The Catholic Psychoanalytic Theology of the American Social Work Profession

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a Catholic psychoanalytic theology of the American social work profession. This theology detects, tracks, and delineates social work’s eremitic scriptures and phylogenetic structures. The paper is divided into ten brief parts. Part one is a propaedeutic to the profession. Part one identifies social work as a secular, science-based, state-licensed profession. Part two is a prolegomenon to any Catholic psychoanalytic theology of the profession. Part two summarizes psychoanalytic theory, psychoanalytic biology, and terminology in psychoanalytic theology. Part three is an introduction to Liber Sancticidarum (Book of Sancticides). Part three delineates the structure and discovery of social work’s eremitic scriptures. Part four demonstrates how a Catholic psychoanalytic theology of the profession is performed as a Catholic psychoanalytic theology of Liber Sancticidarum. Part four summarizes each of the original fourteen commentaries on Liber Sancticidarum, Books I–V. Part five is a critique of the profession’s historicity, hospitality, and anxiety among social work educators. Part six identifies literature that adumbrates psychoanalytic theology. Part seven identifies differences between Catholic psychoanalytic theology and Roman Catholic theology. Part eight provides two archival photographs. The first photograph displays Saint Louse de Marillac’s seventeenth-century seal imprinted in red wax. The second photograph displays a nineteenth-century Catholic holy card entitled La Charité de Jésus Crucifie Nous Presse (The Love of Christ Crucified Drives Us). Part nine is the study’s conclusions. Part ten includes objections, recommendations, and future directions.