Parish Social Ministry
The empowerment of the parish as the people of God to fulfill the Church's mission of love, justice, freedom, and peace, by communally responding in an organized way to societal and individual human needs. (Catholic Charities USA)

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Since the local parish is the most important setting for sharing and acting on our Catholic social heritage, the Parish Social Ministry office of Catholic Charities of Idaho assists parish
develop and/or enhance their social ministry efforts by:

Providing educational experiences on the Scriptural basis for social justice ministry and on Catholic Social Teaching
Training parish leaders to integrate social ministry into the life of the entire parish community
Training parish leaders in the skills of effective parish social ministry
Providing information on social justice resources and existing social services
Engaging the Catholic faithful in legislative advocacy on social justice issues impacting human life and dignity
Forming parishes in the "Communities of Salt and Light" social ministry framework proposed by the U.S. Bishops
Providing an avenue for networking and sharing of ideas and resources between parish social ministry leaders

For more information on the Parish Social Ministry services available through Catholic Charities of Idaho, please contact Marcie Wilske (208) 345-6031, ext. 107; 1-800-796-4131, mwilske@ccidaho.org.

The goal of Parish Social Ministry (PSM) is to assist the Catholic faithful to better understand the principles of Catholic social teaching and seek ways to put these principles into concrete action in their daily lives. Since the parish is the place "where the gospel is proclaimed and where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth," PSM seeks to build effective partnerships with parishes in order to help them organize and then carry out works of charity and justice in their own local communities.

Four specific, complementary ministries are especially promoted by Parish Social Ministry:

• Direct Service
  Direct service includes such immediate outreach as emergency financial assistance, food baskets, gas vouchers, etc. This is best done in partnership with organizations such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society www.svdpusa.org

• Legislative Advocacy
  Since society’s public policies form the litmus test for whether that society is just, Parish Social Ministry tries to engage parishioners in efforts to create or change local, state, and national legislation in order to bring about public policies that protect human life, promote human dignity, preserve God’s creation, and build peace. This is best done in partnership with Catholic Charities USA (www.ccusa.org); NETWORK (www.networklobby.org); United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – Office of Social Development and World Peace (www.usccb.org/sdwp).

• Community Organizing
  Community organizing promotes the development of parish-based projects which seeks to educate Catholics about the causes of poverty and explore new ways of acting with others to break the cycle of poverty and bring about positive change in their community. This is best done in partnership with organizations such as the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (www.usccb.org/cchd).

• Global Solidarity
  Global solidarity recognizes the fact that we are part of a larger, global family. As such, all people of good will have a responsibility to promote peaceful resolution to conflict and to respond to the needs of the poor, powerless, hungry, marginalized throughout the world. This is best done in partnership with organizations such as Catholic Relief Services (www.catholicrelief.org), Pax Christi (www.paxchristiusa.org), etc.
  

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