We are called to serve and follow in Jesus’ footsteps…
The curriculum at St. Joseph’s provides many opportunities for both our children and staff to develop knowledge and understanding of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, and to action that commitment through good works and words that show we live our faith in our community as a force for good.
As a Catholic School we believe that God has a plan for creation, a plan that still exists in our modern world. Our belief in God must not be limited merely to the ‘spiritual’ world or what we do at Mass on a Sunday, but must permeate all aspects of our lives as responsible global citizens. We teach the children about the dignity of the human person, how we are called to live as family and community, about rights and responsibilities, that we are called to stewardship, our responsibility for the poor and vulnerable, about the dignity and rights of workers and about solidarity and the promotion of peace. We do this through RE lessons, assemblies, outside visitors (for example Cafod, SVP) through drama, debate and first-hand experience. As a result, our children feel that they are making a difference to the world by having an impact on Social Justice.
The 7 Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
- Dignity of the human person-Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, every person’s life and dignity must be respected and supported from conception until the end of their natural life on earth.
- We are called to live as Family and Community-The human person is not only sacred, but social. How society is organized, be it socially, economically, legally or politically has a direct impact on the dignity and growth of every human person and community. Marriage and family should be supported and strengthened. Every person has a right to work to support themselves and their families as well as the building up of the common good for all.
- Rights and Responsibilities-Every person has a fundamental right to life. It is this right that makes all other rights possible. Everyone has the right to food, health care, housing, education and employment. We all need to strive to secure and respect these rights for others both locally and globally.
- We are called to Stewardship-The world God has created for us has been entrusted to everyone and we are responsible and accountable to God as stewards of the earth. The world has been given to us as a gift, to enjoy and care for so that future generations can enjoy it too. It is in caring for creation that we show our love and respect for its creator.
- An option for the Poor and Vulnerable-Society is judged on how it cares for the poor and vulnerable – our brothers and sisters. We read in scripture how God has a special concern for the oppressed, poor, vulnerable and those forced to the margins of society. The Church calls us to respond to the cry of the poor and put their needs first. This preferential treatment for the poor and vulnerable must be seen in action in our daily lives.
- The Dignity and Rights of Workers-Work is a way in which we can continue to participate in God’s creation. Work gives dignity to life and must be carried out in such a way that the basic rights of workers are respected. Everyone has the right to productive work, to fair and livable wages, and to organize and join a union. The economy must be conducted so that it serves the needs of the people.
- Solidarity-We are all People of God, one family. Therefore what happens to one has an impact ojn all, locally, nationally and globally. At the heart of solidarity is the pursuit of peace and justice. Our love for all calls us to work for a peaceful and just society where everyone has a fair share of the goods needed for a sustainable life, and opportunities for growth and development are offered equally. The dignity of every person is respected.
- Promotion of Peace-The Church teaches us that peace is central to the gospel and represents a challenge to many contemporary attitudes and assumptions. Pope Francis has challenged Christians to be true peacemakers bringing forgiveness and non-violent solutions to situations of hurt and violence.
FS and KS1
The Dignity of the Human Person
God made each of us, which means each of us is very special. It is not important if you are tall or small, or happy or sad, or if you have many toys or no toys. What is important is that each of us is special because of God’s love, and we must treat others in a caring way because they were made by God too.
We are Called to Live as Family and Community
Jesus Knows that people can only be happy if they have families and friends. He tells us that we can let these important people help us. He asks us to help them too.
Rights and Responsibilities
All of God’s people need these things: food, work, clothes, a home, a school, and a doctor to help when they are sick. Every single person on earth needs these. Some people have what they need, but many people don’t. Jesus wants the people who already have what they need to help these others. Jesus wants us to take care of this.
We are called to Stewardship
God made the earth and sky. God made all the people all over the world. God made the spiders and dogs and butterflies and tigers and pandas and all the other animals. God made the tulips, the trees, the tomatoes and all the plants. God tells us we must take good care of them, it is an important job.
An Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
You need food, water, a house, your school, a good doctor and a job for the grown-up who takes care of you. So does everybody else on earth. But there are many people who do not have these things. Jesus wants us to take extra care of these people.
The Dignity and Rights of Workers
All people work in some way. Their work should be safe and helpful to them because God made them. By our work, we help ourselves and others, and we show our love to God.
Solidarity
All people are God’s children. That makes us brothers and sisters. We are connected to each other. It is as if everyone in the world held hands! We can be very different from each other, but we are still one family – God’s family.
Promotion of Peace
When we fall out with our friends we must say sorry, try to put things right and then try to be even better friends. We must always try to live in peace and get on with everyone. This is not easy, but Jesus wants us to keep on trying.
KS2
The Dignity of the Human Person
God made each one of us. This makes us incredibly special. It doesn’t matter who we are, who our friends are, what we own, or what we look like. What matters is that we are special because we are God’s children. This means that we must treat others with respect and fairness because God made us all.
We are called to live as Family and Community
Jesus understood that people need each other. We all need our families, friends and neighbours. He tells us that these important people can help us. Jesus says we must help them too. Doing this, we create a loving community where everyone can live life to the full.
Rights and Responsibilities
All God’s people have the right to food, work, clothes, a home, school and medical care. These ‘rights’ are things that every person on earth needs in order to live life to the full. But many people do not have them. Jesus wants people who enjoy these rights to help their sisters and brothers obtain their rights. It is not enough to feel badly for others. Jesus says it is our responsibility to see that everyone receives his or her rights.
We are called to Stewardship
The earth and all life on it is God’s creation. We are called to take care of it because it is a holy gift from God and only place we can live. When we make bad our thoughtless use of the world’s resources, many people suffer. When we make good choices about how we treat other living things (people, animals, plants) we help all living things to live as God intends. Making wise choices about the care of God’s creations is called good stewardship.
An option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Every person needs food, water, work, housing, school and medical care. Those who do not have these are poor. Our church teaches that these sisters and brothers must be treated with extra respect and extra care and have access to what they need. Those who are not poor must share must share what they have with others because the gifts of God’s world are for all people.
The Dignity and Rights of Workers
Everyone’s work is of value. There are many kinds of work. In each job, workers deserve to be treated with respect, work safely, work reasonable hours, and earn fair wages. They deserve this because they are made by God. Our work gives us the means to live, but it is also a chance to use the talents God gives us. Our work is our way of cooperating with God to help create a better world.
Solidarity
The world’s people are interdependent. This means we need each other if we are to live. We must work together if we are to go on living. When we walk alongside our sisters and brothers around the world and learn from each other, we call this solidarity. Even though there are huge distances between us, we are still one family – the family of God.
Promotion of Peace
We are called to forgive others. When we have done something wrong we must try to put things right, not just by saying sorry but by changing our behaviour. Jesus teaches us to live in peace with one another. He says we must forgive those who hurt us and make friends again. This is not easy and we all need to work at promoting peace in order to have one just world.
Helping Others
This teaching leads us to help others. Children are encouraged to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely.
At St Joseph’s, we support a range of different charities. In recent years, we have raised money for:
CAFOD
Each class planned its own fundraising activity; cakes were made, hot chocolate was sold, class raffles were held! Each class then decided what they would like to ‘buy’ to help families living in Africa. One class chose chickens, one seeds, one a water pump. The children enjoyed deciding how to spend their money to best help other people.
Macmillan Cancer Support
We took part in ‘The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ in September to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Lots of parents joined us for coffee and cakes.
Mission Together
During Lent we support Mission Together. Boxes are sent home to each family and they are encouraged to collect any money saved as a result of Lenten promises.
Children in Distress
St. Joseph’s children are asked to work with their families in putting together a shoebox full of gifts. These are sent to children and their families in Romania.
Children in Need
We support this charity by holding events in school. The School Council often come up with ideas.
Save the Children
We had our first Christmas Jumper day in 2014.Everyone had great fun in their jumpers and so a new tradition was born.
Children’s Cancer Charity and Cancer Research UK
A subject very close to our heart. We regularly run fundraisers for these causes. When we say run we literally run through a sponsored fun run at the end of Sport’s Day.
We work as a team, and we always welcome ideas, help and advice. Please join us in our mission and ‘Make a difference’.
