Church Social Ministry Urged to Move from Charity to Empowerment

Kochi, Sep 11, 2026: The Social Workers Animation Programme, held at the Pastoral Orientation Centre from September 9 to 11, focused on the renewal of social ministry, rooted in the Gospel and oriented more towards the poor. The three-day training programme was jointly organised by the VSCR Commission of the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Bishops’ Council and the VSCR & Migrants Commissions of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI).

Inaugurating the programme, Fr. Thomas Tharayil, Deputy Secretary General of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), said that there is a need to evolve a development perspective based on the spiritual vision of the Gospel. He emphasised that values such as equality, solidarity and righteousness have to be translated and integrated with professional skills and methods. The spiritual teachings of the Church, he said, have to be translated into the daily lives and sufferings of the poor, resulting in their empowerment and transformation.

Mr. Joy Gothuruth, who presided over the inaugural ceremony, said that the workshop would give life-giving dynamism to poor people.

Fr. Charles Leon, Executive Secretary to the Commission, led a session on methods and skills for social analysis, explaining that the analysis of problems in society ultimately leads to social analysis, as every problem emerges from the interconnectedness of human behaviour and the structural factors that shape society.

Dr. Martin Patrick, Director of FACE, said that the Latin Catholic community in Kerala is one of the backward communities in the state, lagging behind in several development indicators, including education, literacy, asset ownership, housing, skills, bargaining power and membership in associations. He said that the Church’s response to addressing the backwardness of the community should include knowledge assistance programmes, technology assistance programmes and empowerment programmes.

Highlighting the development initiatives of the Latin Church and the gaps that contributed to the backwardness of the community, Mr. Joy Gothuruth, former President of WIF, noted that the charity that developed alongside the preaching of the Gospel contributed to the early development of the community. As development approaches and strategies changed, the community also changed its strategies for development, moving from charity to development, then to a rights-based approach and later to a transformative approach. However, there were gaps in educational empowerment, employment orientation, asset creation and leadership development.

A group process was held to identify the challenges faced by faith-based organisations in the present development scenario. One of the main challenges identified was the lack of continuity and professionalism, as well as the lack of trained staff.

The following day featured a session on Integral Human Development as enshrined in *Humanitas Magnificata*, led by Dr. Edward Gabriel, Professor at Christ University, Bangalore.

Fr. Charles Leon also presented the concepts of project management and project cycle management. Fr. Romance Antony and Mr. K. J. Sohan led the session on resource mobilisation, which addressed human resources, material resources and finances. The session emphasised that the moral and social capital of the Church should be used to advocate for the cause of the poor. It also highlighted the systematic exclusion of poor people from mainstream development and stressed the need to speak the language of the poor and the marginalised.

The third day featured sessions on Finance Management and Development Communication, as well as the FCRA Act and the Income Tax Act, with Mr. Paul Zachariah and Adv. Ebenezer as the resource persons. The social work programmes of the Church, it was emphasised, should be based on the principles of accountability and transparency. The activities of social work institutions should be documented in such a way that they make the programmes transparent and appealing to civil society and the government.

Mr. Joseph Jude, Vice President of the KRLCC, stated that faith-based organisations should help people transition to modern means of development and make development benefits accessible to them through the work of these organisations.

Fr. Juju Arakkathara, Secretary General of the KRLCC, appreciated the support extended by the CCBI Commission for Migrants.

Fr. Jaison Vadassery, Executive Secretary of the Commission for Migrants, stated that there would be follow-up programmes to this training, concentrating on different approaches to resource mobilisation and funding possibilities. Fr. Maria Das, Secretary to the Religious under KRLCC, was the local organiser of the programme.

By Catholic Connect Reporter