Non-Discrimination Statement
Caritas Christi Urget Nos
The Love of Christ Compels Us
It is a joy to serve! We experience life more fully when we reach outside ourselves and recognize the dignity of another – for we were made to live in communion. Choosing to recognize that dignity and standing in solidarity as those in need grace our door is a gift that comes through faith. It is anchored in our hope. It is compelled by our love.
That service must be a true representation of the love Christ has for every person if it is to be an authentic witness of the Good News. We, therefore, must check every bias, shun any ill will and rebuke preconceived notions that we might harbor towards others and especially against whole groups of peoples. Not doing so is an affront to their dignity.
We know that dignity is inherent, not based on attributes or actions. It cannot be granted or earned but flows freely from God to every human person and it is our duty to uphold.
The equality of each individual rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design. *
Such discrimination will not be tolerated at Catholic Charities by our staff whether it be employees or volunteers.
Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from their dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy. *
Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that "everyone should look upon their neighbor (without any exception) as 'another self,' above all bearing in mind their life and the means necessary for living it with dignity." *
Let us then, through our charity at Catholic Charities, recognize that we are lifted up to God when we love our neighbor and let our work bring about a just society that witnesses to the Gospel.
Your Servant in Christ,
Dcn. Kevin M. Sartorius
CEO | Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma
* Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1934-1938 | https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a3.htm