The Social Justice Ministry provides opportunities for our parishioners to learn and practice the seven themes of Catholic social teachings.
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.
It holds that God has a special plan for every single one of us, whoever we are. Our part in this plan isn’t just limited to things ‘spiritual’, or times when we do “religious things.” It 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 kind-of vocation for the common good, a call to treat everyone as our brothers and sisters. It is something that we all share.
The Social Justice Ministry at the Apple Valley Catholic Community welcomes all parishioners as we plan activities that address issues of social injustice wherever they appear: nationally, regionally, or locally.
Periodically, we will offer a “mini-class” on Catholic Social Teaching to anyone who is interested in learning more about this rich Catholic teaching that explains our call to protect vulnerable populations and to work for a truly just society and world.
Our activities may be educational, such as a book discussion, or project-based, such as a vigil focused on ending gun violence, or outreach to underserved communities which might be suffering from racism, sexism, or exclusion.
All are welcome at our meetings and to participate in our projects. We are an ecumenical group collaborating with other social justice ministries. For further information please email us at socialjustice@avcatholic.org
2022-2023 marked the third ministry year of the AVCC Social Justice Ministry! Each year, we’ve focused on one of the 7 themes of Catholic Social Teaching. With this year’s theme, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, we dug into learning in action, with our AVCC community sponsoring our Afghan refugee family in Lowell through their first year living in the US. Since their arrival, the Habibi family has found employment and safe housing, graduated their oldest daughter from health professions school, and is nearly ready to function independently. A big thank you to our parishioners and to the AVCC Adult Christian Service Ministry, who shared in the success of the Habibi family by joining our Bingo Night fundraiser, contributing gift cards for school supplies, hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and helping with service projects at the Habibi’s home!
Focusing on racial justice from Martin Luther King Day through Lent, we co-sponsored speaker Tanisha Sullivan at Congregation Beth Elohim on the topic of grace in racial justice work. Our Lenten household goods collection for Haitian refugee families brought in $1500 of new and gently used donated goods—4 carfuls which we delivered to our refugee resettlement ministry partner, IINE. And we launched the SJM Corner in the AVCC Bulletin, featuring periodic topics on Catholic Social Teaching in action.
We are happy to announce a new partnership between our parish and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), an international relief agency that supports the poor and vulnerable, often at risk of migration for survival, in both local and global ways. We look forward to learning more about how we can think globally and act locally for social justice through learning, prayer, and advocacy, as our partnership takes off. Finally, we finished our year with a webinar from Fr. James Martin speaking about the future of the Church. At our last general meeting on June 6, we evaluated our ministry year and discussed options for next year’s theme. Thanks to all who joined in with Social Justice Ministry activities this year—we look forward to kicking off another year together this fall! Questions, ideas, and feedback are always welcome at socialjustice@avcatholic.org