Living the Catholic Social Tradition
Cases and Commentary
Edited by Kathleen Maas Weigert and Alexia K. Kelley
Rowman & Littlefield, Publisher 2005
This collection of essays from leading scholars looks at cases studies based on community social justice projects across the country. These case studies tackle the issues that grassroots groups and visionary leaders face as they try to bring about positive changes in the communities.
David J. O’Brien, Loyola Professor of Roman Catholic Studies, College of the Holy Cross, calls this book “a valuable addition to the sparse literature of Catholic social thought and action… Teachers, activists and pastoral ministers will all find this book inspiring and suggestive of projects for schools, parishes and people.”
Other Reviews:
"Living the Catholic Social Tradition presents Catholic social ethics in its most practical light. Instead of repeating well-known principles, the editors gathered authors who are immersed in the practical world and familiar with Catholic social teachings from the "grassroots" level. This book is a "must read" for anyone concerned with the "faith that does justice.""— Stephen J. Pope, associate professor of theology, Boston College.
"Some books are written to be read. Living the Catholic Social Tradition is written to engage. It doesn't tell you about the Catholic Social Tradition, it draws you to it. Its analysis is so essential you wonder how you did without it. And its case studies give you not only reason to hope, but all the more reason to join in the current of hope."— Suzanne Toton, Ed.D., Theology/Religious Studies Department and staff member at The Center for Peace and Justice Education, Villanova University.
Contributors to the book include William P. Bolan; Patrick J. Hayes; Monika K. Hellwig; Christopher C. Kelly; Bishop John J. Leibrecht; Thomas J. Massaro, S.J.; Joseph M. Palacios, S.J.; Steven M. Rodenborn; David Rusk; Kathleen Dolan Seipel; Rev. Robert J. Vitillo; and Todd David Whitmore.
The book is available through the publisher at 1-800-462-6420 or at www.rowmanlittlefield.com.
This spring, author Alexia Kelley along with Chris Korzen will publish A NATION FOR ALL: How the Catholic Vision of the Common Good Can Save America from the Politics of Division. This book shows Catholics how Catholic Social Tradition addresses such pressing contemporary concerns like war, human dignity, poverty and the environment. It demonstrates how the core Catholic and Christian belief in promoting the common good can provide Americans of all faith traditions with a much-needed solution to the problems of greed, materialism and excessive individualism.
Kathleen Maas Weigert is the executive director of the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service at Georgetown University. She is a Research Professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology and the Program on Justice & Peace. Dr. Weigert received an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame. She has taught and published on such topics as experiential and community-based education, nonviolence, and education for justice and peace. She co-edited America's Working Poor and is one of the authors of The Search for Common Ground: What Unites and Divides Catholic Americans, which received the "1998 Award for Excellence in Research" from the National Conference of Catechetical Leaders. She is also co-editor of Teaching for Justice: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Peace Studies.
Alexia Kelley is the executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. She was a principal founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. She has served in diverse capacities with nongovernmental organizations committed to poverty reduction, social justice and the environment. Ms. Kelley worked for nearly a decade in media, outreach, and development at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ national anti-poverty program, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She earned a B.A. in Religion with honors from Haverford College and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.
Chris Korzen is the executive director of Catholics United, a national movement dedicated to peace, social justice, and the common good. Chris served as co-founder and director of the Catholic Voting Project, and has worked with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, the Pax Christi Young Adult Forum, and the Service Employees International Union. He holds a Master of Theological Studies from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, MA and is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, where he currently resides.