Story - April 24, 2020 - From one end of the country to the other, dioceses and Catholic charitable agencies are coming up with ingenious solutions to meet growing hunger in their communities. The Archdiocese of San Francisco started a grocery delivery service and hotline in early April. Within two weeks, 14 parishes had signed on with parishioners committed to help…

Story - April 20, 2020 - Catholic Charities, others are inundated, and people and backers are helping. Norb Sticha, a retired electrician from New Prague, spent one morning last week making sandwiches with fellow volunteers at the central kitchen and warehouse of Catholic Charities near downtown St. Paul. Sticha, who is 66, started cooking one meal a month at the kitchen…

Story - March 20, 2020 - The volunteers are fewer, but Ernie Stetenfeld and his fellow Vincentians in Madison, Wisconsin, are not slowing down in the face of the coronavirus. Boxes of food are being packed for pickup, the state’s only charitable pharmacy continues to operate, and families struggling to pay utility bills are getting assistance through parish conferences even if…

Story - March 6, 2020 - On the last day of March in 1980, as the sun disappeared slowly over San Salvador and the curfew that had been established by the junta a year earlier took effect once again, residents in the city prepared for another long night without electricity or running water. Some families listened to battery-powered radios that offered…

Story - January 23, 2020 - In January 2020, two members of Caritas Pakistan visited the offices of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) in Alexandria, Va., to discuss best practices in disaster management. Amir Robin, regional emergency officer, and Sanam Samuel, manager of finance and operations, had been scheduled to attend CCUSA’s Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence (AIDE) in December 2019, but…

Story - January 7, 2020 - After falling into a scammer’s trap, Sharon and Richard saw their finances spiral out of control. Catholic Social Services (CSS) gave them the helping hand they needed and assisted them in developing a sustainable, independent financial future. The couple began struggling to meet their bills when 70-year-old Richard had a longer-than-expected recovery from back surgery…

Story - July 30, 2019 - Shortly before she graduated from college this spring, Anna Haydock got the chance to paint an inspirational sign as a gift for her 2-year-old daughter. Its message reads: Beautiful Girl, You were made to do HARD things, so BELIEVE in yourself. “I made it specifically for Jade, but it was a beautiful reminder to myself,…

Story - April 17, 2019 - Imagine being in a packed baseball stadium with fans cheering. It’s the bottom of the ninth. Two outs. The bases are loaded. Zach Drexler steps up to home plate, bat in hand, ready to deliver the game-winning hit. The 30-year-old Drexler said that’s how he looks at his life, like a baseball game. “My life…

Story - December 11, 2018 - Aisha*, a young Tanzanian woman, was the victim of a severe form of labor trafficking. After the father of Aisha’s child died of malaria in Tanzania, Aisha and her son struggled to survive. In 2011, Aisha saw an opportunity to work when she was promised a job in the city of Dar es Salaam. Instead,…

Prayer & Reflection - December 29, 2024 - Today’s Gospel says that after three days, Jesus’ parents found him in the Temple. Scripture also tells us that Jesus rose again on the third day. What is the significance of the three days mentioned in today’s Gospel? Today is December 29, more than three days after the celebration of Jesus’ birth. What happens now…

Story - March 1, 2018 - Robert Brooks recently celebrated six months of addiction recovery and is determined to make this change lifelong. He credits his experience at Catholic Charities Partners in Recovery program for helping him take this immeasurable step. OPENING UP “Coming to Partners in Recovery was the best decision I ever made,” Robert says. He attends counseling groups…

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…