Publication - June 1, 2022

Story - January 25, 2021 - Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, Inc. seeks to rebuild homes and repair lives through its Purpose Home Repair and Plumbing social enterprise program. The primary initiatives of the program are to a) develop a home repair and construction social enterprise to help low-income, unemployed and underemployed people, with significant barriers to employment, gain marketable job…

Story - April 11, 2022 - By Rebecca Smith After fleeing Afghanistan, several hundred refugees have ended up in mid-Missouri. Community groups there came together to gather donations for new and expectant Afghan moms, and hosted a baby shower and health clinic to help them transition to life in America. Last August, the United States completed the American exit from Afghanistan,…

News - March 9, 2023 - Jack Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota  Jack, a disabled veteran with PTSD, had been homeless for more than a year, living in his car. A longtime cross-country truck driver, he could no longer drive due to back pain and had to put his mother in assisted living. His Social Security disability…

Story - January 5, 2021 - The coronavirus has reshaped life in the United States in many ways, but in key respects it has affected Black, Native American and Latino individuals more than other racial or ethnic groups. People of color get sick and die of COVID-19 at rates higher than white individuals and higher than their share of the population,…

Story - March 31, 2022 - Catholic Charities Board of Trustees, following an extensive search, has named Sr. Betsy Van Deusen, CSJ, as Catholic Charities’ next Chief Executive Officer. Catholic Charities is one of the region’s largest human services organizations, covering the Albany Diocese’s 14 counties and 10,000 square miles. Sr. Betsy, who for the last nine years has served as…

News - March 28, 2023 - Alexandria, Va. — On Monday, March 27, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) submitted comments in response to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways.” CCUSA opposes the proposed rule because it creates additional barriers for people fleeing harm to exercise their legal right to…

Story - December 14, 2021 - Deadly tornadoes left a more-than 200-mile path of destruction overnight on December 10, 2021, in the Midwest.   In the past month, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro staff have been busy resettling 300 Afghan refugees in our community. We still have more than 150 refugees in an Owensboro hotel because of our housing shortage. Also, some landlords would not rent to the newcomers making…

News - September 30, 2022 - Alexandria, Va. – After eight years of leading Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), Sister Donna Markham OP, Ph.D., will retire as its President and CEO in summer 2023. Sister Donna is the first woman to lead the U.S. domestic humanitarian work of the Catholic Church and is the 10th president in CCUSA’s 112-year history. Her retirement…

Prayer & Reflection - December 24, 2022 - Today’s gospel from Luke 1:67-79, known as “The Canticle of Zechariah,” is a hymn of praise to God. Zechariah was jubilant that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would finally have a child. The couple had all but given up on being parents, but God had other plans. Not only would they have a child, but…

News - June 13, 2017 - Catholic Charities USA is encouraged by the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit affirming a nationwide preliminary injunction against the Administration’s executive order limiting and suspending the refugee program and banning travel from six Muslim majority countries.  However, the ongoing raids around the country, including the detention for deportation of dozens…

Prayer & Reflection - December 17, 2022 - As a child, I remember how long Advent felt as I anticipated presents on Christmas morning and a week off school. As an adult, I have the opposite feeling, marveling at how quickly Advent flies by. Instead of something to anticipate, Christmas feels like a deadline with so much to do and not enough time…