“The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” From its opening sentence forward, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, or Gaudium et spes (Latin for ‘joy and hope’), urges us to recognize the dignity of all persons as members of the human family and to answer the call to charitable action in service of our neighbors. The document covers a wide range of topics addressing the role of church in relation to the concerns of the modern world, such as poverty, culture, other religions, and nations in conflict—follow the link to the left to read it in full and get a sense of the vision of the Second Vatican Council concerning the forward facing Church. For the purposes of this section, we are going to focus specifically on social action, featuring ways you can help neighbors in our community as well as ways the Church is at work in other parts of the country and the world. Jump in locally or dream big and start something on your own—every little bit helps!