The Church and Catholic Social Teaching

“We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us.

The world needs His light. Humanity needs Him as the bridge to reach God and His love.”

Pope Leo XIV, on the day of his Election.

While St. Anselm’s cherishes its unique charism, rooted in its foundation as a Religious Order school, we remain deeply connected to the life and mission of the wider Catholic Church. As a Catholic school, we recognize our role, alongside parishes and other institutions, in shaping the very fabric of the Church in England.

Our College is located within the parish of Holy Name and St. Peter’s, Noctorum, and we also maintain a strong relationship with the neighbouring parish of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, where our lead priest, Fr. Michael Coughlan, serves in ministry. More broadly, St. Anselm’s is under the pastoral governance of The Right Reverend Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury. Our faith life and practices are further guided by the Prayer and Liturgy Directory, published by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

We connect to the universal Church in two key ways. The first is through our worship, which revolves around daily prayer in the Catholic tradition, Celebrations of the Word, weekly celebrations of the Mass, and other sacraments such as Reconciliation and Confirmation. By these we follow of the movement of the liturgical seasons through the year, and take our place as part of the Body of Christ, which is His Church. The second way we connect with the Church is through ‘Catholic Social Teaching.’ This is a body of Church teaching that was formalised by Pope Leo XIII at the end of the 19th century, which seeks to express and build upon the rich and ancient history of Christian thought.

In it’s modern form, Catholic Social Teaching gives particular emphasis to the principles of Justice and Mercy; seeking to remind believers and non-believers alike of the essential and universal principles that the Church adheres to, and which Christ lived out. The essential ideas are listed below:

  1. Life and dignity of the human person
  2. Call to family, community, and participation
  3. Rights and responsibilities
  4. Option for the poor and vulnerable
  5. The dignity of work and the rights of workers
  6. Solidarity
  7. Care for God’s creation

With our Edmund Rice Charism, which is expressed through our ‘Eight Essentials of Edmund Rice’ we are able to study and reflect on Catholic Social Teaching through the example and ministry of Blessed Edmund Rice and his Christian Brother successors. It is a lense through which Catholic Social Teaching is made specific to our Religious Order school.