Catholic Life and Practice

Subsidiarity as a Way of Life: The Fundamental Vision of Catholic Social Teaching

Bill McCormick, SJ

Abstract

Bill McCormick, SJ, argues that subsidiarity, within Catholic social teaching, is not merely a procedural principle but a comprehensive vision of the human person as inherently social, rational, and ordered toward complex forms of happiness. Drawing on Luigi Taparelli’s thought, McCormick presents subsidiarity as rooted in human anthropology, emphasizing plural social bodies, practical reason, and the common good. McCormick ultimately proposes subsidiarity as a framework for renewing political engagement and addressing contemporary social fragmentation.