What is subsidiarity? Mom and Dad break this large word down into what exactly it means in this episode on another teaching on social justice. Mom and Dad explore ways you can help people and their own experiences with subsidiarity.

The concept of subsidiarity is an important part of the Catholic Faith. Jesus tells us to love one another, and what better way than by helping our neighbor out with their basic needs?

But subsidiarity goes further than that. It’s the concept of tackling challenges in society at the lowest, most personal level possible. For instance, neighbors and the parish helping someone with groseries or utilities, instead of them having to rely on the city, state, or federal government for assistance. But an individual can’t handle all the water distribution in a city, so the town should come together to pay for those pipes, without relying on the state or federal government.

And a city cannot defend the country from invasion – that’s a big jod for the federal level.

Essentially subsidiarity is taking care of things at the lsmallest level of society that can and should handle it – the part of society that is intimately involved with the need, not anonymously uninvolved.

If you see someone in need, do something about it. If you can’t, ask for help in helping them. If that group can’t, find a church or larger group, and so on.