Definitions

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) - The body of thought and work from the Catholic Church that addresses the social situations we face in our ever-changing world.

Summary of Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic Relief Services' faith and mission calls us to work for justice, serve those in need, pursue peace, and to work toward the full realization of the dignity and rights of our sisters and brothers around the world. At the heart of Catholic Relief Services commitment is a set of principles, a body of thought, and a call to action known as Catholic Social Teaching.

During the past 100 years, papal statements, Vatican II and Conferences of Bishops have addressed urgent issues which have both national and international reach - such as human rights, economic depression, development, political participation, and war and peace. These messages are not only Church doctrine, but also provide individuals with a framework for action. Catholic Social Teaching calls people everywhere, and of every faith, to work toward the elimination of poverty, to speak out against injustices, and to actively shape a more peaceful and just world. Following is a brief summary of some of the main themes in Catholic Social Teaching that also relate directly to the work of CRS.

Dignity and Equality of the Human Person
All of humanity has been created in the image of God and possesses a basic dignity and equality that come directly from our creation and not from any action on our own part.

Rights and Responsibilities
Every person has basic rights and responsibilities that flow from our human dignity and that belong to us as humans, regardless of any social or political structures. The rights are numerous and include those things that make life truly human. Corresponding to our rights are duties and responsibilities to respect the rights of others and to work for the common good of all.

Social Nature
All of us are social by nature and are called to live in community with others --- our full human potential isn't realized in solitude, but in community with others. How we organize our families, societies and communities directly affects human dignity and our ability to achieve our full human potential.

The Common Good
In order for all of us to have an opportunity to grow and develop fully, a certain social fabric must exist within society. This is the common good. Numerous social conditions -- economic, political, material and cultural - impact our ability to realize our human dignity and reach our full potential.

Subsidiarity
A higher level of government -- or organization -- should not perform any function or duty that can be handled more effectively at a lower level by people who are closer to the problem and have a better understanding of the issue.

Solidarity
We are all part of one human family -- whatever our national, racial, religious, economic or ideological differences - and in an increasingly interconnected world, loving our neighbor has global dimensions.

Preferential Option for the Poor
In every economic, political and social decision, a weighted concern must be given to the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable. When we do this we strengthen the entire community, because the powerlessness of any member wounds the rest of society.

Stewardship
There is an inherent integrity to all of creation and it requires careful stewardship of all our resources, ensuring that we use and distribute them justly and equitably --- as well as planning for future generations.

Other Useful Definitions

Seed Fair -- The CRS Seed Voucher and Fair approach empowers communities affected by disaster or displacement to address the problem of lack of access to seed. They work in the following manner:

  1. Vulnerable households in need of seed are given vouchers worth a specific cash value (in local currency) to purchase surplus seed from sellers in the community. Recipients are instructed on use and misuse of the vouchers.

  2. Seed sellers are registered and instructed on voucher redemption and misuse.

  3. On a specified day and location, seed sellers and customers (voucher holders) come together at a market event. Customers use their vouchers to purchase seed from the sellers.

  4. At the conclusion of the fair, seed sellers redeem their vouchers to CRS for money.

Internally Displaced Persons - Persons forcibly uprooted from their homes by violent conflicts, gross violations of human rights and other traumatic events, but who remain within the borders of their own countries. Nearly always they suffer from severe deprivation, hardship and discrimination.(Francis Deng, Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons, in the UN OCHA Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (2000))

Justice Lens - CRS' efforts to view all of its activities, both overseas and in the U.S., through a "justice lens" that requires CRS to address the underlying causes of poverty and injustice.

Right Relationships - Right relationships are relationships based on equality, mutual respect, shared ownership and the fulfillment of one's rights and responsibilities.

Village Bank - Village banks are community-based credit and savings associations of 25 to 50 low-income individuals who are seeking to improve their lives through self-employment activities. The participants themselves choose their members, elect their officers, establish their by-laws, distribute loans to individuals, and collect payments and savings. Their loans are backed not by goods or property, but by moral collateral: the promise that the group, in solidarity, stands behind each individual loan.

Potable Water - Potable water is water fit to drink.

Drought Migration - Drought migration is the migration of people from an area due to a lack of water for drinking and crops, and thus, survival.

Civil Society - For CRS, civil society means those individuals and organizations in a society which are independent of the government and which are able to exercise rights of free speech and association. Where there is an active civil society citizens can openly organize and advocate for their beliefs and causes. In some countries where CRS works, governments are not yet supportive of an active civil society.

Food Security - Food security is access to enough food for an active and healthy life today and tomorrow.

Food Insecurity - Food insecurity is lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy life today and tomorrow.

Reforestation - Reforestation is the replanting of trees on land where existing forest was previously cut for other uses, such as agriculture or pasture.

Deforestation - Deforestation is when many or all trees in a forest have been cut down.

Diversified Agricultural Production - Diversified agricultural production is production of more than one species of animals, trees and/or crops on the same land or in the same region.

Agroforestry - Agroforestry is a combination of crop and tree production on farmland, often with multi-purpose trees that prevent erosion, improve soil fertility and/or provide food, fuelwood, lumber or animal fodder [link to defn.].

Hectares - 1 hectare = 2.47 acres

Fodder- Fodder is livestock feed; often leaves and stalks of plants.

Global Solidarity - Global solidarity reflects the recognition that our responsibility to our brothers and sisters has an international dimension, and that we are called to work for justice and peace for people in all areas of the world. In early 1998, the U.S. bishops published a resource document which included their November 1997 statement of the same name, Called to Global Solidarity: International Challenges for U.S. Parishes, and a resource guide for parishes and other organizations to assist American Catholics as they live out the mission of solidarity.

Institutional Feeding - A feeding program that takes place in a facility such as an orphanage, school, hospital, or home for the elderly.