Catholic Social Thought: The Documentary Heritage

by David J. O'Brien

Book Overview

An exceptional reference and teaching tool, this is the single most comprehensive collection available of the primary documents of Catholic social thought, each presented with an introductory essay... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0883447878
• ISBN13: 9780883447871
• Release Date: July 1992
• Publisher: Orbis Books
• Length: 688 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

CATHOLICISM ISN'T CUTE BUT REQUIRES RADICAL ACTION IN COMPASSION FOR THE POOR

After you have read Triglio's Catholicism for Dummies and similar superficial atrocities, come here to read what over one hundred years of Popes have commanded us Catholics to become and to do for our weary world. Catholicism isn't cute but requires a full commitment to peace and to justice and to Christ in constant conversion. This collection of Papal documents serves as guide. Here within this thick tome cheap we find gathered all of the documents you could purchase individually at greater price, conveniently gathered into one book. Similar collections have been compiled but little so comprehensively nor now so cheaply. Published in 1992 by the great Catholic publishing house Orbis Books in the wake of Pope John Paul II's historic encyclical Centesimus Annus: On the Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, this generous yet now inexpensive collection presents several Vatican documents speaking to this theme in accurate and easily understand translation into modern American English with generous footnotes and commentary. Each of the over one dozen papal encyclicals and episcopal documents comes with introductory notes and endnotes. This collection therefore opens, after a summative introduction, with RERUM NOVARUM: ON THE CONDITION OF THE WORKING CLASSES., the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII promulgated in 1891, followed by Pope Pius XI's fortieth anniversary examination of that historic document, entitled QUADRAGESIMO ANNO: THE RECONSTRUCTION SOCIAL ORDER., published in 1931. Later in this thick collection comes Pope PAul VI's Octogesima Adveniens: A Call to Action on the Eightieth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, published in 1971. Finally, as mentioned above, Pope John Paul II's then brand new encyclical Centesimus Annus closes the collection from Rome, followed by Part V with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response, and Economic justice for all: Pastoral letter on Catholic social teaching and the U.S. economy (Publication / Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, United States Catholic Conference). Also included in this monumental collection are Pope John XXIII's Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris, on social progress and peace on earth. We may also consider carefully the Conciliar document Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World: Gaudium et Spes, and the 1971 Synod of Bishop's statement on Justice in the World. From Pope Paul VI's other encyclicals we encounter On The Development Of Peoples: Populorum Progressio and Evangelii Nuntiandi / On Evangelization in the Modern World. Part IV is dedicated to the encyclicals of Pope John Paul II, including the aforementioned but also On Human Work: Laborem Exercens and On Social Concern / Sollicitudo Rei Socialis: Encyclical Letter of the Supreme Pontiff John Paull II...for the Twentieth Anniversary of Populorum Progresso. It is incumbent upon every true Catholic to study these documents carefully and deeply to

Building on Rerum Novarum

This publication gives anyone interested in the Catholic Church's social teaching a one stop tour of all the essential encyclicals and other writings that break open and build on the foundation of "Rerum Novarum".The translation of the encyclicals is well done and makes reading and understanding the message a lot easier than some previous translations. Over all a much needed and well done volumne.