Becoming a Community of Salt and Light: Formation for Parish Social Ministry

Social justice is an integral part of evangelization, a constitutive dimension of preaching the gospel, and an essential part of the church's mission. With these words, the U.S. Catholic Bishops reaffirmed their ongoing commitment to the social teachings of the church. In their document Communities of Salt & Light: Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish, they demonstrated that the parish is to be a place where the work of charity, justice, and peace thrive. Becoming a Community of Salt and Light helps the parish become such a place. This book is for anyone engaged in the work of social ministry: parishioners, social justice committees, pastors, directors of religious education, and even liturgy committees. Accessible and informative lesson plans help facilitators lead groups of parishioners in an exploration of their relationship to the parish and to the work of charity, justice, and peace. The resource materials included are invaluable to today's parish. The commitment to live the social mission of the church is for each of us. Becoming a Community of Salt and Light is the key to understanding--and then acting upon--this commitment.

We cannot keep up with the demand for this book in our parishes. Pastors and parishioners are excited and on fire for adult faith formation in parish social ministry.

Becoming a Community of Salt and Light provides a foundation in the church's social teaching and promotes leadership development among parishioners.