In today’s Catholic circles, the concept of what we call “Catholic activism” is becoming increasingly pronounced. On the one hand, this idea of self-giving through volunteering and social engagement represents a positive impulse, especially among young people. On the other hand, there is the danger that the energy of the young may be used for projects which, although seemingly useful, can lose their fundamental spiritual dimension—the relationship with God. As a young person formed within such circles, I reflect on the issue hidden behind the postmodern expression “Catholic activism,” which in fact may blur the meaning of authentic Catholic engagement. Through this work, I wish to explore the depth and implications of this phenomenon, asking how to balance social engagement with the inner, spiritual call to fidelity to Christ.

History and Evolution of Catholic Action

In the Middle Ages, lay confraternities were key socio-religious institutions that gathered believers outside the clergy, and their role was multifaceted and deeply rooted in the daily life of the community. Confraternities (also known as fraternities, brotherhoods, confraternitates) were associations of believers organized along social or professional lines, bringing together individuals of similar or the same status. Although often connected to the clergy or monasteries, they differed from guilds in that their main task was not professional, but the cultivation of piety, charity, and the social support of their members. Confraternities played a significant role in the social life of medieval communities. In addition to fostering devotion and charity, they often cared for hospitals, parish churches, and other forms of social welfare.

Historical traces of the first confraternities date back to the 4th and 5th centuries, and they gained momentum with the emergence of the Franciscan and Dominican orders in the 13th century, particularly in Italy. In Croatia, confraternities had exceptional cultural and social significance. The first confraternities are mentioned in Zadar: the fishermen’s confraternity (11th c.), the goldsmiths’ confraternity (12th c.), and the Holy Cross confraternity (1176). From the 13th century onwards, many confraternities arose in Adriatic cities, such as Our Lady of Mercy (1208) and the Holy Spirit (c. 1220) in Šibenik, St. Michael in Gruž (c. 1290), the Holy Angels in Split (1342).

Before the 20th century, social action in the Church was primarily directed through the clergy, religious orders, confraternities, guilds, and even kings and nobility, all of whom had their role in promoting the Catholic social mission. At that time, the emphasis was on Christian apostolate—the call to spread the Gospel through community action, care for the poor and marginalized, and establishing a social order based on eternal values.

With the arrival of the 20th century, faced with the challenges of modernism, secularization, and relativism, the Church had to reinterpret its modes of action. Lay people took on an increasingly active role through organized movements such as the Croatian Catholic Movement, the Croatian Eagles, Catholic Action, and pro-life initiatives. The fundamental message—the life of faith and social responsibility—remained the same, but its expression adapted to contemporary circumstances.

Catholic Social Teaching and Terminology

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church calls believers to social engagement. The message of these documents highlights social justice, solidarity and care for the vulnerable, and the responsibility of all believers—clergy and laity alike—to actively participate in economic, social, and political spheres.

However, it is important to emphasize that these documents do not use the term “activism” in its modern, postmodern, and often media-shaped sense. Instead, they stress engagement—action that flows from a personal relationship with God and fidelity to the Gospel. Activism, by contrast, is viewed exclusively as a response to social challenges outside the religious context.

The Difference Between Terms

Words like “activity,” “action,” “engagement,” and “activism” are often used interchangeably, but they carry important nuances. While “activity” and “action” designate any form of doing, often without a clear moral or spiritual dimension, “engagement” in the Catholic context implies personal responsibility, an inner call, and action rooted in faith. By contrast, “activism” in its contemporary meaning is often tied to secular, ideological, and media-driven forms of action, which can neglect the contemplative and spiritual dimension of Christian mission. Therefore, it is important to distinguish these terms in order to avoid reducing Christian action to mere external effectiveness.

The Problematic Aspects of Catholic Activism

Terminology and Secularization – In attempting to respond to postmodern social processes, the term “Catholic activism” has emerged. This expression, borrowed from secular and postmodern vocabulary, can blur the original message of apostolate. Instead of representing a life of faith that grows out of a personal relationship with God, it risks becoming a superficial manifestation centered on projects and public action without a deeper spiritual foundation.

Church Documents as the Basis of Social Engagement – The association of the term “activism” with postmodern and secular contexts can be understood through its historical and philosophical use. In contemporary discourse, particularly from the 20th century onwards, “activism” has increasingly been used in the context of ideological and political movements arising from secular understandings of society and man. Such an understanding departs from the Christian understanding of action as a response to the call of the Holy Spirit.

Different Understandings Among the Laity – Many lay Catholics view activism as a concrete expression of apostolate—humanitarian work, helping marginalized groups, and other forms of social justice. Others see activism as a way of defending traditional moral values through public demonstrations.

Engagement vs. Activism

Engagement refers to concrete, practical actions aimed at social justice, but which arise from a personal relationship with God and responsibility before the Church. This approach is clearly present in documents such as the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which encourages believers to be involved in society, but always grounded in faith, prayer, and community. By contrast, activism often implies public witness with an emphasis on visibility and struggle—which may involve persecution but also the risk of losing authenticity if not rooted in spiritual reality. In this sense, activism as a term belongs more to secular battle discourses, while the Church prefers to speak of “engagement,” “action,” or “service,” as seen in documents like Evangelii Gaudium (183–185).

From Activism to Authentic Apostolate: Returning to the Father as the Foundation of Action

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) provides a powerful Gospel image for this issue. The Father, filled with immeasurable love, waits for the son to return and admit his mistakes. The Father restores the son’s dignity, but does not ask him to become a servant.

A call to genuine encounter with God: Just as the father does not ask the son to be his servant but his son, so too our action must flow from God’s call to sonship and relationship, and our work must arise out of love for the Father. Without personal encounter and identity in Christ, action—whether humanitarian or public—remains superficial.

Sincere recognition of need: Just as the prodigal son had to acknowledge his weakness to experience conversion, activism without inner conversion cannot bring about true healing. Inner renewal creates the fruit necessary for right action, which then bears outward fruits.

Papal teachings and warnings: Papal messages in Evangelii Nuntiandi, Christifideles Laici, Caritas in Veritate, and Evangelii Gaudium emphasize that true apostolate must be rooted in a relationship with God. The term “activism,” when laden with ideology and made an end in itself, can divert believers from the primary call to personal conversion and genuine evangelization.

If young people do not recognize that their engagement must arise from personal faith and relationship with the Lord, there is a risk they will become “fashion activists”—engaged on a surface level, but without lasting inner motivation that could transform not only society but their own lives. In this way, even if their intentions are good, their action lacks the power of lasting transformation. Activism necessarily leads to secularization if understood solely as a collection of projects and public actions, because such an approach reduces action to an external, social level while neglecting the spiritual foundation that should be the source of all true engagement. Without this, activism becomes only a tool for superficial change, not a channel of deep, inner transformation that could shape society according to God’s values.

Conclusion

The problem with Catholic activism is not in social action itself, but in the way it is perceived and practiced, and in those who think that an innovative approach to terminology and semantics automatically means discovering something revolutionary. In this context, such “discovery” is actually regression, because secular vocabulary becomes the “word” shaping new generations, whereas the Word is not just anything when it takes flesh in the hearts of the young. Let us remember that the Word became flesh in Mary through the coming of Christ—the words we use matter deeply.

Sources
Bible – Parable of the Prodigla Son (Lk 15:11–32)
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Evangelii Gaudium (183–185)
Evangelii Nuntiandi
Caritas in Veritate