Define the following terms:
Social Justice: Social Justice is the fair and even distribution of rights,
resources, power and responsibilities to everybody in society.
Catholic Social Teaching: Catholic Social Teaching is an area of Catholicism
which concerns, scrutinises and debates matters of human dignity and the
common good.
Charity: A charity is a non-profit organisation which helps people in need
through volunteer work and the donation of resources.
Who was involved in the development
of the CSJ organisation?
Rerum Novarum, the earliest publication of contemporary Catholic
Social Teaching on the rights and obligations of capital and labour, was
written by Pope Leo XIII.
Caritas and Catholic
Social Justice
Ursula Frayne Catholic College
Religion Assessment
By James Delane
When and where did Caritas begin?
In Australia, 1962, the Catholic Church Relief Fund was founded, an
agency which provided financial relief and resources to people in
need. This was also when the Lenten appeal known as Project
Compassion was founded by parishioners from Sydney, Adelaide
and Wagga Wagga.
In the late 1960's however, was when the charity truly began to
grow. The CCRF started hosting appeals, raising $90,000 dollars
from the first one. The appeals kickstarted the growth and success
of the charity now known as Caritas.
What is Caritas's goal?
The goal of Caritas is to end all poverty, inequality and
violence in all parts of The Middle East, Australia, Africa,
Asia and the Pacific Region.
They handle challenges such as famines, natural
disaster preparation, sustainable farming, gender
violence and inequality, as well as water and food
supplies. Although they haven't quite reached their
goals as of yet, they are certainly making progress.
Who do Caritas help and what do
they do?
Caritas helps all people living in poverty and who don't have access to basic human rights by
providing food and farm seeds to starving communities, provide relief and rescue plans for
people affected by natural disasters.
Caritas also help to raise awareness of all humans who don't have access to basic resources,
so others can help those in need.
Name a Catholic Social
Teaching Caritas Upholds
One of the Catholic Social Teachings that link to the organisation of Caritas is Rights and
Responsibilities. This is because this CST involves all who are poor and vulnerable, and how it
is Caritas's responsibility to give the poor and option of food, water, culture, shelter and way of
life.
Caritas has a program where they provide drought resistant farm seeds to starving
communities in Africa, respecting their requirements to live and further demonstrating the
Rights and Responsibilities CST.
Name another Catholic Social
Teaching Caritas Upholds
Another CST which connects to Caritas is Community for the Common Good.
This is because the CST involves all communities to work for the common good
of all people and to provide necessities for those in need of them. This can be
achieved by providing communities with the resources required to help their
citizens.
Caritas has a program where they help communities in Afghanistan provide for
the people. They do this by giving them agricultural training as well as food and
water supplies.
Name 2 ways the school
community can help Caritas
The first way the school can help Caritas is by hosting a series of fairs and fundraisers in
collaboration with them, ie continuing existing events such as Project Compassion. All of the
raised money will then be sent to their operation in Africa.
The second way the school can help Caritas is by hosting a communal hamper where
everything which students don't need would be donated to those who do need them. This
includes food, water, and clothing. All of the things would then be sent to struggling
communities all around Australia.
My Logo
Caritas
Supporting
OUR
world
Logo Explanation
What do the colours mean? I used yellow for the stalk to symbolise holy power. I
used blue, a calm colour, to symbolise the freedom and inspiration Caritas gives. I
also used green to represent life.
What symbols and signs have been used? The tree above the heart represents
life and growth. The bread and water represent sustenance, and the heart
represents the love Caritas has for others.
What pictures have been used? I drew the Earth which included Asia, Australia,
Oceanic Countries and Africa, this represents the fact that Caritas operate in the
Eastern countries.
What words have been used? I used the words "Supporting OUR World" to
show Caritas helps everyone in need and preserves THEIR world, their family, and
their way of life.
Reference List
Caritas Australia (2022). Catholic Archdiocese of Perth.
https://perthcatholic.org.au/Organisation.htm?
article_id=232369&org_type=agency&cms%2Erm=Page&organization_id=-
50599895
NETWORK ADVOCATES FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE (2022). Network.
https://networkadvocates.org/advocacytoolbox/educate/catholicsocialjustic
e/#:~:text=Catholic%20Social%20Justice%20teaches%20us,potential%20as
%20intended%20by%20God.
Our History (2022). Caritas. https://www.caritas.org.au/about/what-is-
caritas/our-history/
