Directives in Catholic social teaching for the promotion of justice within educational activities in Catholic schools

In 1991, when the Catholic Church celebrated the 100 th anniversary of the writing of the document The Condition of Labor by Leo XIII (1891) and the subsequent Church documents on social teaching (Pius XI, 1931; John XXIII, 1961; 1963; Second Vatican Council, 1965b; Paul VI, 1967, 1971; Synod of Bishops, 1971; John Paul II, 1987; United States Catholic Bishops, 1983, 1986), commentators claimed that the anniversary was a celebration of the Church's best kept secret (Henriot, Deberri & Schultheis, 2001). This study focused on the writing within the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching concerning justice and the role of education in the promotion of justice.; The review of literature highlighted the development of the Church's understanding of justice and the central role justice was to play in the mission of the Church. A content analysis was performed on selected documents from the Canon of Catholic social teaching to illustrate the role justice and education are called to play in the life of the Church.; The universality of the Catholic Church posed challenges to the understanding and promotion of justice. Political, economic and social realities vary by geographic region. The directives of the Church called for appropriate measures in the local context of the situation. It is necessary for the entire universal Church to understand the injustices taking place around the world in an effort to enact a lasting peace.; Scholars have claimed that the social doctrine of the Church has never been realized by the majority of Catholics and thus remains the Church's best kept secret (Henriot, DeBerri & Schultheis, 2001). Catholic Educators are called to proclaim justice through their roles as teachers, thereby revealing the treasure of the Church's social message.; The findings of this study illuminate the call within the documents themselves for the social message of the Church to be proclaimed. The specific directives to the educational system show the essential role these institutions must play in the promotion of justice through the proclamation of the Church's social message.