Story - March 28, 2018 - Brittney Papike believes the Uplifting Parents Program helped her escape a life of poverty. Over the next five years, the University of Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) wants to test if Papike, a Rapid City single mom of two kids, is right. LEO will conduct a randomized controlled trial study to…

Story - January 12, 2018 - Josh and Alex have been matched since January of 2016 through T.E.A.M. (Together Engaging Adolescents through Mentoring), a program of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Boston. Josh became a mentor because he was looking for a positive way to make a difference in someone’s life and wanted to be there for someone in ways he wished…

Story - January 12, 2018 - Kelly and Chloe have been matched since January of 2016 through T.E.A.M. (Together Engaging Adolescents through Mentoring), a program of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Boston. After completing two master’s degrees and returning from volunteer service with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, Kelly wanted to become a mentor as a way to continue to serve…

Story - January 8, 2018 - “St. Patrick Center helped me build my self-esteem and gain courage to face my challenges.” Delnita had her first drink at eight years old. A child of alcoholics, she continued drinking during her youth and adult life. “Alcoholism ran in my family and played a big role in my homelessness.” Over the years, she also…

Story - December 11, 2017 - Readings of the Day “Be Strong, Fear Not” We are already in the second week of Advent and, given that it is especially short this year, it feels urgent to breathe deeply in God’s Word and be fed. The readings from Isaiah these days are so vivid and paint, at least in my mind, an…

Story - September 19, 2017 - The first word about Hurricane Irma reached our cozy retirement home in southern Indiana on Labor Day, bringing with it stark memories of the terrors and hardship inflicted by previous storms on our long-time home in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as fears for good friends there now and for the island community that…

Story - October 19, 2016 - Bettie has been a widow for 22 years and has struggled with profound loneliness. “It’s just my home and my dog,” she explained. However, as a participant in Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet Senior Companion Program, Bettie’s situation has improved dramatically. The Senior Companion Program offers adults ages 55 and older the opportunity to support…

Story - October 5, 2016 - James* was one of the many dads referred to the Fatherhood Support program (FSP) of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Hartford. He did not want to go, and he made certain that everyone knew it. Starting with the first meeting he would just show up and sit, being sure to maintain an “I don’t…

Story - July 22, 2016 - “We see a lot of benefits, psychologically as well as physically, for people that are getting here. Just the benefit of – after coming from a refugee camp and being resettled – again being able to go outside and work in the garden, get your hands dirty and reconnect with this pastime of growing food…

Story - August 12, 2016 - “Never give up anything. Just hope for better. Things get better, be hopeful, be positive.” When Sudarwas growing up in the southern part of Bhutan, he moved north to join his brother who was working there. Books were burned, demonstrations occurred, and schools were closed in theSouth. In the North, everyone spoke the national language…

Story - June 16, 2016 - Hector Salgado bought his very first home with confidence. He knew it was a residence he could manage. He crunched the numbers. Salgado was tired of renting and spent several months searching for a home to purchase. He had a good credit score and planned to apply for a loan but was uncertain about what…

Story - November 1, 2024 - African American couples in the United States are often underrepresented in adoption programs, leaving African American birth parents who wish to make an adoption plan with limited options for selecting adoptive families from their own race and culture. Catholic Charities in Milwaukee is working to address this gap by providing African American birth mothers with…