Social Justice Glossary of Terms
Catholic Social Teaching (CST): In Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops write that "Catholic social teaching is a central and essential element of our faith." They note that, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren" (no. 1397); therefore, "Catholic social teaching emerges from the truth of what God has revealed to us about himself. We believe in the triune God whose very nature is communal and social. God the Father sends his only Son Jesus Christ and shares the Holy Spirit as his gift of love. God reveals himself to us as one who is not alone, but rather as one who is relational, one who is Trinity. Therefore, we who are made in God's image share this communal, social nature. We are called to reach out and to build relationships of love and justice."
The roots of CST, the bishops continue, "can be found in the Hebrew prophets, who announced God's special love for the poor and called God's people to a covenant of love and justice. It is founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ, who came 'to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . liberty to captives . . . recovery of sight to the blind' (Lk 4:18-19), and who identified himself with "the least of these," the hungry and the stranger (cf. Mt 25:45). Catholic social teaching is built on a commitment to the poor. This commitment arises from our experiences of Christ in the Eucharist."
For more on Catholic social teaching, including its sources and basic principles, see our CST pages.
Social Ministry: General, blanket term for the Church's response to human needs, Covers everything from accompaniment to service to empowerment to justice education to advocacy of all kinds, but it is not a synonym for “social justice,” which has a narrower definition. Direct service and social action ministries are sometimes referred to as the "Two Feet of Social Ministry," in that they balance each other and are equally necessary.
Social Action: Also a general term that encompasses all the ways that we try to eliminate the causes of social problems. Contrasted with direct service; one is the immediate bandage on the wound, the other the elimination of that which is causing the injury, or the equipping of the sufferer to do so for themselves. It most often finds expression either as justice education, advocacy or empowerment. (See below.)
Social Justice: A situation in which all people's human dignity is respected and their human rights are guaranteed. Usually involves notions of fairness in relations between individuals in society and equitable access to wealth, opportunities, and social privileges (equity refers to how individuals are given tools specific to their needs and socioeconomic status in order to move towards fair outcomes). Generally antithetical to all forms of discrimination based on sex, age, wealth, ethnicity, heritage, social status, religion, etc. For more on social justice, see our Social Justice page.
Direct service: Most people’s point of entry to social ministry and by far the most common form of social ministry for Christians. Can take many forms, from feeding the hungry to sheltering the homeless to assisting the poor to caring for the elderly and sick and those with special needs. If flows from Jesus' story of the Last Judgement, when we learn that those who are saved are the ones who performed the corporal works of mercy, and for seeing Him in the face of the "least." Service done with an open heart puts compassion into action.
Accompaniment: Some common forms of service will not necessarily help us understand our suffering brothers and sisters the way getting to know their reality and becoming part of their life can. Accompaniment, sometimes called "being-with ministry," goes a step beyond service to increase our compassion and understanding and deepen our desire for justice for them.
Justice Education: Examining the roots of the problem and what Catholic Social Teaching has to say about it. This entire website is dedicated to justice education.
Empowerment: which can mean both “helping people help themselves (“teaching a man to fish”) as well as helping them to take control of their advocacy for themselves.
Advocacy: Most simply understood as “speaking on behalf of” those who are voiceless and powerless. It can take as many forms as direct service, though many Catholics can’t articulate what they are as easily as they could name off ministries of service like food pantries, meal programs, shelters, etc. Advocacy can be as small and personal as merely correcting false or hateful ideas when you hear them. It could be writing your legislators to pass a bill that could do anything from providing direct services to development programs to radical structural change, or pressuring corporations to act more justly. Or it could be protesting in the streets when all else fails. It doesn’t have to be “legislative” advocacy, but that’s the kind most Catholics immediately think of.
Empowerment: Actually can have two meanings. The first and most common is “helping people help themselves,” otherwise known as the "teach a man to fish" model. It can take the form of things like teaching job-hunting skills or menu planning, or any kind of education or training. This form is not a “social justice” activity since it helps people adapt to the current system but does nothing to make that system more just.
The second sense of "empowerment" is involving people in advocacy on their own behalf, or teaching them skills like community organizing, which can definitely challenge the system. Black Lives Matter is based on this notion of empowerment of an oppressed group within society.
Justice in this sense has priority over “charity,” but that doesn’t mean that it is “superior” to service as a form of ministry. Even in a perfectly just world, there would be need for charity after disasters, personal calamities, etc. The problem social justice types have with some “charity” is only when it never leads to questioning what is causing the need, or worse, if those practicing it are in other ways actually supporting the unjust status quo.
Social Analysis: A form of justice education combined with theological reflection that examines all the forces that impact those we serve – economic, political, cultural, etc. and discerning how we should respond in justice. It is a connector between service and social justice.
The roots of CST, the bishops continue, "can be found in the Hebrew prophets, who announced God's special love for the poor and called God's people to a covenant of love and justice. It is founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ, who came 'to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . liberty to captives . . . recovery of sight to the blind' (Lk 4:18-19), and who identified himself with "the least of these," the hungry and the stranger (cf. Mt 25:45). Catholic social teaching is built on a commitment to the poor. This commitment arises from our experiences of Christ in the Eucharist."
For more on Catholic social teaching, including its sources and basic principles, see our CST pages.
Social Ministry: General, blanket term for the Church's response to human needs, Covers everything from accompaniment to service to empowerment to justice education to advocacy of all kinds, but it is not a synonym for “social justice,” which has a narrower definition. Direct service and social action ministries are sometimes referred to as the "Two Feet of Social Ministry," in that they balance each other and are equally necessary.
Social Action: Also a general term that encompasses all the ways that we try to eliminate the causes of social problems. Contrasted with direct service; one is the immediate bandage on the wound, the other the elimination of that which is causing the injury, or the equipping of the sufferer to do so for themselves. It most often finds expression either as justice education, advocacy or empowerment. (See below.)
Social Justice: A situation in which all people's human dignity is respected and their human rights are guaranteed. Usually involves notions of fairness in relations between individuals in society and equitable access to wealth, opportunities, and social privileges (equity refers to how individuals are given tools specific to their needs and socioeconomic status in order to move towards fair outcomes). Generally antithetical to all forms of discrimination based on sex, age, wealth, ethnicity, heritage, social status, religion, etc. For more on social justice, see our Social Justice page.
Direct service: Most people’s point of entry to social ministry and by far the most common form of social ministry for Christians. Can take many forms, from feeding the hungry to sheltering the homeless to assisting the poor to caring for the elderly and sick and those with special needs. If flows from Jesus' story of the Last Judgement, when we learn that those who are saved are the ones who performed the corporal works of mercy, and for seeing Him in the face of the "least." Service done with an open heart puts compassion into action.
Accompaniment: Some common forms of service will not necessarily help us understand our suffering brothers and sisters the way getting to know their reality and becoming part of their life can. Accompaniment, sometimes called "being-with ministry," goes a step beyond service to increase our compassion and understanding and deepen our desire for justice for them.
Justice Education: Examining the roots of the problem and what Catholic Social Teaching has to say about it. This entire website is dedicated to justice education.
Empowerment: which can mean both “helping people help themselves (“teaching a man to fish”) as well as helping them to take control of their advocacy for themselves.
Advocacy: Most simply understood as “speaking on behalf of” those who are voiceless and powerless. It can take as many forms as direct service, though many Catholics can’t articulate what they are as easily as they could name off ministries of service like food pantries, meal programs, shelters, etc. Advocacy can be as small and personal as merely correcting false or hateful ideas when you hear them. It could be writing your legislators to pass a bill that could do anything from providing direct services to development programs to radical structural change, or pressuring corporations to act more justly. Or it could be protesting in the streets when all else fails. It doesn’t have to be “legislative” advocacy, but that’s the kind most Catholics immediately think of.
Empowerment: Actually can have two meanings. The first and most common is “helping people help themselves,” otherwise known as the "teach a man to fish" model. It can take the form of things like teaching job-hunting skills or menu planning, or any kind of education or training. This form is not a “social justice” activity since it helps people adapt to the current system but does nothing to make that system more just.
The second sense of "empowerment" is involving people in advocacy on their own behalf, or teaching them skills like community organizing, which can definitely challenge the system. Black Lives Matter is based on this notion of empowerment of an oppressed group within society.
Justice in this sense has priority over “charity,” but that doesn’t mean that it is “superior” to service as a form of ministry. Even in a perfectly just world, there would be need for charity after disasters, personal calamities, etc. The problem social justice types have with some “charity” is only when it never leads to questioning what is causing the need, or worse, if those practicing it are in other ways actually supporting the unjust status quo.
Social Analysis: A form of justice education combined with theological reflection that examines all the forces that impact those we serve – economic, political, cultural, etc. and discerning how we should respond in justice. It is a connector between service and social justice.