The Church and Labor

Edited by Joseph Husslein, S.J., & John A. Ryan

When Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical on capital and labor, Rerum novarum, on May 15, 1891, he did not invent a new field of doctrine: “Catholic Social Teaching.” Rather, he continued a tradition, invoking the authority of his office to articulate the timeless principles of the Gospel and apply them to the social mores and industrial practices of the modern age. For the revolutions in industry and economics had devised new forms of labor, new conditions of living, and new systems of capitalization—and these innovations were not always set in service to the common good of all mankind. The Church, however—as Pope Leo would emphasize—has the care of this common good, and will speak accordingly.

Originally published in 1920, The Church and Labor presents the teaching of the Catholic Church on a social issue intimately connected with the other problems and aspects of industrial society: human toil. Compiled by Fathers Husslein and Ryan, The Church and Labor includes texts by Popes Leo XIII, Pius X, and Benedict XV; Cardinals Gibbons, Manning, O’Connell, and Bourne; declarations on social issues by American, Irish, French, and German bishops; and Ryan’s essays “A Living Wage” and “The Reconciliation of Capital and Labor” as well as Husslein’s “A Catholic Social Platform” and essays on Ketteler, Ozanam, and social action.

“Thou shalt earn thy bread with the sweat of thy brow…”  (The Book of Genesis)

* * *

Joseph Husslein, S.J. (1873–1952) was an American Catholic priest of the Society of Jesus. A professor and publisher, author of dozens of books and editor of hundreds more, Husslein was a key figure in the development and promotion of Catholic social teaching as well as the revival of interest in Catholic letters and sciences in the United States.

John A. Ryan (1869–1945) was an American Catholic priest and theologian. A pioneer in Catholic social thought, profoundly attentive to the need for ethics in economics and industry, Ryan wrote numerous influential books, advocated for social and political reform programs, and taught theology and sociology at St. Paul Seminary and the Catholic University of America.

Paperback: 354pp.

ISBN: 978-1685954284