From Faith to Action: Catholic Social Teaching and the OLA Mission for Justice
Catholic Social Teaching, presented by Fr. Elvis Ng’Andwe, M.Afr., offered a reflection on the relationship between faith, human dignity, and the mission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC). Rooted in the Gospel, Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that Christian faith is not lived in isolation from the realities of the world. Rather, it calls believers to a concrete and sustained commitment to human dignity, the common good, solidarity and the preferential option for the poor.
At the heart of the reflection was a simple but challenging conviction: mission cannot be limited to responding to the consequences of injustice; it must also confront its underlying causes. This requires courage, conviction and perseverance, particularly in a world marked by conflict, migration, economic hardship, youth unemployment, food insecurity, growing debt and the exploitation of natural resources.
Reading the Signs of Our Time
Fr. Elvis invited participants to look critically at the realities affecting communities, particularly in Africa. Economic dependency and the continued export of raw materials can limit opportunities for local development while allowing much of the value generated from Africa’s resources to be realized elsewhere.
One important challenge, therefore, is to strengthen local processing and production so that communities can benefit more directly from the resources of their own continent. The example of transforming cocoa into chocolate illustrates this clearly: rather than exporting raw materials and importing finished products, greater investment in local processing can create employment, strengthen local economies, and retain more value within African communities.
Such realities demonstrate why JPIC cannot remain simply a matter of reflection or prayer. JPIC mission leads us from prayer to action.
A Mission of Accompaniment and Solidarity
The OLA Sisters’ involvement in social ministry provides concrete expressions of this commitment. Their engagement in networks such as COSUDOW and Talitha Kum, particularly in the fight against human trafficking, demonstrates the importance of collaboration in protecting people whose dignity and rights are threatened.
This commitment is also visible in OLA initiatives such as the Samuel Centre in Fada N’Gourma, Burkina Faso, which provides care and support for children living in difficult circumstances and seeks to contribute to their social integration. Such initiatives reveal a mission that does not merely offer immediate assistance but seeks to restore dignity, create opportunities, and accompany vulnerable people towards a more secure future.
See, Judge, Act: From Reality to Transformation
A central framework throughout the session was the well-known JPIC methodology: See – Judge – Act.
Fr. Elvis began with See. Before action can take place, injustice must first be recognised. This means paying attention to concrete situations in which people experience poverty, exclusion, exploitation, discrimination or violations of their rights and dignity. It also means listening carefully to the voices and experiences of those directly affected.
Seeing, however, is only the beginning. Reality must be understood and discerned. This leads to the Judge examining situations in light of the Gospel, Catholic Social Teaching, and the values of justice, dignity, and the common good. Such discernment enables us to move beyond emotional reactions and ask deeper questions about the causes and structures behind particular situations.
The final step is Act. Once reality has been seen and understood, there is a responsibility to respond. Action requires commitment, collaboration, and perseverance.
Giving a Face to the Reality of Migration
The experience shared by Sr. Evelyn Frimpong, OLA in Italy, brought the See–Judge–Act approach into a very concrete context. Her presentation highlighted how the OLA Sisters collaborate with organizations and missionary institutes, including Caritas, Migrants, and CIMI, to welcome and accompany migrants and refugees.
This ministry takes many practical forms: providing accommodation, distributing clothing and meals, accompanying people in their daily struggles, and engaging with schools and young people. Behind each of these actions is a recognition that migrants and refugees are not simply recipients of assistance. They are people whose dignity, stories, hopes, and rights must be respected.
The experience demonstrated how JPIC becomes tangible when communities respond to people who are often vulnerable or marginalized, while also seeking to understand the broader realities that cause displacement and insecurity.
From Individual Response to Collective Action
The reflection then widened from direct service to the importance of networking, advocacy, lobbying, and campaigning. While responding to immediate needs remains essential, sustainable transformation requires addressing the structures and systems that continue to produce injustice.
Networking enables individuals and organizations to share experiences, knowledge, and resources. Advocacy gives greater visibility to issues affecting vulnerable communities. Lobbying creates opportunities to influence policies and decision-makers, while campaigning can mobilize wider society around particular concerns.
The presentation of AEFJN illustrated this movement from the local to the broader level. Experiences and evidence emerging from African communities can inform advocacy and contribute to dialogue with African and European institutions. In this way, local realities can become part of wider efforts to influence policies and promote greater justice.
A Continuing Call to Mission
The two-day reflection with Fr. Elvis Ng’Andwe, M.Afr., ultimately presented JPIC as a movement from reality to action. It begins by seeing and listening: recognizing injustice and hearing the voices of those who experience it. It continues through judging and discerning: understanding realities in the light of faith and Catholic Social Teaching. And it reaches its purpose through action: working together to transform situations and challenge the structures that perpetuate injustice.
For us OLA Sisters, this approach reinforces the conviction that JPIC is not an activity on the margins of mission. It is an expression of the Gospel and a concrete way of living the call to serve humanity, defend dignity, stand in solidarity with vulnerable people, and care for creation.
The challenge is therefore clear: to see with open eyes, judge with wisdom and faith, and act with courage and solidarity. In doing so, prayer becomes commitment, commitment becomes action, and action becomes a pathway towards justice, peace and transformation.