Catholic Charities, through its Social Concerns & Advocacy Office, educates parishioners and the broader public on issues affecting human beings at all stages of life, from conception to natural death. Catholic Charities supports efforts to put faith into action on behalf of justice and shares with all a desire for a greater understanding of the call of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) to work for both charity and justice, to advocate for action to create positive change in society, to address unjust social conditions, and to protect human life – from conception to natural death.
Please see other information on Catholic Social Teaching, CRS & CCHD, Public Policy, Human Trafficking Awareness, and Care of Creation. The Diocesan Office of Family Life webpage also has information on Respect Life-related issues.
UPCOMING EVENTS
DILEXI TE – THE LOVE THAT CALLS US BACK
Saturday, May 23, 2026 in High Point, NC
Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 4145 Johnson Street, High Point, NC
St. Edward’s Hall – 10:30 am to 1:30 pm (Doors open at 10:00 am.)
Lunch and refreshments are provided. Please register via email by Wednesday, May 20 to scaeducation@ccdoc.org
Co-sponsored by Catholic Charities and the Sisters of Mercy
Questions – please email scaeducation@ccdoc.org
Find an event flyer here.
About the presenter: Deacon Scott D. Gilfillan is the Founder and Executive Director of The Font of Mercy. At the Font of Mercy, he leads retreats, offers spiritual direction, and writes a weekly blog on practical spirituality. He previously served the Diocese of Charlotte as the Director of the Catholic Conference Center, and before that, the Director of Formation for Deacons. He has been a deacon since 2001, and has focused his ministry on Matthew 25, helping the “least among us”: the prisoner, the elderly, the hungry, and the homeless.
Event Summary: “Dilexit Te” (“He loved you”) captures the heart of the Christian story: before we sought God, God sought us. Please come to this special educational event offering by Catholic Charities. Drawing on Pope Leo’s inaugural exhortation, we’ll explore the depth, dignity, and daily implications of being loved first by God. Through story, scripture, and practical practices, you will discover how to receive this love more deeply and live it more freely. “Dilexit Te” is not simply a phrase; it is the transforming truth at the center of the Christian life.
Quote from Pope Francis
“‘Adam, where are you?’ ‘Where is your brother?’ These are the two questions which God asks at the dawn of human history and which he also asks each man and woman in our own day, which he also asks us. But I would like us to ask a third question: “Has any one of us wept? . . . We are a society which has forgotten how to weep, how to experience compassion – “suffering with” others: the globalization of indifference has taken from us the ability to weep! . . . let us ask the Lord for the grace to weep over our indifference, to weep over the cruelty of our world, of our own hearts, and of all those who in anonymity make social and economic decisions which open the door to tragic situations. ‘Has anyone wept?’ Today, has anyone wept in our world?”
Excerpt from Pope Francis’ Homily during his Visit to Lampedusa Island, Italy, July 8, 2013.
USCCB Justice for Immigrants (JFI) Campaign
In 2004, the USCCB committed to immigration reform as a priority of the U.S. Catholic Church and to creating a culture of welcome in which all migrants are treated with respect and dignity. A diverse group of Catholic organizations joined the USCCB JFI Campaign to unite and mobilize a growing network of Catholic institutions, individuals, and other persons of goodwill in support of immigration reform. Go to www.justiceforimmigrants.org to sign up to receive the latest news and events shared by the JFI Campaign, including advocacy alerts.
The Atlanta Province Shares Message on Immigration Reform
In November of 2006, the five Catholic bishops of the Province of Atlanta released a (PDF), urging the Congressional representatives of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to work for a “comprehensive reform of immigration law through civil dialogue, in the spirit of cooperation and love.”
U.S. Catholic Bishops Support Immigration Reform (Resources Available Here)
“Now is the time for Catholics to let their elected officials know that they support immigration reform…We are an immigrant Church and an immigrant nation. The Church has grown with the nation and since the beginning has helped integrate immigrants into our culture and economy.” Archbishop José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles.
Racism and Migration in the United States (Background document from the USCCB)
Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2024: Hoping and Acting with Creation
The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation occurs every September 1st and marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, which ends on October 4th, the liturgical feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. The theme “Hoping and acting with Creation” is inspired by the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (Rom 8, 19-25), in which the apostle writes that “all creation groans and suffers” but that “in hope we are been saved” therefore we wait “with perseverance”. The diffusion of the Holy Father’s Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is entrusted to the Dicastery for Integral Human Development.
Pray for Creation, Pray for Our Common Home
Pope Francis has asked Catholics each year to pray for creation on September 1. Calling for this day each year to be a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Francis asks the entire global Catholic community to pray for our common home.
Prayer Resource – Common Prayer for Earth and for Humanity
USCCB resources – on environment justice and on the Season of Creation
Care of Creation resources from Catholic Relief Services.
Celebrate the Anniversary of Laudato Si’ in May
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has provided online bilingual resources to learn about the encyclical Laudato Si’. Also, find here a one-page resource sheet on Laudato Si’ developed for its fifth anniversary in 2020. Find here resources on Laudato Si.
U.S. Bishops Support Care of Creation and Faithful Stewardship of the Environment
The USCCB Environmental Justice Program’s web page provides statements from the U.S. Bishops and the Vatican on a broad range of environmental justice topics. The most comprehensive statement from the USCCB on global climate change is “Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue Prudence and the Common Good.”
Catholic Climate Covenant
The Catholic Climate Covenant (CCC) works closely with the USCCB Environmental Justice Program. On its website, you will find numerous comments made by Pope Francis on the environment. The CCC also highlights that on or around the Feast of St. Francis, there is an excellent opportunity to support environmental protection.
USCCB Labor Day Statement – 2025
Each year, the USCCB issues a statement to mark Labor Day, the U.S. federal holiday (since 1894) celebrated on the first Monday in September that honors and celebrates workers. The 2025 statement, titled Promoting The Dignity of Workers in the Rise of AI, calls for protection of laborers and the dignity of those who work. Visit the USCCB Labor Day Resource Page for the 2025 Labor Day statements in English and Spanish.
“We must advocate for the responsible use of technology, robust protection for those vulnerable to exploitation, a social safety net that allows people to avoid the cycle of poverty, and fair treatment of all workers. The government should address the challenges of AI with a sound legal and regulatory framework”. Read the full statement here.
World Day of the Poor – November 12, 2023
On June 13, 2023, the Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Patron Saint of the Poor, the Vatican released the message of Pope Francis for the 2023 World Day of the Poor, taking place on Sunday, November 12, on the theme “Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor (Tob 4:7).” Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor in his Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera, issued on November 20, 2016, to celebrate the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Read Pope Francis’ World Poor of the Day message.
Quote from Pope Francis’ 7th World Day of the Poor message:
This, the seventh annual World Day of the Poor, is a fruitful sign of the Father’s mercy and support for the lives of our communities. As its celebration becomes more and more rooted in the pastoral life of the Church, it enables us to discover ever anew the heart of the Gospel. Our daily efforts to welcome the poor are still not enough. A great river of poverty is traversing our cities and swelling to the point of overflowing; it seems to overwhelm us, so great are the needs of our brothers and sisters who plead for our help, support, and solidarity.
Catholics Confront Global Poverty (CCGP)
The USCCB Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development and CRS have joined together in an effort to reduce global poverty through learning and action. Sign up to receive advocacy and legislative alerts.
CCUSA Policy Paper – Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good
Poverty Awareness – Every January, the U.S. Bishops focus on this important topic.
The Theme of Holy Father’s Message for World Peace of Day – January 1, 2024
Fighting Racism – Calls for Healing, Justice, and Prayers
The USCCB has developed a wide range of resources to fight racism for adult learners in parishes and students at various educational levels, including the U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter Against Racism, study guides on opening our hearts and examining subconscious perceptions, and a backgrounder on confronting the poison of racism. Also useful are a statement on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington and resources to study his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”
Catholic Bishops Launch Major Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty
In 2005, Catholic Bishops launched a campaign to end the use of the death penalty. Bishop Peter J. Jugis’s letter, written on May 3, 2005, in support of the death penalty moratorium in North Carolina, was published in the Catholic News Herald on May 6, 2005.
Fratelli Tutti – On Fraternity and Social Friendship
Fratelli Tutti is the third encyclical of Pope Francis, which was promulgated on October 3, 2020. Read the encyclical in English and Spanish.
The encyclical was signed by the Holy Father and released to the public at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi. Fratelli Tutti is the third encyclical of Pope Francis’s pontificate. According to analysis provided by the Catholic Apostolic Center in Washington, DC, Fratelli Tutti “offers profound insight into the fragmentation of our world today and a call to deeper encounter with one another individually and societally.
The Holy Father uses the parable of the Good Samaritan to reflect on Christ’s teaching about our neighbor:
Jesus asks us to be present to those in need of help, regardless of whether or not they belong to our social group. In this case, the Samaritan became a neighbor to the wounded Judean. By approaching and making himself present, he crossed all cultural and historical barriers. Jesus concludes the parable by saying: “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37).
In other words, he challenges us to put aside all differences and, in the face of suffering, to draw near to us to others with no questions asked. I should no longer say that I have neighbors to help, but that I must myself be a neighbor to others” (81).
The Vatican News published an article that provides an in-depth summary of the encyclical’s major themes. The USCCB issued a press release on the encyclical.
Pope Francis’ First Encyclical – Lumen Fidei
Pope Francis’ first encyclical, “Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”), celebrates the Christian faith as the guiding light of a “successful and fruitful life,” inspiring social action and devotion to God and illuminating “every aspect of human existence,” including philosophy and the natural sciences.