High School Essay Contest: “Being Catholic in the Public Square”

Registration Deadline: March 1, 2010

Essays Due: April 2, 2010

“America’s great witness to the world has always been its legacy of freedom.  Despite its sins and flaws, our nation’s history is finally a story of opportunity, religious harmony, respect for the human person, constitutional democracy, and the rule of law.  These great achievements made America a beacon.  Generations of Catholics have rightly embraced America as their own.  But if our nation now exports other values—violence, greed, vulgarity, abortion, a rejection of children—American Catholics must work to change that or be held coresponsible.”

-          Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Render unto Caesar (2008), p. 233

ESSAY DETAILS:

Thinking about Archbishop’s Chaput exhortation that American Catholics should be more directly involved in the social, political, and cultural debates of modern America, which issue, in particular, should Catholics be more engaged in?  How can younger Catholics (high school and college students) be involved in that particular debate or issue?  How do you see yourself being engaged in it?

Students are asked to consider Archbishop Chaput’s argument, then research and write a response that answers the three questions above.  Essayists are encouraged to use Catholic social teaching (relevant encyclicals, letters from American bishops, and the Catechism) in their responses.  All registrants will receive a free copy of Archbishop Chaput’s Render unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life. Essays are to be between 1,200 and 1,500 words long.  Essays will be judged on the basis of scholarship, original thought, and quality of writing.

HOW TO REGISTER:
In order to receive Archbishop Chaput’s book, students must register by e-mailing complete registration information to essays@catholicyouthleadership.org by March 2, 2010. All essay submissions must be postmarked or e-mailed by April 2, 2010.  Winners will be announced in April.

Contest Scholarship Awards: