Joseph C. Husslein, S.J. (1873-1952) was a key figure in the early twentieth century in the development of American Catholic social thought. Husslein was one of several figures, such as

John A. Ryan John Augustine Ryan (1869–1945) was an American Catholic priest who was a noted moral theologian and advocate of social justice. Ryan lived during a decisive moment in the development of Catholic social teaching within the United States. The ...

, trying to apply the Catholic social teaching of

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

’s watershed encyclical ''

Rerum novarum ''Rerum novarum'' (from its incipit, with the direct translation of the Latin meaning "of revolutionary change"), or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, pass ...

'' (1891). In the next decades Husslein would write over 500 articles on Catholic social teaching. The national Jesuit weekly magazine ''

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

'' published most of these articles. Husslein worked as an editor of the magazine.

Capital, Labor, and the Church

In books such as ''The Church and Social Problems'' (1912) and ''The World Problem: Capital, Labor, and the Church'' (1918) Husslein attacked the still significant socialist movement. However, at the same time, he attacked the abuses of laisez faire capitalism, which today is often called “free market capitalism.” Husslein spoke against the exploitation of children and young women in factories and described the “champions of a modern gospel of greed” who are:

Coining into gold the lifeblood of the children whose innocence and joy were sacrificed to Mammon; tarnishing the purity of the poor girl victims of financial greed, the future mothers of our race; sapping the strength of womanhood amid endless unremunerative toil, and seeking only to secure the greatest service for the least reward.Joseph Husslein, “Forecast of General Strike,” ''America'' 8 (1912-1913), 77-78.

Democratic Industry

Husslein promoted the idea of worker-owned cooperative businesses in his 1919 book, ''Democratic Industry.'' He also wrote ''Work, Wealth and Wages'' (1921), ''Bible and Labor'' (1924), and ''The Christian Social Manifesto '' (1931). This last book is a commentary on the encyclical of

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

, '' Quadragesimo anno'' (1931). Pius XI reaffirmed and further developed Catholic Social teaching as first laid out in ''

''. In his writings as early as 1919, Husslein called for equal pay for equal work for women. He was also one of the early promoters of the field of social work. In 1931, he organized what later became the School of Social Work at the Jesuit university in St. Louis. Social work was one of the first professional fields to welcome women as equals.

A University in Print

In his time, only a few people could afford college, yet Husslein wanted to create a way for those who could not go to college to get an education, and so he created “A University in Print.” It was a series of books offering an education to anyone who read them. In the next decades Husslein would publish 213 books in two series: ''The Science and Culture Series'' and ''The Religion and Culture Series.'' In the latter, Husslein published the work of leading Catholic authors and included two books by

Fulton Sheen Fulton John Sheen (born Peter John Sheen, May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979) was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on Catholic television, television and radio. Ordained a priest of the R ...

. A colleague of the famous Jesuit

Daniel A. Lord Daniel Aloysius Lord (23 April 1888 – 15 January 1955) was an American Jesuit priest and Catholic writer. He wrote 32 books, 15 booklets, and 228 pamphlets, as well as countless articles. Lord also wrote 70 plays, musicals, and pageants. He ...

, Husslein often spoke at Lord’s Summer School of Catholic Action.

Books by Husslein

*''The Church and Social Problems.'' (New York: America, 1912). *''The Catholic's Work in the World.'' (New York: Benziger, 1917). *''The World Problem: Capital, Labor and the Church.'' (New York: P. J. Kenedy, 1918). *''Democratic Industry.'' (New York: P. J. Kenedy, 1919). *''Bible and Labor.'' (New York: Macmillan, 1924). *''The Christian Social Manifesto: An Interpretative Study of the Encyclicals Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI.'' (Milwaukee: Bruce, 1931). *Husslein wrote a total of 19 books, including seven devotional books.

Sources

* Werner, Stephen A. ''Prophet of the Christian Social Manifesto: Joseph Caspar Husslein, S.J.'' Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 2000.
__________. “The Life, Social Thought, and Work of Joseph Caspar Husslein,” ''Annual Publication of the College Theology Society'' 38, (1992) "Religions of the Book."
* ttp://daniellordsj.com/SLRRP02-HatchetJob.html __________. "What ''Men Astutely Trained'' Got Wrong: Rescuing Daniel Lord, S.J., and Joseph Husslein, S.J., from Peter McDonough’s 'Hatchet Job'"

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline American Catholics 1873 births 1952 deaths