Anger is not an emotion that is always associated with discipleship. Indeed, Christ on the Sermon on the Mount is warning of its destructive powers.

But in seeking the Kingdom of God, ensuring that values such as the dignity of the human person, caring for creation, promoting the common good, being in solidarity with the poor and the afflicted, if it is evident that when such values are being disregarded, then a sense of ‘righteous anger is not acceptable but essential.

The challenge is how to use this raw energy in a constructive way that brings about productive change.

This challenge is compounded when we may feel so powerless in ourselves and have little confidence in present political systems to bring about the re-ordering our world at local, national and international levels.

This webinar will briefly remind of the key themes of Catholic Social Teaching and look at the methods of Community Organising that have successfully brought about in the last five years

This will not be a webinar with abstract thinking.

The heart of this webinar will be stories of people and their efforts that have brought about change by this integration of Catholic Social Teaching and Community Organising, from people in the diocese representing a cross section of roles in the church, gender, background and age.

The webinar will also show how the methods of Community Organising are very similar to the methods that the Church is using in the International Synod Process. Both processes invite attentive listening to the ‘other’ with a willingness to bring about fruitful change that is transformative of both the Church and the wider community

Having listened to representatives of various campaigns there will be an opportunity to discuss the stories. We will then explore how the diocese can continue to use methods of Community Organising to enhance its mission of prophetic and social outreach

We hope you can join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and Tyne & Wear Citizens for this fruitful discussion.

Zoom link will be sent upon registration.