Fathers play an essential role in the lives of their children and are a vital part of a healthy society. This Father’s Day, we honor those who have mentored, supported, and guided us through our lives to become the people we are today.

Did you know that children in father-absent homes are almost four times more likely to be poor as their peers? At Catholic Charities USA, we are committed to reducing poverty by promoting and enhancing programs that support fathers, preserve families, and strengthen communities.  Catholic Charities agencies across the United States strive to help men become better fathers by implementing special programs that focus on professional skill development, health and wellness, financial literacy and the skills fathers need to become more involved in the lives of their children.

In 2011, 69 of our local Catholic Charities agencies provided special programs to support fatherhood:

·         17 agencies offered temporary shelter for men with children and 20 agencies offered transition housing for men with children.
·         32 agencies served more than 3,490 clients through father involvement programs.

If you are or know a father who could benefit from these services, please find a Catholic Charities agency in your area here.

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) follows the teachings and ethical practices of the Catholic Church and as we and other Church institutions have done for decades, we engage in coalitions focused on reducing poverty in our nation. We do this with a mutual understanding that we cannot and will not endorse the public policy statements of any coalition that are inconsistent with our teachings and ethical practices.

A recent online news story notes that CCUSA is a dues-paying member of a coalition that – in addition to its work on poverty – has supported policies against Catholic teachings and ethical practices. CCUSA’s involvement in the Coalition for Human Needs is limited to its work to combat poverty. In fact, a prerequisite of our participation in the coalition was the inclusion of a disclaimer to policy statements that clearly indicates that statements made by the coalition do not necessarily represent the positions of any of the individual organizations.

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 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. 

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.