Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum (On New Things) addressed the conditions of the working class and spelled out the duties and responsibilities of capital and labor. The encyclical blasted socialism — which was finding followers because of the rapid pace of industrialization — but supported the rights of workers to form labor unions. It railed against unrestricted capitalism.

Rerum Novarum was the Church’s blueprint for social teaching and even now, more than 120 years after its release, is still a guide to the faithful on how to treat and respect the poor.

There are many groups that follow the tenets of Rerum Novarum. The Ignatian Volunteer Corps is one that mixes Catholic social teaching with a strong spiritual element.

The Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) matches seniors — ages 50 and above — with groups that help the poor.

Patty Holley is the IVC Northern Virginia regional director and has been an active Christian since she was president of her Lutheran youth group as a teenager in Portland, Ore.

She became a Catholic in 1978 and took up the mantle of Catholic social teaching.

Holley’s life is an example of a commitment to her faith and to helping the disadvantaged.

Her Journey in Faith will appear in the June 28 print edition of the Catholic Herald.