Session 2: Saints & Catholic Social Teaching

Let’s look at what Scripture tells us about Catholic Social Teaching by learning about 

how the early Christians treated one another. Read: Acts: 4:32-35

 

Which words in the reading that show how the early Christians treated one another? 

Summarize these ideas in your own words. 

 The Acts of the Apostles is where Catholic Social Teaching originates. Watch the video

 below to lean the 7 Principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

 

    

The saints are holy people whose lives we celebrate on November 1st, All Saints Day. Saints 

lived out the words we just examined in Acts of the Apostles, often dedicating their lives to 

serving others. 

 

Today we are going to learn about someone being considered for sainthood, who experienced 

a conversion in life and became a champion of of Catholic Social Teaching. First, let's

lean about the process the Church has established in declaring a person a Saint, called 

Canonization.  

 

It is interesting to look at someone who is not yet officially a saint, but is in the process of 

Canonization: Dorothy Day. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has called her “the saint for our times.” At their November 2012 meeting, the U.S. bishops unanimously supported her cause, and the Vatican accepted the recommendation, naming 

her “Servant of God.” If an investigation proves her life to be exceptionally virtuous, she 

will be declared “venerable.” 

 

Dorothy Day was a New Yorker who is being considered for Canonization. She lived a very 

interesting life. She is most known for her dedication to social activism from a Catholic 

perspective, and her deep faith which developed after a conversion experience. Watch this 

video about her. She co-founded a newspaper that advocated for workers' rights and helping

the poor.  

Some controversy surrounds Dorothy Day's Cause for Canonization, as she led what some say was a "wild" life before her conversion. This video shows some of the discussion surrounding her process of canonization. 

Now pretend you are Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, writing to the Vatican, (where the Pope lives in Rome), about why you think Dorothy Day should be Canonized. Express your thoughts in this digital worksheet.