Justice, Peace, and Care for Creation
Family & Intergenerational Learning Programs

Permission is given to use these materials in print and digital formats (websites, newsletters, social media) for educational purposes only. 
The learning session comes in a PDF and a Word file; handouts are in Word files. Use the Word files to edit and adapt the materials for your use. 

All sessions are grounded in biblical teaching on social justice, care for creation, and peace. 
The Catholic sessions include Catholic social teachings. 
​Add your own Christian tradition's teachings on social justice, care for creation, and peace to the sessions. 

Learning Programs 

Care for God's Creation
This session explores care for God’s creation. The world that God created has been entrusted to us. Our use of it must be directed by God’s plan for creation, not simply for our own benefit. Our stewardship of the Earth is a form of participation in God’s act of creating and sustaining the world. In our use of creation, we must be guided by a concern for generations to come. We show our respect for the Creator by our care for creation.” Beginning in the middle of the last century and overcoming many difficulties, there has been a growing conviction that our planet is a homeland and that humanity is one people living in a common home” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ - On Care for Our Common Home)

care_for_creation_session__catholic_.pdf
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care_for_creation_session__catholic_.docx
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care_for_creation_handouts__catholic_.docx
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care_for_creation_session.pdf
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care_for_creation_session.docx
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care_for_creation_handouts.docx
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Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
This session explores the Christian teaching on the option for the poor and vulnerable (and in the Catholic session, Catholic Social Teaching). The Bible teaches that God has a special concern for the poor and vulnerable. The prophets denounced injustice toward the poor as a lack of fidelity to the God of Israel. Jesus, who identified himself with ’the least of these,’ came to preach ‘good news to the poor, liberty to captives…and to set the downtrodden free.’ We are called to embrace this preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, to embody it in our lives, and to work to have it shape public policies and priorities. A fundamental measure of our society is how we care for and stand with the poor and vulnerable.

option_for_the_poor_session.pdf
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option_for_the_poor_session.docx
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option_for_the_poor_handouts__catholic_.docx
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option_for_the_poor_session__catholic_.pdf
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option_for_the_poor_session__catholic_.docx
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option_for_the_poor_handouts__catholic_.docx
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Respect for Human Dignity
This session explores the dignity of human life, the profound belief that every person is created in the image of God and every person is precious. Human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. Belief in the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. Every person is precious, people are more important than things, and the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person. As Scripture says, “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:27)

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respect_for_human_dignity_session__catholic_.pdf
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respect_for_human_dignity_session__catholic_.docx
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respect_for_human_dignity_handouts__catholic_.docx
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respect_for_human_dignity_session.pdf
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respect_for_human_dignity_session.docx
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respect_for_human_dignity_handouts.docx
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Rights and Responsibilities 
This session explores Rights and Responsibilities. The right to life is fundamental and includes a right to food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and essential social services. Every human person has the right to life, the primary right which makes all other rights possible. But Christianity goes further in affirming that people have the right to a life with dignity. What makes this achievable are access to faith, family life, food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing. Christians have the responsibility to work towards respecting and achieving these rights for themselves but also for others. 

rights___responsibilties_session__catholic_.pdf
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rights___responsibilties_session__catholic_.docx
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rights___responsibilties_handouts__catholic_.docx
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rights___responsibilties_session.pdf
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rights___responsibilties_session.docx
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rights___responsibilties_handouts.docx
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Peac​e
​This session explores the Christian teaching peace. Peacemaking is not an optional requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers by our Lord Jesus. Jesus, the ultimate peacemaker, told his apostles, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27) We are called by Jesus, through baptism, to be peacemakers in our world. 

peace_session__catholic_.pdf
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peace_session__catholic_.docx
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peace_handouts__catholic_.docx
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peace_session.pdf
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peace_session.docx
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peace_handouts.docx
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