|
Social
Awareness
[
Main Page | Mission | Church
Social Teaching ]
[ Contact
Vol.6#3, 1999 | Contact Vol.8#2,
1999 | Contact Vol.10#1 Lent
2001 | Contact Vol. 10#3, Autumn
2001 | Contact
Vol. 10#4, Advent 2001 | Contact
11#1, Spring-Lent 2002 | Contact
Winter 2002 | Contact Autumn
2003 | New! Contact Summer 2007 (pdf) ]
 The
Social Awareness Office (SAO), founded by the late Bishop Reding
in 1978, extols the Church 's social teachings as an integral
part of Catholic culture. It does so knowing that proclaiming
the Gospel is the vocation of the lay faithful (Pope John Paul
II, Christifideles Laici #33) and that justice is central to evangelization
(Centesimus Annus, #5). The SAO understands the overall need
to reclaim Catholic culture and to re-evangelize our world (Christifideles
Laici #34). The SAO serves the Diocese in these ways:
-
promotes the statements of justice, the environment, and peace
that are issued by the Social Affairs Commissions of the Ontario
and Canadian bishops as well as Rome
- works
with the Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Hamilton,
which advises the office on regional concerns; also works with
groups such as the Dominican Republic Faith Experience Group,
other dioceses, the Jesuit Centre for Social Faith and Justice
- Ecology Project, Development & Peace, Catholic Rural Life
Conference, Hamilton Teachers for Social Justice, the Culture
of Peace Network, Ten Days, Aboriginal Rights Coalition, regional
inter-faith peace and justice networks
- encourages
and keeps Catholics in touch with the office and with each other
through the newsletter, CONTACT, and with periodic gatherings
and retreats
- co-sponsors
the Challenge for Change Conference, an ecumenical institute
-
publicly
supporting those who ask for our support, in the spirit of the
Spiritual Works of Mercy; e.g. Cape Croker fisher people in
the 1993 Jones-Nadjiwon decision
- a
long-term project with the Justice and Peace Commission is to
collect Catholic writings about the common good as a means of
reclaiming Catholic culture and humanizing our communities. This
includes an analysis of traditional justice work in relation to
our North American lifestyle -- e.g. Can we denounce the IMF when
we buy Dole pineapple for the church bake sale?
-
provides
relevant books, documents, magazines, audio-visual aids; writes
articles for the church and secular press; speaks to groups
on various issues
|
 |
oColumn2
SOCIAL
AWARENESS OFFICE
Miss Diane Baltaz, Director
Mrs. Anne Stevens, Secretary
(905) 528-7988, ext. 2233
Upcoming:
Another World
is Possible:
Living in Harmony
with Creation
Keynote Address
By Stephen Bede Scharper
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Facing Our Ecological Reality: Ecological Crises as Issues of Faith and Justice
with Steven Scharper
Friday, November 2, 2007
at 7:30pm
Flyer | Brochure Inside | Brochure Outside
Note
for Internet Users
The
printed version of this newsletter has items that are not
available on this site; eg. Volunteer Openings at Ignatius
Farm Community of Guelph, a three page summary of Pope John
Paul's letter outlining his vision for our hemisphere after
the Jubilee Year, Ecclesia in America, some environmental
tidbits, etc.
For
copies of this newsletter, or to go on the mailing list, please
contact Diane Baltaz at (905) 528-7988, ext. 2233, or
email or write care of the
Diocese of Hamilton address at the top of this site.
|
|
