Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison wrote in the Catholic Herald on May 18, 2022, “The social teachings of the Catholic Church are a rich treasury of wisdom, guiding humanity to build a culture of life, love, justice, and compassion, and to seek the common good. Developed over the last century through the writings of popes, the documents of the Second Vatican Council, and the statements of various bishops’ conferences, Catholic social thought illustrates that, while the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not inherently political, it does have political, economic, social and cultural implications.”
In order to better catechize, promote, and integrate our Catholic social teachings into our daily lives, Bishop Hying started the Office of Human Life and Dignity in April of this year.
It is a tremendous blessing and honor to be the director.
A part of my ministry will be to write a monthly column entitled “Building the Kingdom of God Together”.
This month’s column will explain the work of the office and, starting in October, my column will focus on a different principle of Catholic social teaching each month, rotating through all seven principles on a constantly revolving basis.
Areas of focus
My office has four major areas or pillars of focus: Social concerns; community outreach with religious, civic, and political groups; ecumenical and interreligious outreach, and special projects of the diocese.
There are unique aspects to each area but there is also a certain overlap based on the particular initiative or project.
It is of utmost importance to be pro-life and to build an even stronger culture of life in our diocese, state, country, and world.
The Life and Dignity of the Human Person is the most important social concern and Catholic Social Teaching principle.
As Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York stated at the inaugural lecture of the University of Notre Dame Human Dignity Project, an initiative of the Institute for Church Life, on December 6, 2011, “When you think of it, this Doctrine of the Dignity of the Human Person so cleanly fits in with the other core dogmas of our religion. The human person mirrors the eternal love of the Most Blessed Trinity; the human person is of such worth that God himself took on our nature at the Incarnation; the human person has such dignity that God’s Son died lest he or she perish in what we call the Redemption.”
Life and Dignity of the Human Person will be the Catholic Social Teaching principle I will write about in October. The other social concerns I am working on include:
• Supporting Walking With Moms In Need and pregnancy help centers throughout the Diocese of Madison in light of the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade.
• Working with the anti-human trafficking ministry with the large coalition building through the inspiration of Susan Tucker and Kurt Weldon.
• Collaborating with and supporting the great work of Rural Life Coordinator Tom Nelson.
• Addressing the food and shelter challenges with our terrific Catholic partners, Catholic Charities and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
• Supporting the great works of and helping our Care for God’s Creation Teams in the diocese.
• Partnering with and learning from the Dioceses of Jacmel in Haiti and Navrongo-Bolgatanga in Ghana.
In terms of our community outreach with religious and civic communities in the Diocese of Madison, there are many areas to address as well, including:
• Collaborating on programs with our evangelical sisters and brothers.
• Setting up talks for Bishop Hying at various meetings with organizations and service groups.
• Ministering to the incarcerated.
• Partnering with the national office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) as much as possible.
The ecumenical and interreligious outreach of the office includes:
• Working with a local group trying to bring the religious voice back more fully into our culture, a voice that goes back to the founding of our state in 1848.
• Praying and collaborating once a month with a great group of Protestant ministers called MP3.
• Participating in Catholic-Jewish and Catholic-Muslim dialogue and collaboration.
• Working with and supporting dedicated Catholic John Schmitz in his ecumenical and interreligious initiatives, including the diocese being part of the November 21 Ecumenical Prayer Service where Bishop Hying will have a significant role.
Special projects of the diocese include but are not limited to being a Go Make Disciples mentor and coordinating our diocesan Synod on Synodality: Communion, Participation, and Mission.
All of our very important human life and dignity work is guided and inspired by Bishop Hying and advised by a great group of people, called the Human Life and Dignity Advisory Board that meets quarterly.
Human Life and Dignity Association
There is also a Diocese of Madison Human Life and Dignity Association starting on Saturday, Sept. 17, with an organizational meeting at Holy Name Heights in Madison. The purpose of the group is to form an association in our diocese for Catholics who are involved in ministry and work to support human life and dignity in every aspect, for the purpose of formation, organization, information sharing, strategic planning, and collaboration.
The association would provide support both to the diocese and parishes in our efforts to promote human life and dignity for all human beings and in every way possible.
Our Go Make Disciples initiative that Bishop Hying is leading is so crucial on many levels in helping to build the Kingdom of God on earth.
Our Catholic Social Teaching, which flows from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, calls us to continue in our evangelization efforts.
On June 29, 2004, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State to the Vatican, wrote, “This work (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004) also shows the value of Catholic social doctrine as an instrument of evangelization (cf. Centesimus Annus, 54), because it places the human person and society in relationship with the light of the Gospel. [St. John Paul II wrote Centesimus Annus in 1991 on the 100th anniversary of the encyclical Rerum Novarum (“Right and Duties of Capital and Labor workers”)].
“The principles of the Church’s social doctrine, which are based on the natural law, are then seen to be confirmed and strengthened, in the faith of the Church, by the Gospel of Christ.”
Thank you for all that you do for your family, parish, and community in building the Kingdom of God on earth.
If you want to engage more fully in any of the projects and initiatives listed in this column please let me know or if you have other ideas to help build the Kingdom of God through our Catholic Social Teaching write to me as well.
Dr. Chris McAtee is the director of human life and dignity and will publish his “Building the Kingdom of God Together” each month in the Catholic Herald. To contact Chris, you can email him at chris.mcatee@madisondiocese.org