What exactly is “Social Justice”? Isn’t that political? Why is the Church involved in worldly affairs? Shouldn’t we only concern ourselves with getting to heaven? Join Mike Creavey for this Didache Series course on the social teaching of the Catholic Church where you’ll learn how to navigate these challenging waters with faith, hope, and love!

How to get the most out of this course:

• First, read the course description and obtain all required materials listed below before the first class session.

• Have a notebook ready and available for class notes while you watch each recorded class session.

• Complete assigned readings before the class session for which they are intended.

• After watching the class recording, feel free to review the PowerPoint slides for that session as needed.

• Complete assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned according to the instructions provided.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's and instructor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Special Notes: This course includes a writing component.

Total class meetings: 12

Duration: 55 minutes per class

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 11th - 12th grade (ALL interested high schoolers are welcome!)

Suggested credit: One full semester Catholic Social Teaching or Theology

Instructor: Michael Creavey, MA

Course Description: “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). The phrase “social justice” can be found almost everywhere: from classrooms to concert halls to political campaign platforms. After all, who would be opposed to a just society? But more often than not, this crucial question is never asked: “What is social justice?” The purpose of this course is to introduce students to Catholic social teaching (CST). In this course, students will learn how Christ’s concern for others, especially the poor and needy, is present today in the Church’s social teaching and mission. Additionally, students will consider how to navigate the complicated issues that arise when social justice is invoked in promotion of things like abortion, oppressive economic systems, and the marginalization of the family. We will explore Catholic social teaching not through political or economic lenses, but through the lens of the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Course Outline:

Class 1 – Course Introduction
Class 2 – Didache Intro: Our Social Nature
Class 3 – The Heavenly Model for Earthly Society (Ch. 1)
Class 4 – Justice and Rights: The Foundation of All Order in the World (Ch. 2)
Class 5 – The Church Teaches Us How to Live (Ch. 3)
Class 6 – Discussion: What is (& is NOT) “Justice”?
Class 7 – The Principles of Catholic Social Doctrine (Ch. 4)
Class 8 – Major Themes in Catholic Social Doctrine (Ch. 5)
Class 9 – Law, Love, Sin, and Virtue (Ch. 6)
Class 10 – Today’s Challenges (Ch. 7)
Class 11 – Discussion: Essays
Class 12 – Course Conclusion

Required Course Materials:

1. The Holy Bible, preferably the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE) or the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). Note that Both translations can be found for free at biblegateway.com in the dropdown translation selection box. The YouVersion Bible app and its corresponding website, bible.com is also useful.

2. Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2nd Edition (ISBN-13: 978-0385508193). The CCC is also free online at http://ccc.usccb.org/flipbooks/catechism/index.html.

3. The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church by Mike Aquilina – Didache Series (ISBN: 978-1-939231-83-3)

4. Various free online articles, PDFs, video and audio links may be shared by the instructor throughout the course

Other Great Resources (i.e., NOT required or expected, but all are insightful for the student--or parent!--who would like to go deeper into the subject):

1. Social Justice Isn't What You Think It Is by Michael Novak and Paul Adams (ISBN: 978-1594038273)

2. Saints and Social Justice: A Guide to Changing the World by Brandon Vogt (ISBN: 978-1612786902)

3. Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching by Anthony Esolen (ISBN: 978-1622821822)

4. In Defense of Nature: The Catholic Unity of Environmental, Economic, and Moral Ecology by Benjamin Wiker (ISBN: 978-1945125416)

5. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church by USCCB Publishing (ISBN: 978-1574556926)

Homework: Students will be expected to read approximately 25-35 pages between each recorded class session (primarily from the Didache text and occasionally from web-based readings). Other web-based readings and some video/audio material may be occasionally required as well. Assessments will consist of five vocabulary quizzes (70% of grade) and one culminating essay (30% of grade). An essay rubric is provided for this course (see essay instructions PDF), but quiz answer keys are not provided. Quizzes are entirely based on textbook chapter vocab banks.

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2023 Homeschool Connections and Mike Creavey.   All rights reserved. This course is designed by Mike Creavey.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.