Learn the Basics
(To view the electronic resources below from off-campus, you will need to enter your Multipass username and password.)
Reference Works
Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social PolicyWhat is Catholic Social Teaching?
Catholic Social Teaching "refers to the developing body of Catholic thought about political, economic, ethical, and cultural questions as these relate to the common good. The Church has no political or economic theories per se...but the Church may judge social theory and practice from the standpoint of faith and morals, especially in the light of the virtue of justice."
from the Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Catholic Doctrine
Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
The key principles of Catholic Social Teaching are:
| Human Dignity | Dignity of Work and Workers |
| The Common Good | Stewardship of Creation |
| Rights and Responsibilities | Solidarity |
| The Option for the Poor | The Role of Government |
| Participation |
from Key Principles of Catholic Social Thought, Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis
This research guide will lead you to many sorts of resources on Catholic Social Teaching as a general topic, and to finding different kinds of information on Church teaching on specific social issues. Use the tabs at the top of the page to move through the different sections of the guide.
Click the button above to visit the CRRA website, home of the Catholic Portal, a catalog of rare, unique, and uncommon Catholic scholarly materials in the library collections of the almost 50 member institutions of the CRRA. An ever-growing number of the items listed may contain links to the full-text!
CRRA has a growing collection of subject guides to assist users of their website in doing research. Click the link below to see these subject guides.
Church Teaching
Introductory Books
Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action by 
