Saints and Social Justice

 

Catholic social teaching has explosive power for changing not just individuals, but whole societies. And it’s the saints who light the fuse. - Brandon Vogt 

About the Book

Inside this book you’ll find colorful and inspiring stories from saints who have put these teachings into action. They didn’t just believe it, they lived it. As theologian Fr. Charles Fell observed: “The lives of the saints are nothing less than the law of God reduced to practice.”

The value of human life. The call to family and community. Serving the poor. The rights of workers. Care for creation. The church has always taught certain undeniable truths that can and should affect our society. But over the years, these teachings have been distorted, misunderstood, and forgotten.

With the help of fourteen saints, it's time we reclaim Catholic social teaching and rediscover it through the lives of those who best lived it out. Follow in the saints' footsteps, learn from their example, and become the spark of authentic social justice that sets the world on fire. Learn from heroes like: St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Peter Claver, St. Frances of Rome, St. Roque Gonzalez, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Damien of Molokai, St. John Paul II

About the Author

Brandon Vogt is an award-winning Catholic author, blogger, and speaker. He's been featured by several media outlets including NPR, CBS, FoxNews, and EWTN. After converting to Catholicism in 2008, he released his first book, "The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet", which won first-place at the Catholic Press Association awards. He blogs at BrandonVogt.com, runs StrangeNotions.com, the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists, and works as Content Director for Fr. Robert Barron's Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. Brandon lives in Orlando, FL with his wife Kathleen and their four children.

How did Catholic social teaching develop such a bad and confused reputation? It’s time to reclaim Catholic social teaching! My goal with this book is to re-introduce this body of wisdom to a world that has forgotten, misunderstood, or ignored it by unveiling these teachings through the lives of the saints. The book is framed using the seven major themes of Catholic social teaching, as de ned by the U.S. bishops, and for each theme I highlight two saints who especially embodied it. 

"Catholic social teaching has explosive power for changing not just individuals, but whole societies. And it's the saints who light the fuse. My hope is that this book imitates stained glass windows, using the saints as conduits of light through which the radiance of Catholic social teaching can shine with new vividness and splendor." - Brandon Vogt 

 

“A triumph! One of the best presentations of the Church’s social teaching. Brandon Vogt adeptly and correctly positions social justice in relation to the lives of the saints, and in doing so he rescues it from the ideological constraints that have for far too long made this essential teaching of the Church inaccessible to most of the faithful.” Bishop Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California and founder of Word on Fire

“Incredibly accessible: Brandon Vogt brings Catholic social teaching to life through the actions and examples of the saints. As we cannot commit to what we do not understand, this book opens minds and hearts to connect faith with personal action. An indispensable teaching resource!” - Dr. Carolyn Woo, former President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services

“This presentation will easily lead the reader to reflection and then to action. I highly recommend Saints and Social Justice as a rich resource for your spiritual reading.” - Rev. Larry Snyder, former President of Catholic Charities USA

 

Your purchase of this book through the Cathedral Gift Shop supports the preservation of our beloved, historical, and sacred Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Lafayette, LA.