Story - March 5, 2021 - By Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor Somewhere between glitz, glamour and coastal charm, North County San Diego farm workers are walking along highways, camping in fields, and clinging to dwindling jobs. Francisco’s morning routine starts at 4:30 a.m. He showers, eats breakfast, grabs a sack lunch, and leaves by 5:45 to make the two-mile commute by foot.…

Story - February 8, 2021 - In this pandemic, we are all experiencing amplified feelings of loneliness and isolation, but these experiences are, perhaps, felt most acutely by senior citizens— a highly vulnerable group that has been advised to stay at home and out of harm’s way because they are particularly susceptible to COVID-19. With many senior centers closed and organized…

Story - October 21, 2020 - Ahead of what has been described as one of the most contentious elections in the United States, the Diocese of Phoenix offered a perspective on the role and responsibility of Catholics in the voting booth during its recent “Catholics in the Public Square Seminar” livestreamed from the diocesan pastoral center. This biennial event normally draws…

News - April 21, 2026 - ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), the national membership organization for 169 Catholic Charities agencies in the United States, has launched a national advertising campaign calling on people across the country to spread hope by serving their neighbors in need. The ads encourage viewers and readers to find and get involved with their local Catholic Charities agencies, which collectively serve more…

Story - August 22, 2020 - As part of what seems to be a new trend for the Supreme Court, it will once again take up a religious liberty case in its new term with oral arguments Nov. 4 in a case about a Catholic social service agency excluded from Philadelphia’s foster care program for not accepting same-sex couples as foster…

Story - April 21, 2020 - Dioceses and their supporters have established special funds to allow donors to help parishes and Catholic ministries get through the economic crisis caused by rapid spread of the new coronavirus. While the efforts cannot make up fully for the loss of weekend Mass collections, the donations are helping some entities with much-needed funds so they…

Prayer & Reflection - February 18, 2026 - Today’s lectionary readings Standing on the threshold of Lent today, we hear the call of the prophet Joel, “return to the LORD your God.” Not with torn garments or public displays, but with hearts opened, softened, and turned back toward Love. A few weeks ago, after a major ice storm brought our city to a…

Story - March 24, 2020 - The COVID-19 global pandemic creating havoc across the U.S. poses a stark threat to the homeless, while an economic downturn may create a new wave of homelessness, several Catholic Charities staff members report. In Southern California, Ana Guillen, program manager for the San Pedro Region of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, said the weight of…

Prayer & Reflection - January 1, 2025 - Yesterday morning around 3:00 a.m., I was secured in shackles and chains and placed in the back of a van. The inside was really nothing more than a cage with a small metal bench where I would sit for the next five hours. I was being taken to the hospital in Galveston. This is a…

Story - November 21, 2019 - Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) received a $1.4 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to reduce hunger among people struggling with poverty. While most of the funds supported outreach and enrollment for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at 47 Catholic Charities agencies in the United States, some of the funds paid for Catholic Charities food pantry…

Story - July 30, 2019 - When a medical crisis sent a recent immigrant into a downward spiral, he lacked the safety net to rebound to self-sufficiency. Catholic Social Services’ Guadalupe Center staff intervened to prevent his family from becoming homeless. When Javier relocated to Columbus from Venezuela, he found stable work doing construction and settled his wife and 5-year old…

Story - July 11, 2019 - Roughly three-quarters of a mile down a dusty dirt road sits a home. In its 13 years, this home has seen three children grow into adulthood and a few hurricanes, but nothing like Florence. Ms. Ingrid, the owner, said that the road the home sits on runs through family land. As soon as her ancestors…