UNCC100: Analysis of Catholic Social Thought, Self, and Community

This essay delves into the principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST), focusing on the interrelationship between 'self' and 'community.' It highlights key principles such as the life and dignity of the human person, the preferential option for the poor, the common good, and family/community participation. The essay explains how these principles guide professionals in serving the community, promoting social justice, and addressing global issues. Examples are provided to illustrate how these principles can be applied in nursing practice and in understanding universal human rights, emphasizing the importance of empathy, cultural sensitivity, and equitable treatment for all individuals, especially the vulnerable. The conclusion underscores the significance of CST in fostering a society built on dignity, love, and equality, advocating for its integration into various professional fields to promote a more just and compassionate world. Desklib offers a repository of similar academic resources for students.

Running head: CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Authors note:

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CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: serving humanity
With the sudden increase of chronic disease, there is a growing awareness of
incorporating catholic social thoughts for serving all who seek the assistance of these frontline
health professionals, for transforming their life. Through innovative as well as caring social
services, professionals seek to provide appropriate service to all who ask for assistance (White,
Braaton & Williams, 2016).. In other words, catholic social thought is matters of human
dignity and common good in society. The idea of the catholic social thought addresses
oppression, subsidiarity, initiatives of the common good, concern for social justice, and issues
of wealth distribution across the world (Clark, 2016). These principles play an important role in
explaining the interrelationships between self and community as each one of them highlight the

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importance of building a peaceful society (Waters et al., 2016). While all principles are crucial
for serving the needy individuals around the globe, four principles such as life and dignity of the
human person, Preferential Option for the Poor, the Common Good and family, community and
participation are the most crucial principle that provides direction to the professionals for serving
the community.
Considering the first principle, as life and dignity of the human person, the Catholic
Church proclaims that human life is sacred and the dignity of the human being is the foundation
of a moral vision for society (Sison et al., 2016). According to this principle, the human being
has self-knowledge and self-possession and ability to emphasize the issues experienced by a
human being (Zobieri, 2017). As human values in the present era are a result of materialism and
declined human respect, this principle provides a sense of self by sharing personal and
professional values of treating each individual with dignity in the community and this principle
bring the importance of self(Waters et al., 2016). For example, while serving the patients coming
from different culture background, this principle enables nursing professionals to provide

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culturally safe care to the patient for respecting the dignity of the patients (Cox, 2017). Another
example of this principle is showing empathy and moral judgment towards the refugee coming
from the different communities. Treating everyone with empathy and take someone
else’s perception are crucial prosaically behaviors that interconnect self and community
(Www.dailybulletin.com.au, 2019).
The third principle of catholic teaching, common good proclaimed to have a common
thought of public good which expands above the specific communities. In philosophy, common
good is referred to what is shared as well as beneficial for all members of community. Hence,
each member of the community need to involve themselves in the action which will be
beneficial for all members of the community. All efforts were given by different individuals,
family, and groups to achieve common good was greatly explained by this principle. Hence, in
this case, developing the values of the common good is crucial for the society and as a nurse,
being good to oneself is important in the whole society as the principle define common good as a
shared good in the community (Villarreal Sosa, Diaz & Hernandez, 2019).. The common

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example of common good are police protection and public safety; courts and the judicial system.
This principle facilities our understanding of the interrelationship with community that every
action we take is not for ourselves but also for the common good of the community. With the
assistance of the principle, the nurses will be able to develop advocacy and health promotional
campaign for addressing the social issues observed around the globe. Consequently, nurses
along with the community is able to promote social justice. The professionals can incorporate
the values of the common good for the nurse students so that nurses can develop a sense of self
and able to address the issues of community with the aim of promoting social justice (Galligan-
Stierle, 2014). Thus through this, the interrelationship between self and community is reflected.
Considering the last principle of catholic social thought, this principle talks about the fair
treatment of the poor in society. This principle greatly focuses on giving preference to the poor
in the society by providing them the best treatment which they have rights to receive (Stabile,
2015). Thus brings equity and fairness in the society for promoting a greater good for the
community. Through providing fair treatment to the poor and vulnerable people in the
society the professionals are able to promote the equity around the globe as all individuals are
considered to be important in society (Www.un.org, 2019). Through this principle, individuals
to understand the interrelationship between ‘self’ and ‘community’. This principle further assists
to shape the values of individual for caring for poor and needy people which further
interconnected with the community (Small, 2018). This principle facilities a sense of self within
individuals which further connect individuals with the community. In order to have a peaceful
community, every individual, especially professionals are required to treat everyone with
equality despite the difference in gender, race, and ethnicity, an action of connecting self with

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community. One of the most crucial examples of this principle is the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights which is a cornerstone in the history of human rights. According to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights article 3, everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of
person (Www.humanrights.com, 2019).
On a concluding note it can be said that in order to guide society towards living a life full
of dignity and love, the catholic social teaching is crucial. Through the four principles such as
life and dignity of the human person, Preferential Option for the Poor and the Common
Good, the interpersonal relationship between self and community can be understood. In this
context, in order to address the issues of the poor and refugees, treating people with dignity and
building a strong community, it is crucial gather understanding of two concepts as they are
associated with each other. These principles can be incorporated in the nursing practice for
addressing global issues and promoting social justice and equality.

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References:
Cox, W. J. (2017). Health Care Reform-The Catholic Health Perspective. The Catholic Lawyer,
35(3), 2.
Galligan-Stierle, M. (2014). A Vision of Justice: Engaging Catholic Social Teaching on the
College Campus. Liturgical Press. pp. 139-160
Sison, A. J. G., Ferrero, I., & Guitián, G. (2016). Human dignity and the dignity of work:
Insights from Catholic social teaching. Business Ethics Quarterly, 26(4), 503-528.
Small, P. M. (2018). Structural justice and nursing: Inpatient nurses' obligation to address social
justice needs of patients. Nursing ethics, 0969733018810764.
Stabile, S. J. (2015). The Contributions of Catholic Social Thought to the Effort to Secure Just
Wages for Workers. Journal of Catholic Social Thought, 12(1), 45-72.
Villarreal Sosa, L., Diaz, S., & Hernandez, R. (2019). Accompaniment in a Mexican immigrant
community: Conceptualization and identification of biopsychosocial outcomes. Journal
of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 38(1), 21-42.
Waters, N. P., Schmale, T., Goetz, A., Eberl, J. T., & Wells, J. H. (2017). A call to promote
healthcare justice: A summary of integrated outpatient clinics exemplifying principles of
Catholic social teaching. The Linacre Quarterly, 84(1), 57-73.
White, S., Braaton, P., & Williams, W. V. (2016). Special issue on Catholic social teaching and
healthcare reform. The Linacre Quarterly, 83(1), 128.

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Www.dailybulletin.com.au (2019). A refugee, like me: why the Golden Rule matters in an era of
mass migration. [online] Daily Bulletin. Available at:
https://www.dailybulletin.com.au/the-conversation/10183-a-refugee-like-me-why-
thegolden-rule-matters-in-an-era-of-mass-migration [Accessed 20 Aug. 2019].
Www.humanrights.com (2019). United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of
Independence: United for Human Rights. [online] United for Human Rights. Available
at: https://www.humanrights.com/what-are-human-rights/brief-history/declaration-of-
independence.html [Accessed 20 Aug. 2019].
Www.un.org (2019). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [online] Un.org. Available at:
http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/index.html [Accessed 20 Aug.
2019].
Zobieri, K. (2017). Concierge and Direct Patient Care Models: Are They Compatible with
Catholic Social Teaching?. Health progress (Saint Louis, Mo.), 98(1), 58-62.