The fundamental principle of Catholic Social Teaching is the dignity of each and every human person.

It goes back to the very beginning when God created men and women in his image and found them “very good” (Gen. 1:31) and continues through Pope Leo XIV’s Dilexi Te. “The dignity of every person must be respected today, not tomorrow, and the extreme poverty of all those to whom this dignity is denied should constantly weigh upon our consciences.” (92)

At its most basic, dignity is about “right to life.” On a deeper level, it is about a right to live as a child of God. It forms the core not only of what we do at Catholic Charities, but how we do it.

Band-Aids are not dignified. That’s why companies are always trying to make them blend into your skin. Similarly, it is not enough to just hand out assistance. Caring for someone with dignity means we listen to them, acknowledge their story and see their potential.

So what does it look like to provide services that are dignified?

It starts with when they walk in the door or pick up the phone and find a warm greeting on the other end. Our receptionist is one of the most important positions in the office.

We listen. Everyone requesting help with rent or diapers has a chance to tell their story. People come to us because they are in crisis and sometimes because they have lived a lifetime of poverty. Regardless, listening says “you matter” and on a practical level, it helps the case manager give better direction.

We trust in their resourcefulness. Clients only receive help from us once every two years, so they have to figure out how to manage their bills the other 23 months. So we know they can. As well, all of our clients have some skin in the game, which could be paying a portion of their bill or earning points for a new car seat.

We trust in their intelligence and their desire to do the best they can for their families. Through Money School and our parenting classes, we try not to preach but to give people tools they can use.

We keep our promises, and we don’t make promises we can’t keep. The last several months of uncertain government funding have left us with less than usual for rent/utilities, which means we have to be careful about what we say. But if we can help, we will.

We see those who walk through our doors as whole people with physical, emotional and spiritual needs. If it seems appropriate, we pray with them. And when they have needs we can’t meet, we connect them to other resources in the community.

Dignity is the first of the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching and it is also the foundation. When we start any interaction with this framework, we can start to build systems that promote subsidiarity, community, options for the poor, the importance of work, solidarity, and care for the Earth. We can build a community where everyone knows they are a child of God.