Story - January 10, 2019 - In the summer of 2014, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV), under the leadership of Sister Norma Pimentel, established a Humanitarian Respite Center as a response to the substantial increase in families seeking asylum at the U.S./Mexico border. Since then, more than 150,000 individuals, including separated and reunified families, have been welcomed at…

Prayer & Reflection - March 17, 2025 - I sometimes wish I were Irish. Mostly half-Lebanese, half-French, I differed from most of my Irish-Catholic friends growing up at Catholic school. For them, St. Patrick’s Day ranked as the third most important Catholic holiday, following closely behind Christmas and Easter. As a student at Notre Dame, I became a “Fighting Irish” and experienced beer…

Prayer & Reflection - March 13, 2025 - Esther’s prayer embodies the heart of social justice — a cry for deliverance from injustice and oppression. Esther’s prayer reminds us that, even when systems seem stacked against justice, courage and trust in God’s providence can empower us to take bold steps. Her example calls us to persist in advocacy, ensuring that vulnerable communities are…

Prayer & Reflection - March 10, 2025 - Today’s Scripture readings offer explicit directions for Christian behavior. The final two verses of the passage from Leviticus say this: You shall not hate any of your kindred in your heart. Reprove your neighbor openly so that you do not incur sin because of that person. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your…

Story - January 7, 2019 - People living and working near the city dump in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, lived on $10 a day and had no bank accounts. Their sources of credit were street lenders with loans at exorbitant interest rates. In 2015, the Solidarity Foundation set up savings groups in the community. The organization provided financial information and training and…

Story - January 13, 2025 - The Refugee Youth Mentoring program at Catholic Charities Atlanta is part of a larger effort to welcome new neighbors to Georgia, providing services and support as they adjust to their new homes in the U.S. Among the services are afterschool programming to assist with homework, English language learning and acclimating to life and school. Parents…

Story - November 1, 2018 - For the last few years, a particular focus for Catholic Charities of the East Bay (California) in the area of mental health services and trauma informed care has been youth mental health first aid as it applies to those who support young people who have experienced some form of violence. Youth mental health first aid…

Prayer & Reflection - December 25, 2024 - One Christmas many years ago on a visit to my dad, we sat before a cozy fire with our holiday drinks. I asked him what concepts we humans needed to have in our intellectual toolkit as we consider our place in the universe. As a geologist, he immediately responded that we needed to consider the…

Publication - December 13, 2024 - Since its founding, the Catholic Charities network has advocated for just and fair policies that help individuals and families who are poor and vulnerable reach their full potential. Our Catholic tradition teaches that society, acting through government and civil organizations, has a special obligation to consider the needs of these populations. Summary As Congress and…

News - October 30, 2024 - The Team Up Project, a bridgebuilding initiative from four of the nation’s leading community organizations, is launching a new cohort of 30 organizations across the United States to bridge divides and create stronger communities. Local Catholic Charities agencies around the country are leading 13 of these new projects. Now in its second year, Team Up…

Story - January 6, 2016 - I came to Catholic Charities of Stockton in 2012 for help with my citizenship case. I needed to petition for my husband, Frandy Ramirez. We have been married since 2008. My husband has not seen his family in Guatemala for the past 10 years. We have been waiting for a solution since then. He was…

Story - September 15, 2015 - Trafficking victims — exploited men, women and children — are all around us, but we usually don’t see them. We may not be aware of trafficking or we don’t know what to look for. It’s a blind spot that the state of Kentucky and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Louisville are shining a light…