Our
Catholic Faith
Work,
and by extension the world of work which is business, is central to our humanity
and integral to who we are as Catholics. We believe that God created us to
exercise a specific dominion over the resources of the Earth. As such, human
persons are both apart from and a part of the production process as we naturally
and purposefully participate in God's unfolding plan. This is a radical concept
for cultures rooted in a philosophy of individualism and secular materialism.
Land, labour, and capital, the traditionally managed economic factors of production,
cannot be treated as simple variables in an equation meant to maximize production.
We are directed as Catholics to consider labour
(physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual) as a qualitatively different
factor. Human beings work to not only produce goods and services but also
to express and share their unique gifts in community. Catholic students need
to learn to integrate their understanding of the intrinsic value and dignity
of human life, created as we all are in the image and likeness of God, with
the sound knowledge and skills required to productively manage the resources
of business in an ethical and moral way. If we want our students to proclaim
the Gospel in any real sense, they must be able to do so in the world as well
as in their families and in the Church. Students do not merely participate
in the world of business but use it to transform our lives.