Story - September 17, 2018 - For 19 years, I worked for U.S. Government agencies and private businesses in Sao Tome and Cape Verde. In 2013, my family and I (six people) moved to Boston and were able to successfully adjust to life in the U.S. I had always worked in office settings, but in the U.S., due to sudden hardship…

Prayer & Reflection - December 12, 2024 - From years of enjoying a special family meal of hard-shell tacos covered in Kraft shredded cheese, to performing a traditional indigenous dance alongside my Mexican husband at our Spanish language Mass just last year, and so many festive variations in between, I have celebrated today’s feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe my whole life. What…

Prayer & Reflection - December 11, 2024 - The holiday season is a supposed to be a holy and joyful time. Yet we all have the habit of focusing on what events and parties to attend. That, coupled with the need to get the perfect gift for friends and family, can shift our focus. While these are fun aspects of the season, many…

Prayer & Reflection - December 10, 2024 - Comfort, comfort my people. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem… There is a beautiful saying of Venerable Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, that goes: “There are things the poor prize more highly than gold, tho’ they cost the donor nothing; among these are the kind word, the gentle, compassionate look and the patient hearing…

Prayer & Reflection - December 7, 2024 - Are you ready for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ? Are you vigilant? In his first coming into the world, there was much tragic happening. People’s hope slowly vanished as pain, sorrow and helplessness filled the air — and their lives. Our minds wonder and perhaps think how similar those days are to…

Prayer & Reflection - December 5, 2024 - Both the Old Testament reading and the Gospel today give us strikingly similar images of cities and buildings crumbling and falling. Isaiah, true to form, calls to mind explicitly the poor among us. He even suggests that the cause of the city’s ruin is the neglect of the poor. The writer of Matthew’s Gospel issues…

Prayer & Reflection - December 2, 2024 - Recently, I was out walking, as I often do, reflecting on all that has gone on in the last few weeks, and thinking about how I would like to “let Advent” make things different. Of course, there is so much going on in my agency, especially as we prepare to make Christmas special for others, but…

Prayer & Reflection - December 1, 2024 - Do you remember your experience of Advent as a child? I remember watching week by grueling week as a new candle was lit on the Advent wreath. Every day I opened a new door on my Advent calendar, maybe sneaking a peek at the next day to see what was ahead. It seemed like Christmas…

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 - March 1, 2018 - Behind the statistics of homelessness in Central New Jersey are real people like Flory, who, with a little temporary housing assistance from Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, can pull themselves out of homelessness. A smart, easy-going elderly woman, Flory, was living on the streets several months ago. At this low point in her life, when…

Story - January 29, 2018 - It’s a wintry Thursday night, and Luiz is carefully painting a holiday ornament with bright colors. He and other members of the Catholic Charities HIV/AIDS Art Therapy Group come together each week to express themselves and find comfort in socialization. Luiz is an introspective person with an expressive personality. Today, he eloquently shares his viewpoints…

Story - January 19, 2018 - Project HOPE (Homeless Outreach Partnership Effort) organized a “Spa Day” for women experiencing homelessness and those dangerously close to homelessness. The event, which took place on Sunday, Jan. 7, came about through a partnership with Catholic Charities West Virginia (CCWVa). The “Spa Day” was held for approximately 30 women at the Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center…