A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching

The essential guide to Catholic social teaching—clear, practical, and fully updated.

Looking for a reliable introduction to Catholic social teaching? Searching for pastoral tools to help integrate it into your personal life, parish, or school?

In this fourth edition of A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching, Fr. Kevin E. McKenna offers clear and accessible explanations of the Church’s teaching on justice, human dignity, the common good, social responsibilities, peace, and more. This is a practical introduction perfect for everyday Catholics.

With a foreword from Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, this updated edition reflects developments in Catholic social teaching since the third edition was published in 2019. It includes key teachings and insights from the final years of Pope Francis and new contributions from Pope Leo XIV, helping readers apply timeless principles to our contemporary lives and society.

Part I will help you learn the seven core themes of Catholic social teaching identified by the United States Catholic Bishops in 1998:

1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person
2. Call to Family, Community, and Participation
3. Rights and Responsibilities
4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
6. Solidarity
7. Care for God’s Creation

In this Concise Guide, McKenna dedicates one of the seven chapters to each theme, drawing from the documents of the Second Vatican Council, papal encyclicals from Pope Leo XIII’s 1981 Rerum Novarum through today, and magisterial teaching documents from the US bishops. McKenna provides probing questions for reflection and dialogue at the end of each chapter to help readers connect themes and apply key principles of the Church’s social doctrines to contemporary life. 

Key points are presented in chronological order within each chapter, helping readers understand how this body of Catholic thought has developed over time and continues to develop in its application to modern social issues and needs. 

Part II offers six practical pastoral tools to help integrate social teaching into your personal life and that of your community. This book is perfect for catechumenal teams, those preparing for Baptism or reception into the Catholic Church, participants in ongoing adult faith formation, high school and college teachers and students, homilists, and other parish leaders, along with any individual seeking a straightforward, practical introduction to Catholic social teaching. The book is well sourced and fully indexed for easy use.

The six pastoral tools featured in Part II are also available as free downloads at www.avemariapress.com:

• Preaching and Catechetical Message Guide
• Sample Penance Service for Justice and Peace
• Papal Biographies
• Contemporary Historical Milestones
• Glossary
• Suggested Reading and Resources

Additional updates in this edition include

• fresh interior and cover designs celebrating 135 years of Catholic social teaching;
• a revised and expanded introduction;
• additional texts cited in the table of contents;
• revised chapter openers;
• an updated biographical profile of Pope Francis and a new profile for Pope Leo XIV;
• new and revised discussion questions at the end of each chapter;
• an expanded and updated list of “Contemporary Historical Milestones” incorporating significant US and global events related to the documents;
• an updated glossary; and
• newly added texts incorporated into the list of sources consulted

With nearly thirty thousand copies of previous editions sold, this trusted guide continues to help readers understand, teach, and live Catholic social teaching in today’s complex and ever-changing world. If you want to deepen your understanding of social justice, human dignity, and the common good, this book is the perfect place to start.

• Pages: 256
• Trim size: 6 x 9 inches
• ISBN: 9781646804641
• Imprint: Ave Maria Press