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Leadership Development & Catholic Identity
What We Do
Catholic Charities Diocese of Paterson provides service to people in need, serves the poor and vulnerable in the community and helps those in crisis move towards a better life.
Why We Do It
Catholic Charities Diocese of Paterson is guided by God's love. We have a responsibility to care for the poor, the frail, the hungry and to provide for those who desperately need our help and we find the fullness of truth and joy in helping people live their best lives and advocating for social justice within our parishes and communities.
As Catholic Charities,
we labor in the streets
inviting and serving those who have been left out
to know and experience the tremendous and abundant love of God
through Jesus Christ.
We commit ourselves
to break down walls of division
that keep sisters and brothers separated from one another,
excluded, or rendered disposable by our
society.
With joy,
we resolve to build bridges of
hope, mercy and justice
toward the creation of a culture of communal care
responsive to the criesof those who are poor.
At the heart of our Mission and Values are the Catholic Social Teachings (CST) of the Church, also known as the Social Doctrine of the Church. The many programs of Catholic Charities are guided by, and witness to, the rich tradition and wisdom of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). As stated by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, “Catholic Social Teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society.” Catholic Social Teaching has its foundation in Sacred Scripture, and is has been developed and articulated over many years through papal addresses and encyclicals, and through the statements of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and of bishops from around the world. Adding to this teaching are the statements from local episcopal ordinaries, such as the Bishop of Charlotte, on social and ethical issues, as well as the educational resources provided by many Catholic organizations such as Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Through all these many resources, Catholic Social teaching promotes charity, justice and peace with vitality and intellectual grounding.
While the broad scope, depth and richness of Catholic Social Teaching is best understood by reading the source documents of Catholic Social Teaching, Catholics receive assistance in understanding the major themes of Catholic Social Teaching through helpful summary resources. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has developed a resource that presents the seven core themes of Catholic Social Teaching in a one page summary. That summary is available here. Please also find here a link to the USCCB Seven Themes of CST resource page.