Story - August 2, 2021 - The Biden administration filed a lawsuit July 30 against the state of Texas, trying to stop enforcement of an order aimed at migrants that it calls “dangerous and unlawful.” The order seeks to prevent anyone, except state or federal authorities, from transporting migrants who may have crossed the border illegally. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued…

Story - July 16, 2021 - Two children, six suitcases and $300. This is all Marisol had when she arrived in Columbus five years ago to start her new life. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, she’d lost both her home and her job in Puerto Rico. She arrived in Ohio with her savings depleted, but faced an even greater challenge…

Story - June 28, 2021 - Plenty of people respect their mothers. Karen’s kids so revere her that they call her Wonder Woman. “They buy me t-shirts, mugs — I’ve got every trinket that’s Wonder Woman-themed,” she laughed. “It’s the most endearing term they could ever use for me. I guess they see me as their hero because I battled the…

Story - June 15, 2021 - Participants logged more than 370,000 miles in symbolic solidarity walks with migrants over the past four years, but the leaders of Caritas Internationalis know there are many miles to go in changing attitudes toward immigration. “Where there is indifference and intolerance toward migrants, Caritas will stand by them to express the love and concern of…

Story - June 3, 2021 - For some seniors, the experience of old age means wanting company and never having it. Due simply to their later stage of life, seniors often experience the shrinking of their social circle. In many cases, spouses, family members, and friends have passed away— and sometimes those that are left seem busy with careers and families…

Story - May 21, 2021 - LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home (LifeHouse), a program of Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri (CCSOMO), is celebrating the birth of 100 babies to its formerly homeless clients. Fifteen of these babies were born during the current pandemic and all were born free of drug dependence and the need for long-term Neonatal Intensive Care, a savings to…

Story - May 19, 2021 - It is a time of hope. And few people need hope more than the poverty-stricken residents of Portsmouth, Ohio, located in Scioto County— the second poorest county in the state. With a median household income of $28,840, Portsmouth bears the burden of a 37% poverty rate. Nestled in green hills, this rural town across the…

Story - April 21, 2021 - Although Catholic leaders across the country called the April 20 jury verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial a moment of justice, they also stressed there is still a lot of work to do to move toward healing. Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of Minneapolis and St. Paul called the verdict — which found the former Minneapolis…

Story - February 4, 2021 - Policy watchers expect an immigrant-friendly path forward from U.S. President Joe Biden, who signed a trio of executive orders Feb. 2, mostly reviewing immigration directives from his predecessor for possible reversal. But what that path forward will look like still is not clear. Biden’s team seems to be laying out the groundwork for short-term and…

Story - January 11, 2021 - The Max Kolbe Program (MAX) of Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland addresses and alleviates poverty using an enhanced peer support program that incorporates job training, community collaboration and social enterprise. MAX offers certified peer support services to clients who are in poverty and struggling with addiction. MAX staff meet clients in crisis in emergency rooms…

Story - November 18, 2020 - When Tyresha Riquelmy-Yankton first entered Catholic Social Services’ Uplifting Parents Program (UP) in 2019, she was hesitant about the mentoring that she would be asked to do twice each month with a UP mentor. “At first I thought, ‘I don’t need anyone to talk to, I’m fine!’” Tyresha said. But as she started to get…

Story - September 10, 2020 - When Sister Norma Pimentel used to query the needs of asylum-seekers in a tent camp along the Rio Grande in this Mexican border city, they asked for supplies such as utensils and blankets. Now when she speaks with them, they voice fears for their safety and ask about an exit. “We’re moving to a more…