Since the 1800s, women religious have been moving to the South to open schools and hospitals and to serve those made poor and serve African Americans turned away from other institutions.
Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic social teaching is an integral part of our faith. Learn how sisters embrace its key teachings, such as solidarity, workers' rights, human dignity and the option for the poor.
Lessons in Catholic Social Teaching
For centuries, sisters in the Deep South have worked to alleviate poverty. There's still more to do.
Catholic sisters are working to serve the poor through direct service and through advocacy to transform the systems that impact the poor. Concern for the "least of these" is a central call for people of faith.
The Leviticus Fund is a community development lender created by a group of religious leaders, including Catholic sisters. Since 1983, it has invested more than $142 million in projects that address poverty.
Our bishops say action for justice and the common good should be collaborative and allow people to invest in their own community. Learn about how the Catholic Campaign for Human Development takes this approach.
For sisters who have dedicated their lives to fighting injustice, activism is a form of prayer in action that helps maintain hope amid the often-slow pace of change. Some young activists are learning from their experiences.
Solidarity is a main theme of Catholic social teaching, and sisters model solidarity with people oppressed, people living in poverty, in violence, and those who suffer injustice.