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The teacher is J. David Franks, Chairman of the Board for MCFL. David has a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston College. If you have any questions, please contact him at dfranks@masscitizensforlife.org.

Kids are welcome. Parking at the Schrafft Center is ample, and the Sullivan Square T stop is close by. The course will be held on the second Saturday of each month, beginning October 14 and running through May. Each session will start at 9am and end at 3pm with a half-hour break for lunch at noon. The Schrafft Center cafe is closed on Saturdays, so we recommend that you bring a lunch.

In this course, we will examine

1)   the basic principles of social ethics: the dignity of the human person, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity;

2)   the American Republic and the future of freedom;

3)   why politics matters and what is social justice;

4)   bioethical science and reasoning; and

5)   how love and suffering stand at the heart of human action.

Reading List

• The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
• Elie Wiesel, Night
• N. T. Wright, Revelation for Everyone
• Jacques Maritain, The Person and the Common Good
• Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae I-II, qq. 90-97
• Harvey Mansfield, A Student’s Guide to Political Philosophy
• Allen Guelzo, Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction
• Janet Smith and Christopher Kaczor, Life Issues, Medical Choices
• T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land and Ash Wednesday
• Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium vitae and Salvifici doloris
• Pope Benedict, Deus caritas est, Spe salvi, and Caritas in veritate
• Russell Hittinger, “Three Necessary Societies”
• Hadley Arkes, “A Natural Law Manifesto”
• Hannah Arendt, “What is Freedom?”
• Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Amicus brief for the Supreme Court on Abortion

Some of the links above will take you to Amazon.com where you can purchase the books, although you may also purchase them from the store of your choice. Other links will take you to the resources that are found for free online.

In addition to the Amazon links above to print editions, you may also find The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church and the Summa theologiae for free online as web sites.