Catholic Social Teaching Principle: Solidarity

STEWARDS OF OUR EARTH

All of God’s Creation

Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, September 28, 2025

Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Solidarity means that “loving our neighbor” has global dimensions in an interdependent world. 

“We may all be one, but we’re not exactly experiencing the world that way at the moment” (Matthew Armstead in Common Ground by Eileen Flanagan, 2025). 

“Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community… It also means combatting the structural causes of poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land and housing, the denial of social and labor rights. It means confronting the destructive effects of the empire of money…” ~ Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), no. 116 

“Metro areas signal what’s at stake for Black Americans under [the current] anti-equity agenda…. [An anti-equity agenda] rolls back the clock on hard-won federal policies establishing equal employment and core labor standards and protections for Black workers. The passage of those laws was pivotal in expanding rights and opportunities sought across the decades of the Great Migration and Civil Rights Movement.

Mass firings of federal employees and budget cuts will have harmful consequences for Black Americans across class lines…. In the face of federal rollbacks of civil and worker’s rights and growing concerns about recession, state and local governments should act to maintain and strengthen basic protections, like minimum wage and unemployment insurance, while continuing local efforts to advance racial equity and justice.” (Valerie Wilson, Adewale A. Maye, and Stevie Marvin, “A Tale of Ten Cities,” Economic Policy Institute, 8/14/25)

“As we prepare for winter, across Pennsylvania, families are struggling with rising electric bills. Seniors on fixed incomes, single parents, and low-income households are being forced into heartbreaking choices: pay the utility bill or put food on the table. Keep the lights on or buy needed medicine. Gas companies continue to pass on costs while padding their profits, leaving our most vulnerable neighbors to carry the heaviest burden…. [One way to act in solidarity] is to lobby legislative bodies on the urgent need to deploy clean energy sources onto our electric grid to quickly bring down electricity prices for everyone.” ( Patrick McDonnell, PennFuture, 9/22/25)

There is so much to talk about. Join us next week on October 5th after the 9:00 Mass in the Community Room downstairs for discussion on the Catholic Social Teaching principle – Solidarity. The Social Justice Committee looks forward to your reflections, insights, and suggestions for action as a parish. We need you if we are to make an impact. Discussion guides are at the entrance to the church. Light refreshments will be served.

Comments on this column may be directed to the Social Justice Committee at socialjustice@holycrossphl.org. Click here for column archive.