Catholic Social Activists at Work

Currently I am housed in Manila at the Catholic Trade Center and speaking with fathers and brothers from all over the world who are members of the Society of the Divine Word, which dedicates itself to the poorest. Here is something I have begun to understand. In the Philippines and other places, community organizers must be careful and work in the shelter of the church.

It is easy to misunderstand Catholic activism. Catholic means inclusive and Catholic activism spans the range from delicate questions of philosophy to living on the world’s largest garbage pile. Some “Christians” only concern themselves with the salvation of the soul and ignore the suffering of the body. Others are only concerned with the second coming and the lifting to rapture. (As my friend Angelo “Charlie” Liteky, former Catholic Priest and US Army chaplain and Medal of Honor recipient and rejecter commented, “They can’t leave too soon for me!”)

What I see here at the Catholic Trade Center, a hub for the Society of the Divine Word, is social activists working in the shelter of Christian teachings. There is nothing false or tenuous about their interpretation of the gospel; theirs seems the most literal interpretation. They labor in love for the poorest of the poor but strive to listen, recognize, and reflect back the unrealized potential of the poor, their gifts, talents, and power in community.