Engaging Faith

Here's a moral case study you might present to your students with an assignment to follow up. For more case studies along with information and discussion questions related to the Ten Commandments, see: The Ten Commandments: Case Studies in Catholic Morality by Eileen Flynn. Steve’s parents recently lost their jobs. They both worked at an overnight package-delivery facility, and the business went bankrupt. Most of the other people in the community also worked for the same employer, and they, too, are out of work. There are no other major employers in the area and prospects for finding jobs in the region are bleak. Many of their neighbors who are unemployed have listed their houses for sale. They want to sell their homes and move to other places to find work and begin anew. Steve’s parents tell him what is going on. Steve is fifteen, and they feel he is old enough to understand the family’s situation. Steve’s four- and seven-year-old siblings are not part of the conversation because his parents think that they would not be able to grasp the reality that confronts them. His parents tell Steve that the family is now living on unemployment insurance that will run out within a year. After that, there are some savings, but the savings will not last more than six to eight months. They tell Steve that he will need to find part-time jobs like landscaping and snow shoveling to help out. Things will have to change, and they will have to cut back. His parents tell Steve that they are canceling cable TV and Internet service, and that they will not be able to take the family vacation they planned. Also, the family food budget is going to be cut; there will be no expenditures for clothing; the thermostat will be turned down; and he will have to leave the school he is attending and transfer to the local public school because they cannot afford the private school tuition. Steve is shocked by what he hears. Over the next few days he becomes sad and angry. Why should his life take such a harsh turn? He envies his best friend Mark, whose wealthy grandparents subsidize that family’s income. There are no changes in Mark’s family’s lifestyle. Steve becomes increasingly moody and thinks about running away from home. Anything to avoid looking for work mowing lawns for elderly neighbors. Evaluation 1. Comment on how Steve’s parents are approaching the family’s economic crisis. Can you suggest a different, or better, approach? 2. What makes Steve feel so sad and angry? Does his emotional reaction indicate that he has a spiritual problem? 3. Is it fair that Mark’s family is not in economic crisis and Steve’s is? What responsibility, if any, does Mark’s family have to Steve’s and to others in the community? 4. Steve’s parents tell him that he will have to change to a public school, because they can no longer afford to pay tuition. Are there any steps that authorities at private schools can take to assist students like Steve?

Dear Teachers, Ave Maria Press sponsors its own chapter of Catholic Relief Services. We have been blessed in the past two years to be involved with local initiatives in our community to help those in need, but primarily aiding CRS in its goals to procure help from the United States Congress in supporting ratification of the Farm Bill, a bipartisan bill that funds several food, clean water, and education programs that offer support to the most vulnerable people internationally. We are asking for your help in gaining support from your local congressional representative and US senators to support passage of the Farm Bill. The vote comes up in the house in September so the time for action is now. We suggest an assignment for your students to write letters to the editor of your local or regional newspapers. The letters can be written by • individual students • small groups of students • entire classes (e.g., Social Justice or any theology course, US Government or US History, English) The letters should contain a basic request about passage of the Farm Bill. You can share basic information on the Farm Bill from the handout linked here. This CRS video also provides orientation to the Farm Bill for your students to watch before writing their letters. The letters should be brief and personalized by the students; simply telling why the basic right for food, water, and education should be guaranteed for all people is personally important to them. As necessary, have parents sign a waiver that agrees to allowing their sons or daughters names to be published in a newspaper. Once completed, mail the letter(s) to the editor of a newspapers in your area and region. List yourself as a contact person. Ave Maria Press will award a classroom set of 30 books (book options below) to the first three classes that have an individual, small group, or entire class letter on Farm Bill ratification published in a newspaper. Send a photo of the articles (see sample) to me at mamodei@nd.edu. The deadline for publication is July 1, 2023. Any class that produces a published letter to the editor requesting passage of the Farm Bill can choose 30 books (mix and match okay!) from among these options. • Lift Up Your Heart • Go Bravely • Loved as I Am • Holy Grit We hope this will make for an uplifting and important addition to assignments in your final few weeks of school. Thank your for your interest in supporting this worthy initiative! Cordially, Michael Amodei Executive Editor, Curriculum https://avemariapress.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=1efa39bcaec6f3900149160693694536.1463&s=157f9c928e45a1dcf8de5fe04fccd130