A Reader in Catholic Social Teaching: From Syllabus Errorum to Deus Caritas Est

by Peter Kwasniewski

Catholic Social Teaching (CST), or the Social Doctrine of the Church, is frequently mentioned but seldom understood and applied aright. To become intimately acquainted with CST, there is no substitute for reading the writings of the popes, who, from Leo XIII onwards, are the authentic sources for the subject, and whose ideas have left a permanent mark on Catholic and secular thought alike. CST is neither platitudinous social commentary nor assertions of economic utopianism. Rather, it takes seriously man’s identity as both a “political animal” and a being created in God’s image and likeness—one who matures within the family, inherits a culture, and participates in society for his own good and the good of all. CST therefore grapples with fundamental questions of human existence, and enunciates the principles that guide virtuous human activity and sustain a flourishing society. This collection, edited by Peter A. Kwasniewski, introduces the reader to the full breadth and depth of CST with a carefully chosen array of documents from Pope Pius IX to Pope Benedict XVI. Kwasniewski has, moreover, corrected hundreds of typographical errors, incorrect citations, missing phrases, and poor translations that are found in the standard editions. The result is a book excellently suited to bring its readers to an ever-greater appreciation of the nobility of man; the lofty purpose of our freedom, which finds its origin and its fulfillment in the truth that sets us free; and the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who took on our human nature to share with us His divinity.

Genres: Theology

548 pages, Paperback

Published October 27, 2017

About the author

Dr. Peter A. Kwasniewski holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California and an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

After teaching at the International Theological Institute in Austria and for the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austrian Program, he joined the founding team of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming, where he currently serves as Professor of Theology and Choirmaster. He is a board member and scholar of The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, and a tutor for the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies.

Kwasniewski has taught and written extensively on a wide variety of subjects, especially Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. He has published two books with The Catholic University of America Press and a volume of music for liturgical use, Sacred Choral Works (Corpus Christi Watershed, 2014). His latest book, Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis: Sacred Liturgy, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Renewal in the Church (Angelico Press, 2014), is being translated into eight languages.

Dr. Kwasniewski writes for several major weblogs, including New Liturgical Movement and Rorate Caeli.