St. Ambrose Church has always strived to serve the poor in many ways through its history. One of the ways the poor suffer tremendously is from discrimination. Cardinal Joseph Bernardin who served as Archbishop of Chicago (1982-1996) coined the expression “The Seamless Garment.” Cardinal Bernardin’s philosophy of the “Seamless Garment” illustrates the Catholic teachings on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. It’s meant to underscore that a “consistent ethic of life” requires attention to a spectrum of issues, including not just obvious offenses against life such as abortion and euthanasia, but also capital punishment, unjust war, human trafficking, the plight of the poor, workers’ rights and so on. Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life) explains that all kinds of poverty, violence and injustice are intrinsically linked to other violations of human life.
In continuing our tradition of serving the poor, St. Ambrose participates in the St. Louis Archdiocesan Peace and Justice Commission which was established in May 2015. In June 2020, Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis, addressed the people of the Greater St. Louis region in his Racism, Justice and Peace (Video) regarding racism, and the pursuit of justice and peace, in our community.
To help guide us, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers the Catholic faithful Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship), a teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics.
| Article 1 | Article 8 |
| Article 1a | Article 9 |
| Article 2 | Article 10 |
| Article 3 | Article 11 |
| Article 4 | Article 12 |
| Article 4a | Article 13 |
| Article 5 | Article 14 |
| Article 6 | Article 15 |
| Article 7 | Article 16 |