Eagan parish exploring Catholic social teaching

It’s an ambitious series but accessible to anyone who would like to understand the core social teachings of the Catholic Church — and act on them.

St. John Neumann in Eagan has lined up seven speakers from Oct. 25 through May 16 who will address such topics as life and the dignity of the human person, rights and responsibilities toward the poor and vulnerable, the call to family and community, and caring for God’s creation.

Each evening will start 6:30 p.m. and end 8:30 p.m. A talk in the church, questions and answers and small group discussions will shape each gathering, said Mirla Conlon, coordinator of the parish’s Justice and Charity Committee, which is hosting the effort.

Parishioners at St. John Neumann have long been socially aware and active, such as helping stock local food shelves, serving meals to the homeless and providing Christmas gifts for people in need, Conlon said. It is fruitful to continue keeping service to others grounded in Christ, she said.

“It is always good to remind ourselves of the true source of social justice,” she said. “Come and revisit the source of these actions, which is Christ and the teachings of the Church.”

Father Tony O’Neill, pastor, said he hopes people at the parish and beyond will attend. He came up with the idea and a team of people at the parish is helping carry it to fruition.

“I hope this will bear fruit with this real association with the poor, this human dignity, which is being assaulted in this culture, in this society,” Father O’Neill said.

Jeanne Buckeye, a retired associate professor in business and ethics at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, will discuss the dignity of work and the rights of workers in her Jan. 17 presentation.

“Relatively few Catholics know the full body of Catholic social teaching, its beauty, depth, integration and richness,” she said. Labor, for example, is a gift from God that helps people participate in creation and develop as human beings, Buckeye said. Work plays an important role in building families and communities. It is a right and a responsibility, she said.

Michael Naughton, director of the Center for Catholic Studies at UST, will kick off the series with an overview of Catholic social tradition. A challenge in conveying Church social teaching is that discussions can become ideological, from the left or the right, he said.

“There is a theological grounding that connects us to the deepest messages of what the Church’s teachings are about,” he said. “It is expressed in the course of the Gospels and in the Church’s 2,000 years of tradition. … The teachings are the authoritative messages of popes, bishops and (Church) councils,” he said.

Closing out this year’s talks May 16 will be Arthur Hippler, chairman of the religion department at Providence Academy in Plymouth, discussing “Care of God’s Creation.”

“This teaching element is important,” Hippler said of learning as well as doing. “It’s important to understand why we are acting. To understand the bigger vision of the Church and why it is here. There’s a special motivation we have that needs to be grasped.”

“We’re not just bringing to people a better society or a better world,” he said. “We’re bringing people to Jesus Christ. We always want to be a community of love, to love as perfectly as we can. It colors everything else that happens.”

Father O’Neill said this year’s talks could lead to two more years of reflection on social teaching: the development of Catholic social thought, and then the importance of social action.

“I’m very excited about this,” Father O’Neill said. “I’m invested as a priest in the teachings of the Church. I hope it’s illuminating for people. We’ll leave the fruit up to the Lord and let him do his work.”

To learn more about the series, dates and speakers, go to sjn.org/catholic-social-teaching.