.
Incorporate the Discussion and Learning Activities for Youth Ministry Programs into your outreach nights, Confirmation classes, and service events. These include reflection and discussion activities, art projects, skits and peer-to-peer presentations, prayer, and service activities.
Invite youth to attend an outreach night or mini-retreat on Faithful Citizenship. Visit the Ideas for Youth Ministers page on the Faithful Citizenship site for specific ideas to use at these events.
Plan a “coffee hour” discussion using the Coffee Discussion Guide on the Young Catholics Faithful Citizenship web page.
Show the Faithful Citizenship youth videos and then have young people (who have been invited beforehand) to talk their peers about being faithful citizens and how their Catholic faith calls young people to make a difference.
Encourage youth to send e-postcards to their friends to spread the word about the Faithful Citizenship youth site, or send e-postcards to the youth in your program to inform them about the web site.
Use the New Ways to Pray resource to help the young people you work with develop concern for the poor and vulnerable that is rooted in a deep faith life.
Learn more about Faithful Citizenship by reading the statement and some of the articles about the Catholic position on some of the issues discussed.
Read the Family Guide for Faithful Citizenship for “do’s and don’ts” on sharing Faithful Citizenship with families. Ideas are offered for discussing issues mentioned in the statement and activities for families to practice faithful citizenship.
As a family, pray the “Prayer for Civic Leaders” or the “Prayer Before an Election,” both found on page 371 in the newly revised edition of Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Other useful prayers in this book that can be used in the time leading up to the elections include “A Prayer for Life” (p. 365), “Evangelium Vitae Prayer” (p. 366), “Called to One Table: A Prayer for Migrants and Refugees” (p. 373), “Prayer for Peace: To Mary, the Light of Hope” (p. 375), and “Prayer for Social Justice” (p. 381).
Have a family night on "citizenship": Choose one or two issues from the statement that are of particular interest to your family. For example, if you have an aging relative in a nursing home, you may want to pick health care or Medicare reform as your issue to discuss. Make a list of how this issue does or could affect your family. Develop a family statement that summarizes your view on the issue. Write this statement in a letter you send to one of the candidates, inviting their comments.
As a family, participate in a diocesan lobby day to share with your legislators how your Catholic values affect your beliefs about different issues.
With older children, reflect and act on The Call to Family, Community and Participation by using the Catholic Campaign for Human Development booklet of that name. Focus on the chapters “Call to Community” and “Call to Participation.”
Forming Adult Faith
"Forming Adult Faith" includes suggestions from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) on how to promote ongoing faith formation among the adults in your school community.
The following chapters touch on different aspects of the theme, Faithful Citizenship: Our Catholic Call to Participate in the Political Process.
Chapter 29. The Fifth Commandment: Promote the Culture of Life
Chapter 31: The Seventh Commandment: Do Not Steal—Act Justly
"Compendium Corner" usually provides a list of questions and answers in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that are related to this month’s topic. The following questions relate to this month's topic.
Review the questions and answers in preparation for your class.
Consider how to use appropriate questions and answers as part of your lesson plan.
Develop learning activities that help youths and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
358. What is the root of human dignity?
372. What is the moral conscience?
401. In what does the social dimension of man consist?
407. What is the common good?
413. How are we to view social inequalities?
464. What are the duties of citizens in regard to civil authorities?
466. Why must human life be respected?
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the foundations of Catholic faith. So, select one question a week (8-12 questions for the whole summer) to learn and memorize. Choose questions on topics that are of great interest, that you struggle with and want to understand better, or that you find arise in your classroom repeatedly.
Review the questions and answers.
Consider how to use them in the coming year as part of your lesson plan.
Develop learning activities that will encourage you and your students to learn the teaching by heart (memorization)
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