Story - March 15, 2021 - The American Rescue Plan is “an extraordinarily practical way to help the American people, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said in a statement March 11, the same day President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package into law. “People have the right to expect that their money, in the form of tax…

Story - March 4, 2021 - Injured and denied disability benefits, this former goldmine worker spent five years homeless in Calexico. The only homeless shelter in the area that helped him get back on his feet. “There’s a lot of gold back in those hills,” says Robert, a native of Westmorland, California, in the Imperial Valley. In 1990, a few years…

Story - February 23, 2021 - The Burton family from Lake Charles, Louisiana, were on the way home from a New Mexico skiing vacation when the worst winter storm in recent Texas history brought the state to a perpetual halt. They kept track of the worst-hit regions and avoided Amarillo and Austin. Then Feb. 17, as many Texans huddled in their…

Story - February 19, 2021 - At the Gateway International Bridge that links Brownsville, Texas, to Matamoros, Mexico, a group of volunteers and Catholic sisters pull portable carts with diapers, tents, food and supplies. They cross the border into Mexico on foot, a small caravan of about 10-20 people. Their destination is the migrant camp on the other side, where asylum-seekers…

Story - February 18, 2021 - Rose Bak has seen the stress on the faces of the social workers and case managers of the staff at Catholic Charities of Oregon. Under the yearlong pandemic, they look weary. Workers have described feeling depressed, anxious and isolated after hearing hundreds of tough challenges their clients are facing. “People are tired and they’re stressed…

Story - December 11, 2020 - The diocese of immigrants is temporarily the home of a sculpture depicting the movement of migrants. “Angels Unawares,” a replica of the artwork that sits in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, was unveiled Dec. 8 by Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and placed in front of the diocese’s public Christmas tree at Grand Army Plaza.…

Story - September 23, 2020 - As Tropical Storm Beta made landfall between Corpus Christi and Galveston, Texas, along the Gulf Coast the night of Sept. 21, the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee prepared to dispatch its “Caring Coach” to help those still recovering there from Hurricane Sally’s wrath unleashed on the Gulf Coast a week earlier. Sally made landfall early in the…

Story - September 14, 2020 - Jessica Greponne pulled up as volunteers sprang into action at Catholic Charities of Central Florida’s first diaper distribution – their first step in Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service, an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Greponne’s 2-year-old daughter smiled and waved, squealing with delight from her car seat as…

Story - July 24, 2020 - Catholic Charities (Santa Fe) had a grand opening ceremony on Feb. 27, 2020, for Generations @ West Mesa, an affordable living community in Albuquerque serving grandparents caring for grandchildren. Catholic Charities worked with the real estate developer Gorman & Co. to develop and build Generations @ West Mesa. “This was a population that really needed…

Story - July 14, 2020 - Nearly every bishop responding to a survey said the coronavirus pandemic has seriously affected the celebration of the sacraments and rites and sacramental preparation programs in their dioceses. Confirmations, first Communions, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and other sacramental preparation were the ministries most often cited by the bishops as being affected, according…

Story - July 8, 2020 - Alan had been retired for almost 20 years and never slowed down. He was always healthy and independent, wrote and mailed checks to pay his bills, drove to the store to buy whatever he needed, and took regular walks for exercise (and to get out of his house). Since retiring, he never had to worry…

Story - June 11, 2020 - The USCCB ad hoc Committee Against Racism teamed with the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development and Loyola Press, to produce a children’s book perfect for the domestic church. Complete with free downloadable activities geared toward teaching reconciliation and the purpose of confession, the book was first released in December 2019. Everyone Belongs tells…