The Catholic Economy, Part 4: What is a Catholic Economy?

Principles of a Catholic Economy:

1. Catholics can freely evangelize the world without repercussions from woke culture in an ideal state of affairs of a Catholic Economy. The ability to freely evangelize would be a hallmark of a Catholic economy.
2. The Catholic economy is where the family is supported. This means that the father and mother can fulfill their roles in the procreative and unitive aspects of their marriage, and educate their children, to get everyone to heaven. The Catholic economy would especially help those families that are not intact because they will need more help from the outside.
3. Jobs and training are available to fellow Catholics. If you want to work for an overtly Catholic-run business, you could find such a company and they would exist. There would be a job board for such businesses. You can find fulfilling work in a business run in a Catholic manner.
4. Business start-up advice and mentoring would be available. There would be a network of advisors. The Catholic CEO is part of it.
5. Financing and capital are available. This isn’t to replace the banking system, but there are Catholics who have significant capital to invest. Even if there was a small start-up micro-loan available locally, such as at the parish level, it would be beneficial to a Catholic economy. Many groups have done this in the past. People gather together through common interests, common belief, common origin, common background, common work, etc. They usually produce good economic results banding together.

How would it work?

1. Catholics would buy from each other. If you’re going to follow Catholic principles, you could help others doing the same by possibly paying more for their products or services. If we could buy from each other, we would be a greater economic powerhouse. We could then get better deals. If we went to our suppliers en masse, we could get better deals from them.
2. Catholics could sell to each other. Other Catholics would pay attention to Catholic-owned businesses. Customers could distinguish a Catholic business from others. These businesses would have clear marketing and other such things to tell who they are.
3. Treat employees better than the minimum requirement. We could get the same productivity and pay a living wage. Catholic businesses could pay more than the market, which would be a step toward the ideal of a living wage where one breadwinner would make enough to support the family.
4. Display your Catholicism in your business, even if you serve the public. Let the world know you are a Catholic-owned business.

Who will start to pay attention if we have a Catholic economy?

1. Legislators. We could become influential in the sphere of politics with economic power.
2. Corporate marketers. If Catholic consumers would be coordinated in our efforts to buy from wholesome companies, perhaps the corporate marketers would change. If we had principles and economic power, we could change the face of corporate marketing in our world.
3. Financial and banking system. They do not currently pay attention to Catholics. They pay attention to women, small business owners, minorities, and other categories. They have a very detailed segmentation process from which they try to attract customers. Angel investors, private equity, etc., would start to pay attention if a group of Catholics came to them as a group.
4. Suppliers. If we asked our suppliers to supply products with fair trade principles, we could influence better treatment of workers and others make the workday better for people around the world.
5. Families. If Catholics were an economic powerhouse, our families would benefit. Maybe the father would not need to leave the home for 10-12 hours a day but would have a business in the home. It would benefit the children to see their father at meal times and see him work. Children would see the toil, effort, and problem-solving of a man at his work.

What is the next move?

1. Start businesses. Consider leaving the corporate world. Move to a part-time job or get a side gig while starting your own business. If you do the calculations, you could see how little income needed to be replaced.
2. Start locally. This is the doctrine of subsidiarity. Start a pool of capital in your parish. Start a co-op at your parish.
3. Start now. Think carefully, pray, be sure your life is balanced, but why wait? If you are called to start a business, why continue to work in the corporate world that is inimical to the Catholic faith in many ways.
4. Start small business groups, like our St. Joseph forum where we solve business problems in real time. There are many other models that would work also. If we start a Catholic economy, we can fight back. We don’t need to be negative and despairing. We can change the culture through our work.