Scarboro Missions magazine, September 1999

Developed by Tony Muhitch of St. Elizabeth High School in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, for use within the Toronto Catholic school system. This Guide can also be adapted for other Christian users and adult educators.

Introduction

The September 1999 edition of Scarboro Missions magazine has three important Catholic Social Teaching documents that educators will find valuable for high school Justice Units. These documents are:

  1. “Strong Words”, Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching    html version |  pdf version
  2. “Global Action Against Poverty”    html version |  pdf version
  3. “In Choosing A Government”    html version |  pdf version

Use the articles in the edition to lead into these documents or to demonstrate the principles in the documents. For users who have a print copy of the magazine, the page numbers refer to those in the magazine. For the web version, click on the article title below to view the article.

  1. “The Struggle for Freedom”    html version |  pdf version
    1. Which of the 10 Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching are ignored or violated in the first part of this article?
    2. After the sub-head “Slaves No More” which of the 10 Building Blocks are affirmed?
    3. Which Building Blocks apply in the section of the article after the sub-head, “Help at last”?
    4. At this point students can remove the “10 Building Blocks” insert and put it into their notebooks.
  2. “Good news to the Poor”    html version |  pdf version
    1. Read this article with students against the backdrop of the 10 Global Actions Against Poverty.
    2. Highlight the second paragraph and cross-reference it to the 10 Global Actions.
    3. Highlight the fourth paragraph and examine how it applies to the 10 Global Actions.
  3. “Persevering in the Struggle”    html version |  pdf version
    1. Identify the 10 Global Actions that are referred to in the first part of the article.
    2. Under the sub-head, “Budget Cuts”, how much will the servicing of Brazilian debt affect the federal budget?
    3. Who is most affected by the budget cuts? Explain how.
    4. What did the Brazilian bishops’ Foreign Debt Tribunal find?
    5. Describe the United Nations document referred to in the article.
    6. Which aspects of this United Nations declaration are pertinent to Brazil?

At this point ask students to remove the 10-point “Global Action Against Poverty” from the magazine and put it into their notebooks.

  1. “Release from Bondage”    html version |  pdf version
    1. What is the biblical meaning of Jubilee?
    2. List the three steps that were part of the Church’s Jubilee program.
    3. What was called for in the Jubilee 2000 petition campaign? List the parts.
    4. In the educational efforts around the petition, what major points did participants discover?
    5. Explain how high interest rates contributed to ongoing inescapable debt.
    6. How many people signed the petition in Canada?
    7. How many signatures had been gathered by the time of the G-7 conference?
    8. How was redistribution done in the Bible?
    9. Read the “Cologne summit & analysis” follow up. Highlight the last paragraph.
    10. Read the 11 “Guidelines to Choosing a Government”. Give examples of what you can do practically for each of the 11 points.