Caritas in Action
At St Malachy’s, we enrich our Religious Education curriculum through Caritas in Action, a programme developed by the Diocese of Salford and championed by John Arnold, the Bishop of Salford.
Caritas in Action is rooted in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and supports pupils in understanding how faith can be lived out through actions that promote justice, compassion and care for others. The programme encourages children not only to learn about their faith, but also to actively practise it in their daily lives.
The scheme helps guide young people to know, understand and live their faith, responding to the Gospel call to serve others. It invites all members of the Church community to work towards a fairer and more just world, where the dignity of every human person is respected and where the protection of our common home, the environment, is actively promoted.
Caritas in Action is organised around seven key themes of Catholic Social Teaching, which are explored progressively throughout the school year.
Dignity
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you - Jeremiah 1:5
We believe very human person is made in the image and likeness of God. This is a gift that we all share as fellow human beings; we are all infinitely loved by our Creator. God is present in every human person, regardless of religion, culture, nationality, orientation or economic standing. Each one of us is unique and beautiful. We are called to treat every person and every creature with loving respect.
At St Malachy's, we educate our pupils about the dignity of the human person in many ways including by using our God given gifts to make a difference. Some of our children recently had the opportunity to go to the houses of parliament to use their God given gift of debating! Some children use their God given gifts to tidy our common home with regular litter picks. Some children use their God given gifts in sports competitions or with opportunities to create pieces of art. Whatever it is, here at St Malachy’s, children are giving the opportunity to recognise that their uniqueness is celebrated as a wonderful gift from God!
Solidarity
In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers [or sisters] of mine, you did it to me - Matthew 25:40
Solidarity arises when we remember that we belong to each other. We reflect on this in a special way at Mass. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth, the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognise Christ in the poorest.”
At St Malachy's, we educate our pupils about solidarity with our annual culture day! On this day, children come to school in their traditional dress, we enjoy food from across the globe, we learn about each other and thank God in our worship for our wonderful and diverse community. We recognise that we have a common mission, doing the work of Jesus, regardless of our differences
Common good
You are not making a gift of your possessions to the poor person. You are handing over to them what is theirs - Saint Ambrose (340-397 AD)
The common good means that the fruits of the earth belong to everyone. No one should be excluded from the gifts of creation. Pope Paul VI spoke about this 50 years ago in his encyclical Populorum Progressio.
At St Malachy’s, we believe that the common good is reached when we work together to improve the wellbeing of people in our society and the wider world. Because of this, we do many things to help others: collect food for the disadvantaged with our harvest collection, support and set up a second-hand school uniform exchange to families who are in need, grow vegetables and donate them to the local foodbank and respond to local, national and universal crises such as the war in Ukraine. We had an own clothes day to raise money to support all who had been affected by the war.
Option for the poor
The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring the good news to the afflicted. He has sent me… to let the oppressed go free - Luke 4:18
The option for the poor reminds us of God’s preferential love for the poorest and most vulnerable people. God’s love is universal; he does not side with oppressors, but loves the humble.
During Lent, we teach children about the option for the poor by raising money for charities such as St Joseph’s Penny and Caritas.
Peace
Peace… is an order that is founded in truth, nurtured and animated by charity, and brought into effect under the auspices of freedom - Pacem in Terris, 1963, #167
Peace is a cornerstone of our faith. Christ, the Prince of Peace, sacrificed himself with love on the cross.
At St Malachy’s, we remember that Christ sacrificed himself with love on the cross. Our actions are always chosen with the memory of His unconditional love at the forefront of our minds. We treat each other with love and kindness at all times.
Creation and environment
Who turned the wonderworld of the seas into underwater cemeteries bereft of colour and life? - Catholic Bishops of the Philippines, 1988
In the first pages of the Bible we read how God created the sun and the stars, the water and earth, and every creature. We believe Christ is the redeemer of all creation. In 2015, Pope Francis brought together decades of Church teaching in the encyclical, Laudato Si’. In this deeply influential letter, Pope Francis invites everyone on the planet to consider how our actions are affecting the earth and the poorest people. Everything is interconnected, and all of creation praises God. It is our Christian vocation to care for creation.
Every decision made at St Malachy’s is done with Pope Francis’ Laudato Si call at the forefront of our minds. We do many things in order to care for creation and environment: children order their school meals in order to reduce food waste, we create and use our outdoor spaces for prayer and reflection, we print double-sided to save paper, we email copies of newsletters and Wednesday Word instead of printing, we create and use the allotments to grow vegetables, we organise litter picking walks and we have become the first school in Manchester to recycle 100% of our school’s food waste with a ridan composter.
Subsidiarity and participation (The dignity of work)
A small number of very rich men have been able to lay upon the teeming masses of the laboring poor a yoke little better than that of slavery itself - Rerum Novarum, 1891, #3
The dignity of work has been a key principle of Catholic social teaching from the very beginning. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued Rerum Novarum (On Capital and Labour). He shone a light on the injustice and exploitation of workers by the rich during the Industrial Revolution. He advocated for workers to join forces and fight against inhuman conditions. Since then, Church teaching has upheld the dignity of work and participation. The human person should always come before the pursuit of profit. Workers have the right to join trade unions, to a just wage, to spend time with their families and to rest. Work is an essential part of our human dignity and everyone has the right to participate.
At St Malachy’s, when we teach about the dignity of the work, we recognise and celebrate all who work within our community to make it the wonderful, diverse, loving place it is! The children say thank you and make cards to somebody they believe should be recognised!
