Social Concerns

Important Note:

Beginning July 1, 2024 Social Concerns will be transitioning to an office of the Diocese of St. Cloud. Find the team and all the great work they will continue to do there at their new website: https://stcdio.org/social-concerns/.

Be sure to bookmark the new page and stay connected!

Social Concerns is the way that Catholic Charities collaborates with the diocese, inter-faith community and advocacy groups, to educate and promote action on behalf of Catholic Social Teaching. 

Social Concerns includes development and support of parish social ministry teams, encouraging participation in the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and other USCCB justice efforts, supporting rural life, building intercultural bridges, and doing legislative advocacy and community organizing. 

Parish Social Ministry

Assisting parish communities to understand and act on Catholic Social Teachings.

This is achieved by identifying, supporting and training leaders who will organize people and activities around four specific complementary ministries:



  • Direct Service – seeking and taking opportunities to address the immediate and basic needs of those in our community through efforts such as food or financial assistance, transportation or visiting the homebound, etc. 
  • Legislative Advocacy – making our collective voices heard by local and national decision-makers to help our systems be more just and address the needs of our communities on a deeper and more sustainable level. 
  • Community Organizing – building skills for relationship-building and social networking of individuals and organizations that can partner together around common goals to make a positive impact on concerns affecting our communities. 
  • Global Solidarity – recognizing the giftedness of being a universal church, and the responsibility to connect with, pray for and serve our brothers and sisters no matter how near or far they may be. 


The Social Concerns team offers presentations, consultation, an annual Parish Social Ministry Gathering, ongoing support and even a Parish Social Ministry Certification program to train and empower those interested in parish social ministry to bring their knowledge to the parish and surrounding communities as they encourage others to be agents of God’s compassion.

Catholic Campaign for Human Development

A domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops

Catholic Campaign for Human Development's mission is to address the root causes of poverty in America through community-based, self-help organizations and through education about poverty. Founded in 1969, CCHD seeks to empower those living in poverty and to act on the principles of solidarity and the option for the poor that are at the heart of Catholic social teaching.


Catholic Charities serves as the local office for CCHD. As such, our role includes promotion of the annual CCHD collection to support the work of CCHD and their grant organizations (75% of funds collected are sent to the national CCHD office, while 25% of what our diocese raises stays local), administration of local grant funds to organizations striving to alleviate poverty (*must meet certain requirements), and providing resources or presentations to bring awareness to the complex issues surrounding those experiencing poverty in our communities.

Learn More about National CCHD grants Apply for local CCHD grants

Rural Life

Given the rural nature of the St. Cloud Diocese, comprised of 78% rural and agricultural communities,
Social Concerns gives special focus to supporting the leaders and community members through the unique gifts and needs of rural life.   

Rural Life Fund

The Rural Life Fund is available to help individuals and families in rural areas throughout our diocese who experience a sudden financial set-back or emergency. Funds up to $2,000 can be available through the Social Concerns department to help qualifying individuals with expenses that arise unexpectedly which would push a family into financial crisis or further a situation of poverty.

  • Requests must be made through a Faith Leader (pastor, parish or diocesan staff or Parish Social Ministry team member).
  • Funds cannot be used for rent, mortgage or utility payments; all other requests will be considered on a case to case basis, in communication with the faith leader who made the request.
  • Those looking to request funds, as well as those able to donate to it and help support their neighbors in need, should contact a Social Concerns staff member for more information.


Rural Life Initiative

The Rural Life Initiative, through our shared call to holiness and building upon faith foundations, offers relationship-building, acts as a resource, and provides opportunities to enhance leadership skills, service and advocacy around rural concerns and the needs of the marginalized and underserved in our rural Diocese. 


This will be accomplished by:

  • Focusing on ongoing faith formation and education
  • Providing Resources and guidance
  • Identifying, forming and supporting leaders
  • Relationship-Building/ Community-Building
  • Encouraging the Two Feet of Love in Action (Service and Advocacy)
  • Identifying and addressing rural issues


Rural Life Celebration

The Annual Rural Life Celebration is sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud and The Catholic Foundation each year during the month of August to celebrate and honor God’s creation. The event consists of an outdoor mass followed by a meal, music, and fellowship. All are welcome to attend this annual event.


Catholic Century Farm Award

Catholic Charities would like to honor Catholic families who have farmed and nurtured the same land for 100 years or more. These families, meeting a certain set of criteria, will be honored at the annual Rural Life Celebration, with a certificate and award for their home. Registration deadline is July 1 for presentation at a special Mass with Bishop in August 2023. If you, or someone you know, has a Catholic Century Farm, please view the requirements and application form below, to be honored for your century or more of farming with faith! 


Apply for the Century Farm Award

Catholic Rural Business Award

The Catholic Rural Business Award is given to a Catholic business owner of a rural business within the St. Cloud Diocese, in recognition of their significant contributions to rural life through time, talent or treasure; the award is a way of honoring those who demonstrate their faith in how they run their business. It is presented to Catholic business owners who demonstrate: Catholic values in all areas of their life; Serves rural areas; Are Recognized as leaders in their community; are Committed to supporting the dignity of their employees and customers; And in these and other ways exemplify the faith and the work-ethic of St. Joseph the Worker. Any community member, including the owners themselves or their employees, can nominate a Catholic Rural Business to receive this award each year. One award will be given annually, presented at the Rural Life Celebration in August. 

Nominate a Catholic Rural Business View Past Award Recipients

During the month of August we celebrate and honor God’s creation. Join us as we come together for faith, food and fellowship. Enjoy family-friendly entertainment. There will be a special collection to support the Rural Life Fund. 


This event will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Samantha and Nathan Middendorf farm, 17655 County Road 36, Long Prairie, MN. We will celebrate an outdoor Mass with Bishop Neary, C.S.C. followed by a meal and ice cream.


There will be the presentations of the Catholic Century Farm and Catholic Rural Business Awards.


Please bring your own chair if you are able. This event will happen rain or shine. 


For more information contact Kateri Mancini at Kateri.Mancini@gw.stcdio.org. Click here to download the event poster.


Interfaith and Intercultural Community Building

Building relationships and encouraging community building

Catholic Charities serves all peoples of all faiths and backgrounds. In an effort to serve our neighbors of diverse backgrounds, particularly those in the immigrant and refugee communities, we believe one of the most valuable things we can do is to build relationships and encourage community building. Along with Bishop Patrick Neary and the Greater St. Cloud Area Faith Leaders, our interfaith and intercultural efforts at Catholic Charities strive to connect, to organize, to act as a bridge, to advocate and to educate. 


Our staff, particularly our Immigrant and Refugee Outreach Coordinators, are available for presentations, to answer questions or to help build bridges, as well as to listen to and empower the voices of the immigrant and refugee members of your community. “We all do better when we all do better.”

Advocacy and Resources


As Catholics, we are part of a rich tradition that invites us to consider the challenges of our communities and world in light of the Scriptures, and to act on it within public life in order to contribute to greater justice and peace for all people. In their document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the U.S. bishops remind us that “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.” In collaboration with the US Bishops, Catholic Charities encourages the people of St. Cloud Diocese to advocate on behalf of the issues and needs facing our nation and world. This includes participation in the annual Day on the Hill, presentations for parishes and other groups about current political issues and what voting means for Catholics today, as well as providing action alerts and resources to help people stay on top of important issues and what our church is saying in response to them, making it easier for people to get involved in this key component of our faith. 

Care for Creation

Our Creator God has made a gloriously complex, beautiful world! These creations of nature—water, air, land, plants, animals—are sacred gifts given to us so that we might live. Not only that we might live a physical life, but also, that we might live a spiritual life as we come to know the Creator more fully through the diversity of nature and our interconnectedness with it. As humans created in the image of God, we have been given the great privilege to exercise stewardship over the earth. We are called to care for God’s creation. 


Care for Creation is one of the seven themes of Catholic social teaching. As faithful stewards of creation, we demonstrate our reverence for the Creator by respectfully and responsibly managing the Earth. This includes: learning about creation in all its gifts and challenges, advocating for ethical practices and care for nature, doing our part as individuals and the collective Church to care for creation and mitigate harm to the Earth, and experiencing/encountering the glory of God’s beautiful creation as well! 

Learn more about how you can answer the call to Care for Creation and view important resources with the links below.


Contact Social Concerns

Catholic Charities Social Concerns

Hours

Monday-Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Evenings & Weekends by Appointment

Location

911 18th Street North

St. Cloud, MN 56303

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