Saints and Social Justice: A Guide to Changing the World

by Brandon Vogt

With the help of fourteen saints, it's time we reclaim Catholic social teaching and rediscover it through the lives of those who best lived it out. Follow in the saints' footsteps, learn from their example, and become the spark of authentic social justice that sets the world on fire.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Theology, Faith, Spirituality, Christianity, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Brandon Vogt is a bestselling writer, blogger, and speaker. He write about new media and theology, as well as book recommendations and reviews.

He serves as the Content Director at Word on Fire, the Catholic ministry founded and run by Fr. Robert Barron.

Brandon's work has been featured by several media outlets including NPR, FoxNews, CBS, EWTN, Our Sunday Visitor, National Review, and Christianity Today, and he's a regular guest on Catholic radio.

In May 2011, he was invited to the Vatican to dialogue with Church leaders about new media. His first book, The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops who Tweet (Our Sunday Visitor), won first-place at the 2012 Catholic Press Association Awards.

In May 2013, he started StrangeNotions.com, the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists. He also launched the Africa eBook Project, which raised thousands of dollars to send digital libraries to seminarians across Africa, and Support a Catholic Speaker Month, where 11,000 people joined to promote new and upcoming Catholic speakers.

Brandon entered the Catholic Church on Easter 2008.

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The phrases "social justice" and "solidarity" could hardly have been more unwisely coined or adapted by the Catholic Church in my opinion. From the moment I heard them, they turned me off. I always thought they sounded like some lame department name you'd read about in a spy novel set in communist Russia. I mean really - solidarity? What does that even mean to the average person? Nothing.

However, if one digs deeper beneath the stiff, offputting phrases, one finds the heart of Christianity. They mean treating each person as if they belong, going out of one's way to find Christ in each individual, and following God's will (with Christ's help) to help each person one encounters. In other words, fully living your Christian life, whether as an individual or as part of the larger community.

“It’s good that you exist” — carries great power. To someone struggling with alcohol, who drinks away his loneliness, we say, “It’s good that you exist.” To someone who loathes her body and thinks she’s too fat, too skinny, too short, or not good enough, we say, “It’s good that you exist.” To the addict, the slave, the homeless man, even the murderer, we say, “It’s good that you exist.”

This phrase reminds people that they have intrinsic value, regardless of what they produce, or how they look, or if they have it all together. It echoes what God said immediately after creating the first man: “[He] looked at everything he had made, and found it very good” (Gn 1:31).

Next time you want to uplift someone’s dignity, remind them of that wonderful truth: “It’s good that you exist.”

This is ably illustrated by Brandon Vogt's book, which highlights 14 different saints whose lives were spent giving dignity and aid to the less fortunate. Ranging from housewives to priests, in all sorts of different life situations, these people were open enough to God's wishes to do extraordinary things. Vogt also does a great job of helping us relate by contrasting each saint with another one or two who lived out similar "missions" in different ways. He ends each section by relating these saints' larger missions to our own lives, so we can see where we might do more or act in ways that hadn't occurred to us previously.

He ends each section by relating these saints' larger missions to our own lives, so we can see where we might do more or act in ways that hadn't occurred to us previously. This is important because these saints achieved so much that we might feel any small drops of help we can achieve are not going to make a difference. Vogt's gentle questions and examples helps us see that our drops matter because all of them together add up to a large ocean.

And this, no matter what stupid phrase is used to describe it, is something dear to my heart, a lesson I've been learning a little better every day in my 14 years as a Catholic. Each time I've followed that internal prompting, despite my fears of not knowing enough or being rejected or looking stupid, I have been rewarded. My efforts have had effects, in their own small way, which I never could have imagined. And I have grown and changed for the better myself along the way.

I found this book really inspiring. I especially enjoyed the amount of detail Vogt gave for each saint. Even the ones I knew about, like Peter Claver, Frances of Rome, or Dorothy Day, took on unexpected meaning for me because I hadn't realized there was so much I didn't know about them. Of course, there were some who were brand new to me and I really enjoyed learning about their lives.

This is a well written and inspiring book and one that should help us understand that "social justice" and "solidarity" mean "living as a Christian" no matter what your condition in life.

Please Mr. Vogt, may I have another? Perhaps one about the martyrs? You pick the subject. I'll read it.

[Ryan O'Malley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a major concern about the authors characterization of colonization. The author practically ignores the role the Catholic Church played in the enslavement and murder of the indigenous population. He then praises the agents of the colonial governments as helping the population when the real way to help them would have been to take the European foot off their neck. The author also does Dorothy Day a great disservice. How can you say she can’t be placed on a political spectrum? She was a socialist/communist! The Catholic Church should be an agent of the poor. Standing with the poor like Jesus did. Instead the author ignores actual structural change that is possible, for select stories.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of the ways that the phrase “social justice” has been politicized in America, many Catholics have brushed off and ignored these important principles of Catholic Social Teaching. The principles are built upon Scripture and Holy Tradition and as Vogt’s book beautifully demonstrates, these principles show up over and over again in the lives of the saints as well.

My prayer is that the faithful can overcome partisanship and open themselves to the fullness of the teachings of the Church. A book like this would, I think, help demonstrate the importance of the 7 principles, but also that they are integral and cannot be separated from the rest of our faith.

[Veronica Basel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED. Read 1-2 sections a weekend over a few months and took notes. Not dense, very digestible but you still learn a ton! Would recommend to anyone, Catholic or not Catholic , as these are legit examples to be a better human being, respecting ALL of creation.

[Paul Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about how a number of saints worked to improve the world we live in, each in their own way. It challenges us to do the same.

[Francine Apollo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent weeks with this book so as to have time to meditate on each of the 14 sainted individuals discussed.
In this troubling time I felt comforted by individuals who lived through their own troubling times. Their Faith prevailed and sustained them.
I have always been slightly bothered by the phrase "Social Justice" though I think I understand why it is used. The thing is...I think of it as Gospel Justice. I am a informed layperson and wonder why there is not more preaching on this topic. Throughout decades the topic has been touched on sporadically. This is not a political thing as some see it. Are we Catholic Christians and do we believe in our own Holy Book?
This author does a really fine job of setting out examples of saints to turn to for comfort and inspiration.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book. I love that after each person’s story of serving social justice there is a section What We can Learn. It tells how different people have served social justice during their time. It includes people like St. Vincent DePaul, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, and Pope John Paul II. Just to mention a few.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is written from a Catholic perspective, there's a lot to learn here, especially from the standpoint of "mere Christianity." Christians have always been at the forefront of loving the poor, the unwanted, and broken. I'm currently working on a Protestant version of this material, but I'm thankful for the Catholic legacy of social teaching/theology.

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned about a few saints I hadn’t heard of before, had my belief that Christians should be leading the charge for social justice reaffirmed and got a lot of food for thought. Inspiring and poignant.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sparked some new interest in Saints I didn’t know about. It could’ve used more women Saints as main chapters instead of side tales. I also don’t like the format. There’s too much information all over the pages. I liked the commentary on solidarity.

[Zach Bald · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read for young Catholics or anyone curious about the Church’s social teaching. It is also a great source for group discussion programs!

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent presentation of Catholic social teaching using concrete examples of inspirational saints

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned alot about some Saints that made the world a better place through their charity

[KieraK · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurbs on the side were often distracting, but the actual content was good. I feel like it has one think about all the social justice issues, especially in this current societal climate.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully organized and presented text on some of the greatest saints and blessed whose example leads us to consider the importance of all people, animals, plants and the earth. A joy to read.

[Joan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a great short read/reference/ perspective from some popular saints .

I loved it and will not let this one get borrowed awhile

[Isabella Cilento · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many inspirational stories in such a little book!

[Pam Cipkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Social justice has always been a tenet of Catholicism, but it has come into its own realm as of late, especially with the election of a Jesuit, Pope Francis, to the Vatican’s highest office. In this highly readable volume, author Brandon Vogt observes that Catholic social teaching is often underappreciated, and this aspect of the Church is often misunderstood and disconnected from the traditional view of the Church. But “when lived by Christians as an act of faith, discipleship, devotion, and proclamation...the Church’s social mission shines as an extraordinary light in the world.”

The book profiles several saints and individuals through the window of social justice. Some of the figures are well known, such as St. Vincent de Paul, Mother Teresa, and Dorothy Day, and while others profiled are not as familiar, their stories are no less interesting. The biographies are short but enlightening, and take a contemporary slant by focusing on each individual’s work in the area of social justice. This may make the book more interesting and approachable to Millennials and their desire to make a difference in the world. References to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and how it relates to social justice, are given, lending authority to the focus on Catholic social teaching. Overall, interesting for anyone desiring a more contemporary look at the lives of saints and revered figures in the Catholic Church, and how we can mirror those individuals’ lives.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great concept/structure, and I would recommend it as an intro to Catholic social teaching. It wasn't the most compelling read for me personally, and I was distracted by the many sidebar boxes. Probably just a personal preference. But a really unique way to look at Catholic social teaching- through the lives of the saints.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea behind this book is brilliant—who better than the saints and the lives they led to explain key tenets of our faith? But it’s Vogt’s execution is what makes this book a stand-out.

Read the rest of my review here:

http://readingcatholic.com/theology-f...

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good way to illustrate how Cathoiic social principles go beyond the rhetoric about "social justice" through looking at the lives of saints. Their examples made me want to be a better person. <3

[Emerson John Tiu Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an eye-opener to know better some saints that exemplify social justice. The book sole lesson to the reader is to give importance on the human dignity for each person, especially those on the peripheries or the marginalized.

[John Tucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been a good selection for the Spiritual Book Club...if there still was a Spiritual Book Club. Thanks, PM!