Catholic Charities USA President Rev. Larry Snyder Issues Statement on Bipartisan Approval of Immigration Reform Bill by Key Senate Committee

Catholic Charities USA President, Rev. Larry Snyder, issued the following statement today on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s bipartisan passage of immigration reform legislation.

“Catholic Charities USA applauds the work of members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who chose compassion over partisanship this week when they joined together across party lines to approve legislation creating a pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country who are currently forced to live in the shadows.

“Catholic social teaching calls us to seek justice for newcomers, and our history as a faith community in the United States has been as an immigrant Church to an immigrant nation. As such, we strongly believe that any proposal considered must – at its core – build up our communities and support our families by including a path to citizenship, allowing families to remain intact, providing worker protections and addressing the plight of undocumented children.

 

“While the debates taking place in our nation’s capital are often divisive and polarizing, we are encouraged that important issues such as immigration reform are being used as opportunities for our elected leaders to fulfill their moral responsibility to the nation through bipartisan cooperation and compromise.”

To download the complete statement, please click here.

Catholic Charities Assists with Tornado Response

As violent storms continue to churn across the central United States – already impacting over 64,000 people in the towns of Newcastle and Moore, Oklahoma- our thoughts and prayers are with those people in their path.

 Patrick J. Raglow, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, reminds us that –fortunately or unfortunately–Oklahoma is quite experienced with Disaster Response.

 Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City meets regularly with other Disaster Responders in the community, and just last week met to ensure their ability to plug in directly to the response effort.

Catholic Charities plays a well understood and important role in response: Disaster Case Management. Together with other local responders (Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southern Baptist Disaster Response, St. Vincent de Paul Society of our Archdiocese, and more), Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration, state and local government agencies, we collectively form a Multi Agency Recovery Center. In the Center, they assess families and individuals, provide direct assistance and connect them with other providers, and enter them as needed into long-term (sometimes lasting 18 months or more) case management to help them through their recovery.  As a network, we understand what we need to do, and are ready to do our part.

 As this heartbreaking situation continues to develop, Catholic Charities USA is monitoring the situation on the ground and stands ready to help emergency personnel in disaster response and recovery.   

Click here to donate to CCUSA to help us provide critical services during this uncertain time.      

Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte Renamed Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charlotte

Effective May 17, 2013, Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., a non-profit social service organization affiliated with Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), will become Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charlotte. The decision to rebrand as Catholic Charities was prompted by a desire to adopt a name that more closely reflects the mission of charity and close association with CCUSA.

“Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte has provided vital services helping those in need in the Charlotte area for 40 years,” said Fr. Larry Snyder, President of CCUSA. “We are grateful for their service and thrilled by their decision to rename the organization to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charlotte in order to better reflect their commitment and mission to serve the less fortunate as part of the Catholic Charities USA network.”

Please click here for the full release.

Founder and Director of Homeboy Industries to Keynote Catholic Charities USA’s 2013 Annual Gathering

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) announced today that Father Greg Boyle, Founder and Executive Director of Homeboy Industries, will serve as one of the keynote speakers during CCUSA’s 2013 Annual Gathering in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1998, Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the United States.

“Fr. Greg has spent his life devoted to creating opportunities for a segment of the community others may have given up on,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, President of CCUSA. “His commitment to helping underserved populations is an inspiring reflection of the ability of individuals to lift up those in need through a powerful dedication to faith.”

Boyle’s keynote will take place on Sunday, September 15.

Please click here for the full release. 

Happy Mother’s Day from Catholic Charities USA

This Mother’s Day, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) honors mothers for the foundational role they play in fostering the well-being of our nation’s children.  Catholic Charities agencies across the country provide important services to tens of thousands of mothers to support them in their fundamental work.

Pregnancy Services

  • Agencies reported 97,445 clients received pregnancy services. This is up 19% relative to 2010.
  •  Agencies served more than 11,500 pregnant teens.
  • 8,882 pregnancy services clients received educational services.
  •  3,025 pregnancy services clients participated in residential housing programs.

Housing

  • 33 agencies offered temporary shelter for women with children.
  • 43 agencies offered transitional housing for women with children.

Adoption

  •  Agencies completed 3,397 adoptions in 2011.
  • 2,145 adoptions from foster care
  • 1,612 adoptions of special-needs children
  • 529 inter-country adoptions

For more information, view our 2011 Annual Survey Data here.

Patrick Lencioni to Keynote Catholic Charities USA’s 2013 Annual Gathering

FF book photo of PatPatrick Lencioni, named by Fortune magazine as one of the ‘ten new gurus you should know,’ will serve as one of the keynote speakers during Catholic Charities USA’s 2013 Annual Gathering in San Francisco, California.
Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to providing organizations with ideas, products and services that improve teamwork, clarity and employee engagement.
“The efficacy of our Catholic Charities agencies is central to our network’s ability to serve over 10 million individuals living in poverty a year. Patrick’s holistic and comprehensive approach to enhancing organizational health and capacity is insightful and inspiring,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, President of CCUSA.
Lencioni is the author of ten best-selling books with over three million copies sold. After eleven years in print, his book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” continues to be a fixture on national best-seller lists. His latest book, “The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business,” was a national best-seller.

Download the entire release here.

 

Catholic Charities USA Announces New Leadership Roles to Enable Greater Impact for People in Need

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) today announced the addition of Keith Styles as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, and the promotion of Candy Hill, Senior Vice President of Social Policy and Government Affairs since 2005, to Executive Vice President, Social Policy and External Affairs.

Styles formerly served as CCUSA’s outside legal counsel through his role with Arent Fox LLP where he headed the firm’s national Real Estate Group and was co-chair of the Public Buildings Group. In his new role, Styles will oversee the administration, finance, mission, membership, programs and services, and disaster operations departments at CCUSA.

Since joining CCUSA, Hill has been responsible for directing the organization’s federal advocacy efforts; representing CCUSA on Capitol Hill and with the administration; and serving as the organization’s spokesperson on social policy

Please click here for the full release.

Catholic Charities USA Announces 2013 Volunteer of the Year

Fr. George M. KlosterCatholic Charities USA is pleased to announce Rev. George Kloster, a priest of the diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, as the winner of the 2013 Volunteer of the Year award.  Rev. Kloster, the pastor of St. William Church and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, serves on the advisory board for the Office of Economic Opportunity of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Rev. Kloster was chosen out of eight finalists to receive the award, which has been given out annually since 1998.

Please click here for the full release. 

Rev. Larry Snyder’s Statement on Immigration Reform

Catholic Charities USA President, Rev. Larry Snyder, issued the following statement regarding the introduction of bipartisan immigration reform legislation in the U.S. Senate:
“Catholic Charities USA has long awaited yesterday’s introduction of legislation in the Senate that would allow our country to take the next important step in a much-needed conversation of our core values as a nation of immigrants. The bipartisan sponsors of this proposal should be commended for setting aside political bias and partisan opportunity and choosing instead to address the realities we face as a nation regarding immigration with seriousness and compassion.

“Catholic social teaching calls us to seek justice for newcomers, and our history as a faith community in the United States has been as an immigrant Church to an immigrant nation. As such, we strongly believe that any proposal considered must – at its core – build up our communities and support our families by including a path to citizenship, allowing families to remain intact, providing worker protections and addressing the plight of undocumented children. We look forward to analyzing this proposal in detail and working closely with Members on both sides of the aisle to bring to fruition a bipartisan path forward for the millions in our country waiting for action.”

Click here for statements from the United States Conference of Catholic  Bishops.

To learn more you can also download a copy of CCUSA’s 2005 Policy Paper which represents the response of Catholic Charities USA and our members to the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops campaign for immigration reform.

To download the full statement, please click here.

Local Catholic Charities Agencies Say Government Cuts will Have Dramatic Impact on Communities

Catholic Charities agencies report that imminent cuts to federal spending will force the already struggling agencies to serve even fewer clients, particularly those needing basic needs assistance and refugee services, according to Catholic Charities USA’s (CCUSA) latest quarterly snapshot survey.

“The proposed cuts won’t just impact the millions of people that come to our local agencies for help, but have the potential to negatively impact every community and neighborhood across the country by making it more difficult for neighbors and friends to make ends meet,” said CCUSA President Rev. Larry Snyder. “CCUSA believes that innovative reform of our nation’s safety net is long overdue, but until our system is fixed, cutting programs that support the most vulnerable among us is not the solution.”

Click here to download the full release.