Bible Studies
Because of the Coronavirus Pandemic, the Parish Social Ministry (PSM) Program was forced to transition to online-only Bible studies & book studies. The silver lining of this adjustment has been that more people than ever before have been participating in the studies we have offered! Now that things are returning to our post-COVID ‘new normal,’ we encourage individuals and parishes to return to hosting in-person studies. If you are interested in hosting or joining an in-person study, contact the PSM team for more information. In the meantime, we will continue to offer a limited selection of online studies for the benefit of those who are not able to connect to an in-person study for whatever reason. If you are interested in joining our next bible study, please email Isaac at ilandsteiner@ccsomn.org for more information on how to join!
Online Bible Studies
Parish Social Ministry of Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota is pleased to share with you our Fall study beginning in October!
Six sessions led by Isaac Landsteiner & Lisa Kremer, OFSMondays at 7 pm | Oct. 10th – Nov. 14thMinnesota, Our Common Home was inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, and is designed to explain the message of Laudato Si’ in terms of its significance for Minnesotans today. Because this encyclical, or papal letter, is so focused on questions of the environment, it is important to take steps towards applying it in a local setting—with the ecological blessings, opportunities, and challenges we face right now in the place where we live. Materials can be viewed and downloaded for free from the MN Catholic Conference at: www.mncatholic.org/ourcommonhome/
For more information, or to register, email Isaac (ilandsteiner@ccsomn.org).
If you are hesitant to join because you aren’t familiar with Zoom, contact us and we will try to help you get set up. All you need is a computer, cell phone, or tablet (iPad) with a camera, microphone, and internet access. Zoom is easy once you are familiar with it.
If you have questions, call or email:
Lisa Kremer: lkremer@ccsomn.org or (507) 360-3423 Isaac Landsteiner: ilandsteiner@ccsomn.org or (507) 384-5770
Bible Studies on Catholic Social Teaching
“Our work for social justice is first and foremost a work of faith, a profoundly religious task. It is Jesus who calls us to this mission, not any political or ideological agenda. We are called to bring the healing hand of Christ to those in need; the courageous voice of the prophet to those in power; and the Gospel message of love, justice, and peace to an often suffering world.” -U.S. Catholic Bishops, “A Century of Social Teaching”
To promote the Gospel message of love justice and peace, the Parish Social Ministry office have published the following bible studies:
- Bible Study on Solidarity – We are our Neighbors’ Keepers
The bible study on Solidarity is one of the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching, which highlights the belief that the decisions we make should be taken for the good of all people, and not for individual advantage. A belief in solidarity means we are called to love our enemies, support economic systems that support the poor, and care for creation. This is what it means to “Love Your Neighbor”. There are 5 sessions.
(Download the PDF) - The Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching Bible Study
The US Catholic Bishops have identified 7 themes in Catholic Social Teaching (CST). The CST bible study is an eight week bible study with introduction, and a session on each of these seven themes.
(Download the PDF) - Life and Dignity of the Human person Bible Study
This study takes the first of the 7 themes, which is central to our call to love God above all else and our neighbors as ourselves by promoting life and dignity from conception until natural death. This is a 7 week bible study covering issues like abortion, immigration, poverty, racism, and more.
(Download the PDF)
Sessions in all of the bible studies are discussion based. Leaders of these studies act more as facilitators rather than teachers, which means the given leader does not have to have extensive knowledge of scripture in order to have a successful session. Discussion questions provided are meant to be thought provoking and to open up a discussion into practical ways to live our faith. The sessions are set up to be approximately 60 to 90 minutes in length, depending on the size of the group.
The bible studies are provided by Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota and there is no fee. Contact Lisa Kremer, Coordinator of Parish Social Ministry at lkremer@ccsomn.org or 507-360-3423 for more information.