Our Catholic Identity

Good Shepherd is a Catholic agency—a member of the Catholic Charities federation of agencies within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. We see our work as a ministry, and more specifically, an extension of the ministry of Jesus Christ, who called all of us to serve those in need. Our Catholic identity informs more than what we do; it also informs why and how we go about our work. The agency’s values have their origin in Catholic social teaching, but we do not expect or require that our employees or those we serve be Catholic or commit personally to an adherence to Catholic social teaching.  Indeed, the vast majority of those we serve are not Catholic. Rather, we expect only that our employees understand and invest themselves in carrying out their work in a manner consistent with our values. We also hope and pray that this work will be an opportunity for faith formation—a means by which our clients, employees, and volunteers experience God and strengthen their relationship with Him.