JMJ Pregnancy Center was founded by two Catholic women and formed as a religious nonprofit 33 years ago. Our Catholic charism is rooted in Catholic social teaching and is core to our mission and values.
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"Catholic social teaching is a central and essential element of our faith. Its roots are in the Hebrew prophets who announced God's special love for the poor and called God's people to a covenant of love and justice. It is a teaching founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ, who came "to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . liberty to captives . . . recovery of sight to the blind"(Lk 4:18-19), and who identified himself with "the least of these," the hungry and the stranger (cf. Mt 25:45). Catholic social teaching is built on a commitment to the poor. This commitment arises from our experiences of Christ in the eucharist." - USCCB
All of Catholic social teaching can be summed up in Mark 12:30-31. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.
Catholic Social Teaching: The Seven Themes
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The most fundamental need in today's world, distorted by greed and selfishness, is respect for human life. The Catholic Church teaches that the dignity of the human person is the foundation for all social teachings. This theme challenges issues such as abortion, assisted suicide, human cloning, and the death penalty. The Church believes that every human life is precious, and every institution must be measured by whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
Call to Family, Community, and Participation
The second social teaching emphasizes that the human person is both sacred and social. It stresses that how we organize society in economics, politics, and law or policy directly affects human dignity and community. While society often values individualism, Catholic Social Teaching argues that human beings find fulfillment in community and family. The Catholic Church believes that every person has the responsibility to participate in society and promote the common good, especially for the poor and vulnerable.
Rights and Responsibilities
Human dignity can only be protected if all human rights are protected and responsibilities of all human beings are met. The Catholic Church teaches that every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to the basic needs of life. Every person also has a duty and responsibility to help fulfill these rights for one another, for our families, and for the larger society.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
The Catholic Church proclaims that the basic moral test of a society is how the most vulnerable members are faring. Our society is marred by a deepening division between rich and poor. From the Last Judgment reading (Mt 25:31-46), all people are instructed by God to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
The Catholic Church teaches that the economy must serve the people. Too often, the marketplace takes precedence over the rights of workers. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation. The rights to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative are all part of protecting the dignity of work by protecting the rights of the workers. Respecting these rights promotes an economy that protects human life, defends human rights, and advances the well-being of all.
Solidarity
Solidarity is about loving our neighbors locally, nationally, and internationally. The Catholic Church proclaims that every human being has a responsibility to our brothers and sisters, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. This virtue was described by John Paul II as "a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all" (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, no. 38).
Care for God's Creation
The Catholic tradition insists that every human being show respect for the Creator by our stewardship of His creation. We are called to protect people and the planet by living our faith with respect for God's creation. In a society with controversy over environmental issues, the Catholic Church believes it is a fundamental moral and ethical challenge that cannot be ignored.