Media CenterCRS and USCCB Debut Video Series on Catholic Social Teaching

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: 
Susan Walters
Catholic Relief Services
(410) 955-7103
[email protected]

Don Clemmer
USCCB
(202) 541-3206
[email protected]

New Resource for Religious Educators and Lay Ministers
First in Series Explores “Care for God’s Creation”
Features Cardinal Peter Turkson, Carolyn Woo and Fr. James Martin, SJ

BALTIMORE, MD, August 31, 2015 – Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) are releasing “Care for God’s Creation”, the first of a seven-part video series on Catholic Social Teaching, the body of moral and social thought central to the Catholic faith. The release comes in conjunction with Pope Francis’ declaration of September 1st as Care for Creation day.

“We received the earth as a garden,” says Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in the video, “it would be very unfair if we pass on the earth as a wilderness.”

The series will comprise seven short videos each highlighting one of the seven themes of Catholic social teaching as recognized by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB).

“Catholic Social Teaching is at the core of why and how CRS performs its mission to serve the poorest of the poor and people in need at times of emergency,” said Carolyn Woo, CEO and President of CRS. “These teachings are embedded in our identity as employees and servants of God.”

The videos will be released every three weeks in conjunction with notable events on the Church calendar, leading up to the kick-off of CRS’ Lenten program CRS Rice Bowl on Ash Wednesday 2016.

• Care for God’s Creation
• Call to Family, Community, Participation
• Life and Dignity of the Human Person
• Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
• Solidarity
• Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
• Rights and Responsibilities

The Church's Social Teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. The video series is designed to be an introduction to this body of thought with notable Catholics describing how each of the teachings prescribe a framework for our moral conscience.   

“We hope this video series will bring the themes and principals of Catholic Social Teaching to life for the many people who may not be familiar with this doctrine,” said Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of CRS.  “Each of the pieces is engaging and accessible for all audiences.  It will be a fantastic asset for religious educators and lay ministers at all levels.  Care for each other and care for creation, what Pope Francis calls integral ecology, are at the heart of our witness as disciples of Jesus Christ. This series will help us put our faith into action,” said Jonathan Reyes, executive director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The “Care for God’s Creation” video calls for solidarity in recognizing the issues facing our environment and the creatures living in it, an essential aspect of 'Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on this subject.

In additional to Cardinal Turkson and Woo,  and Fr. James Martin, SJ, editor at large for America Magazine, -- who all appear in “Care for God’s Creation” -- other notable Catholic teachers, leaders and theologians featured in the series include:  Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, archbishop of Manila and president of Caritas Internationalis; Jonathan Reyes, USCCB’ executive director, Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development; Lisa Hendey, founder of Catholicmom.com; Kerry Weber, managing editor, America Magazine; Helen M. Alvaré, JD Professor of Law George Mason University; and Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of U.S. Operations for CRS.

All videos will be housed on CRS’ YouTube channel.

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Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, please visit crs.org or crsespanol.org and follow CRS on social media: Facebook, @CatholicRelief, @CRSnews, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.