Historical Background
The drastic cuts in human services in the State of Michigan (1991-92), beginning with the
elimination of the General Assistance program in 1991, and the need for the Church to respond
to the crisis, brought together numerous parishes/churches in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Under the leadership of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, the Catholic Caucus was formed to
provide a forum for members of the Catholic community and other faith groups and community
organizations to work together in order to give highest priority to human needs in the
development of the public policies and the state budget.
The Catholic Caucus grounded in the social teaching of the Church and motivated by justice
seeks to uphold the sanctity of life and promote the common good.
About Us
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Guiding Principles
- Every economic decision must be judged in light of whether it protects or undermines
the dignity of the human person. - Human person is not only sacred but social. The way we organize our society
(economic, policy) directly affects human dignity. - All people have a right to participate in the economic life of society.
- Human rights are the minimum conditions for life in community. It includes economic
rights: right to life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, education and employment. - Society as a whole has an essential responsibility: private institutions and government
have a responsibility to enhance human dignity and protect human rights.
Economic Justice for All
Pastoral Letter, 1986
The Caucus pursues its Mission through:
- Ongoing educational programs which:
application in today’s world;
… Assist advocates in local parishes with their witness and activities
to further economic justice and opportunity;
… Provide accurate nonpartisan information on public policies and
their impacts.
- Contact with public policy makers at all levels to advocate programs which broaden
social and economic opportunities for all the state’s citizens.
Statement of Commitment to Peace and Social Justice
As members of Catholic Caucus of Southeast Michigan, we strive to:
• demonstrate by our personal lives…
• educate our communities about, and…
• actively promote …
our commitment to peace and social justice.
Our commitment is based both on our understanding of our Faith and our analysis of the
realities surrounding us in our communities and in our world.
The care of the most vulnerable in our society as well as the building of a just society is central
to our understanding of the Gospel as expressed in the Beatitudes and Matthewt. 25. We also
deeply understand the prophetic role that we need to exercise in our communities today in line
with the tradition of many men and women who stood for justice and peace.
Yet, we find ourselves in a world where words such as “social justice” and “common good”
are not understood. The gap between the “haves” and “have nots” increases rapidly; major
issues of unemployment, health care, prison system, housing and education remain too often
not addressed.
We are deeply troubled by the relative silence of our Church in addressing all these issues. We
would expect the leadership of our Catholic communities to educate and challenge all of us on
the basic themes of social justice as expressed in the long tradition of Catholic Social
Teaching both at the national and local levels.
We are concerned by the fact that ministries of services to the poor, to people who are
incarcerated, to neighborhoods affected by violence do not seem to be of prime importance to
too many of our Catholic communities.
We believe that our weekly liturgical celebrations, and the reflections on the Word of God
should be an opportunity to call one another to act on the issue of peace and social justice.
While we understand the reluctance from our leadership to be sometimes perceived as taking
a “partisan” stance, we hope that through a clear commitment of our Church to Peace and
Justice, the fullness of the Gospel message will be proclaimed.
As members of Catholic Caucus of Southeast Michigan, we strive to:
• demonstrate by our personal lives…
• educate our communities about, and…
• actively promote …
our commitment to peace and social justice.
Our commitment is based both on our understanding of our Faith and our analysis of the
realities surrounding us in our communities and in our world.
The care of the most vulnerable in our society as well as the building of a just society is central
to our understanding of the Gospel as expressed in the Beatitudes and Matthewt. 25. We also
deeply understand the prophetic role that we need to exercise in our communities today in line
with the tradition of many men and women who stood for justice and peace.
Yet, we find ourselves in a world where words such as “social justice” and “common good”
are not understood. The gap between the “haves” and “have nots” increases rapidly; major
issues of unemployment, health care, prison system, housing and education remain too often
not addressed.
We are deeply troubled by the relative silence of our Church in addressing all these issues. We
would expect the leadership of our Catholic communities to educate and challenge all of us on
the basic themes of social justice as expressed in the long tradition of Catholic Social
Teaching both at the national and local levels.
We are concerned by the fact that ministries of services to the poor, to people who are
incarcerated, to neighborhoods affected by violence do not seem to be of prime importance to
too many of our Catholic communities.
We believe that our weekly liturgical celebrations, and the reflections on the Word of God
should be an opportunity to call one another to act on the issue of peace and social justice.
While we understand the reluctance from our leadership to be sometimes perceived as taking
a “partisan” stance, we hope that through a clear commitment of our Church to Peace and
Justice, the fullness of the Gospel message will be proclaimed.