Think and Act Anew

Coming Full Circle

On May 1, Keith Styles joined Catholic Charities USA as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel following a 30 year career as a practicing attorney. In this guest blog post, Keith shares his thoughts about what called him to join the Catholic Charities movement and what his vision is for the organization.

My parents always stressed the importance of serving those in need and giving back of your time and talents. Throughout my career, I sought out opportunities to lend my expertise and knowledge to organizations that shared that mission of service to those in need.

Over the years, my ongoing work with Catholic Charities USA, as well as Central Union Mission in Washington, D.C. and other non-profits, was a constant reminder of what was really important, and a way to reconnect to my roots of faith-based service. The energy and commitment I saw from Catholic Charities agencies to help individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency and make a better life for themselves was infectious.

One experience that will always stick with me was travelling with CCUSA’s leadership for a meeting in early 2006 in New Orleans, just five months after Hurricane Katrina had devastated the region. The rows and rows of destroyed houses, each marked with a spray-painted tally of the number of survivors and deceased, was an unbelievably powerful experience that sticks with me to this day. I remember the superhuman efforts of Catholic Charities New Orleans, who served so many despite a severe lack of resources. Experiencing the devastation first-hand filled me with resolve that we as a nation simply can’t let something like that happen again.

I couldn’t resist the call to become part of this organization with such a long history of helping people in need – and such potential for bringing about substantive change. CCUSA’s unique position of representing its members on a national level gives a voice to those being served in a way that not very many organizations can.

Becoming a part of an organization with the history and mission of Catholic Charities USA is an honor and a responsibility. I look forward to continuing our efforts to support our member agencies and lead the conversation on poverty reduction by ensuring that we, as an organization, are achieving excellence in everything we do. My vision is to enhance Catholic Charities USA’s ongoing pursuit to be the standard for effective and efficient mission-based charitable organizations.

It’s as if I’m coming full circle, back to the seeds of service and justice planted in my childhood in Connecticut. I couldn’t be more excited. 

 

Keith Styles is the COO and General Counsel of CCUSA. More information about his new position can be found on our Newsroom blog.

White House Easter Breakfast Invocation

On April 5, Catholic Charities USA President Fr. Larry Snyder was honored to deliver the opening prayer at the fourth annual White House Easter Prayer Breakfast.  At the event President Obama and Vice President Biden joined Christian leaders from across the country who gathered to “pray, reflect and celebrate” the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Please find the full text of the prayer below as well as the full video of the breakfast. 

Good and gracious God, 

Our most glorious Creator,

As we greet the signs in nature around us of Spring once again regaling us in bloom,
In the songs of returning birds and fields soon to be planted,
We give you praise for an even greater sign of new life: the resurrection of your Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, that we especially celebrate at this time.

The sadness and despair of his death has given way to the bright promise of immortality,      
For the Resurrection is our guarantee that justice will triumph over treason,
Light will overcome darkness, and love will conquer death.

As we celebrate we also dare to ask for your grace that we may live the promise given to us,
By imitating the life of Jesus in reaching out to the poor, the marginalized, the least among us,
As we strive to be neighbor to all those we meet. 

We ask your special blessings each and every day on our President, Barack Obama.
Working with him may we strive to make this great country of ours a beacon of hope
And justice in a world hungry for peace and so in need of your love.

We praise you in this Easter season.  Change our lives, change our hearts to be messengers of Easter joy and hope. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever.  Amen. 

 

A Time to Rejoice, Reflect, and Re-Commit

Alleluia! He is risen!

As we celebrate the joy of Easter, we can look back together over the 40 days of Lent and reflect on how they’ve changed us. On our journey to the celebration of the risen Savior, Lent gave us the opportunity to consciously be open to the Spirit and focus on giving back to those less fortunate among us.

Over the past weeks, we have heard many examples of this kind of self-giving from our Holy Father in Rome. By now, the stories are familiar to many – as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio took the bus to get around town, stayed at a simple rectory rather than a grand apartment, and cooked his own meals. Pope Francis has already impressed upon us the importance of a life devoted to service of the poor through his witness to step beyond the comfortable and familiar to pursue compassion and heroic charity.

At Catholic Charities USA, we shared and collected stories throughout the season of Lent through our #LentGiving campaign. If you’re on Facebook or Twitter like me, you have probably seen the hashtag #LentGiving, where people all across the nation are sharing their stories of “giving up” their time or treasure during this season of renewal. A woman in Baltimore, Maryland shared her story of bringing people together to give back:

“During Lent, I coordinate a team of women to cook and serve dinner with me at a day shelter for women which serves 3 meals a day to 80-90 women. This facility provides laundry facilities, hot showers, mail delivery and so much more. It is richly rewarding to share what you have with those who are struggling and we thank God that we are able to do it.”

This shared experience in service to others is truly an example of the essence of the Lenten season – giving up your time and talent in an effort to serve others first. Even though Lent has come to a close, we are now called to work to keep that increased spirit of service and care for others foremost in our lives the rest of the year. The joy of Easter provides us an opportunity to rejoice, reflect, and re-commit ourselves to this openness to others.

We need only look to the example set by our Holy Father for renewed inspiration for this task.  Pope Francis chose not to perform the traditional Holy Thursday washing of the feet in a basilica, instead travelling to the Casal del Marmo juvenile detention center, following our Gospel call to feed the hungry and visit the imprisoned. His commitment to simplicity, service, and solidarity are a remarkable witness to the fundamental truth that every man, woman, and child, is made in God’s likeness and is worthy of our respect and care.

Pope Francis’ example is one we are called to live out in our everyday lives, giving of ourselves to others in need. This Easter, let us rejoice in the resurrection and recommit ourselves to making service to others an integral part of who we are.

What Will Be Your Lenten Legacy?

“Remember, you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

These powerful words that are the traditional blessing with ashes at the start of Lent remind us of our mortality as we embark on our annual 40-day journey of sacrifice with Christ from the cross to the glory of resurrection.

On Ash Wednesday, we often talk among friends and family about what we will be “giving up” for Lent; often candy or television for children, sometimes alcohol or fast food for adults. While this discipline helps us develop a deeper appreciation for sacrifice, our efforts should also have a tangible impact on relieving the suffering of others. “Giving up” our favorite things is a good start, but a Lenten journey of giving on behalf of others is truly a way for us to follow Our Lord.

When we commit to volunteering, we fully live our faith.  Whether at a food bank, tax-preparation workshop, early childhood education center, or spending time with mentally disabled young adults, giving up our time not only strengthens our own connection to Christ, but has a lasting impact on the lives of those around us.

In the faces of those we encounter, we see the face of Christ.  In his Lenten message, Pope Benedict XVI said that charity for others must be a necessary part of our lives – “Faith is genuine only if crowned by charity.” By turning our attention to the needs of others and welcoming the stranger in our midst, we can learn the true meaning and connection between faith and service.

It may seem like a small step, but making service a core part of our Lenten journey can be life-changing. We may never see the results, but our willingness to serve can show our commitment to the dignity and value of our neighbors in need. Last year our Catholic Charities network was blessed to coordinate more than 9.5 million hours of volunteer service around the country, each hour an individual act of giving back that, when put together, helped our agencies in their vital work of serving more than 14 million clients. When we commit ourselves to acting anew, we know that, in the words of Dorothy Day, “We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world.”

When we are called from this life, we leave behind the impact we’ve had on others. By making this Lent a time of giving back by serving others, we can take steps towards ensuring our legacy is one of help and hope.

Our Lenten journey is a way of taking stock in what matters against the backdrop of our own finite years on Earth. I can think of no better Lenten act than that of “giving up” my time to help those in need and I invite you to do the same.  Together we can establish a legacy of service this Lenten season.

A Place at the Table

I recently had the great privilege to follow in the footsteps of our Lord during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Seeing the hill of Calvary, praying in Bethlehem, and walking along the same seashore as Jesus Christ did 2,000 years ago filled me with a sense of wonder.

That land, while a source of great spiritual connection and inspiration, sits at the center of significant turmoil and discord in the modern age. During my travels, I visited a refugee camp run by Caritas Jordan in the city of Amman that provided food and shelter for those fleeing from the war torn country of Syria. Etched on the faces of the mothers, fathers, and children was the overwhelming heartache caused by forced departure from the only home they’ve ever known. Though language barriers prevented us from communicating freely, I could see in their eyes deep longing for a place to find respite from conflict; a place to feel welcome and safe from harm. My heart went out to them.

Returning to the United States, I can’t help but reflect on the millions of immigrants and refugees who come to our own shores, driven by economic hardship, political unrest, or merely the promise of a better life. Estimates indicate roughly 11 million undocumented individuals are living in the U.S. in pursuit of building their own American dream. 

As the future of this vulnerable population is debated in the coming months, it will be easy for us to treat them as an abstraction or to argue potential solutions strictly in economic terms. Our challenge as moral stewards of God and the voice for justice for all those living at the margins of society is to see in the immigrant and refugee our own longing for a safe place to call home and promise of a brighter tomorrow.  In their pastoral paper “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops tells us that immigrants remind us of “our ancestral heritage as descendants of immigrants and to our baptismal heritage as members of the body of Christ. 

This sentiment is found throughout the Scriptures, and is encapsulated perfectly in a well-known hymn of which I am very fond:

    For everyone born, a place at the table,
    for everyone born, clean water and bread,
    a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
    for everyone born, a star over head.

    …And God will delight when we are creators
    of justice and joy.

 Catholic Charities agencies across the country have been providing services to immigrants for over 100 years.  Through our work with this vulnerable population, we are familiar with the economic and political forces that cause people to seek a better life in the United States and have witnessed firsthand the harmful impact of our nation’s immigration policies. 

As Catholics we are called to seek justice for newcomers, and as a network, we provided over 400,000 immigrants with services last year, ranging from legalization assistance to language instruction to citizenship classes. These efforts are vital, but they are a response to a fragmented system; attempts to patch together the gaps left by previous, incomplete efforts to welcome the stranger in our midst.

I carry in my heart the faces of the refugees seeking a safe space in the Middle East and share with them the universal aspiration for a place to call home. As a nation we must work towards comprehensive immigration reform that ensures all of our brothers and sister have a place at the table, shelter and a safe place for growing. By working towards that goal, we will truly be creators of justice, and God will indeed delight.  

A time for reflection: Looking behind us to move ahead

As the New Year approaches, it presents us with a time of reflection.  One that allows us to appreciate the year we have had and to enjoy the hope and promise that lies within the year before us.  At Catholic Charities USA, this time of year is no different. 

To know where we are going, we must understand where we’ve been.  This means reflecting on what we’ve learned and accomplished in the years past.  As 2012 draws to a close, we benefit from the analysis of the findings from our 2011 annual survey and a series of startling statistics.  Some of these statistics will empower the more than 300,000 volunteers that contribute to the work of Catholic Charities agencies across the country by demonstrating the impact we have on those struggling every day to make ends meet, while others will challenge us as a network to do more to effectively and efficiently improve those same lives.

In 2011, Catholic Charities agencies across the country provided help and hope to more than 10 million children, adults and seniors. 

When reviewing the services most frequently accessed by those living in need, it is impossible to ignore the degree to which nutrition and hunger relief permeates the work of our agencies across the country.  Particularly as families across the country sit down to enjoy bountiful holiday meals, we reflect on the millions of our brothers and sisters who are supported by the good work of our agencies, fifty percent of whose services in 2011 were dedicated to food and nutrition.  However, this is only a door through which individuals first access the comprehensive strengthening services our agencies provide across the country.  It is access to those services, which include health, housing, economic security, education and refugee and immigration services that, paired with emergency interventions like nutrition and disaster response, enable our network of more than 160 local agencies across the country to do more than simply meet an immediate need; they are changing lives every day.

 My visits to local Catholic Charities agencies throughout the year underscored for me the reality that CCUSA would be but a shadow of what it is today without our incredible network of staff and volunteers.  According to our 2011 annual survey, local agencies reported that 311,580 volunteers contributed 9.5 million hours of volunteer service in 2011 alone.  That’s nearly one hour of volunteered time for every individual served by our network.

While the strength of the individuals in our network is integral to the support we are able to provide to the tens of millions in need across the country, our work would not be possible without the in-kind donations, community support and investments that come to our local agencies from local partners.  It is a true testament to our organization that people across all sectors and walks of life support the vital services Catholic Charities agencies provide.

As you take a moment to reflect on your own personal year, I invite you to review the work accomplished at Catholic Charities agencies.  Across the country, we will find people in need, and it is up to us to take the time to reflect so that we can move forward and better provide the help and hope that our brothers and sisters in communities across the country are made stronger by every day.

An end of year message from Fr. Larry Snyder.

CCUSA and the Fiscal Cliff

As discussions to address the impending “fiscal cliff” continue, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is working to ensure that policymakers are aware of how their federal spending decisions have the potential to significantly impact the more than 46 million individuals that are living in poverty in this country.

As I stated during a recent interview I had with a reporter at Time:

“If we have to cut back our services, then the government is just going to have more people at their door. It really is one of those things where you cut off your nose to spite your face.”

While we realize that tough choices will be made as part of this country’s difficult economic situation, we reject the notion that those most vulnerable among us should feel the biggest impact.

Through visits with Congressional staff and letters such as this one, CCUSA has been actively calling on Congress to prioritize investment in initiatives that have proven to be efficient and effective, ensuring taxpayer dollars are being spent not on government bureaucracy, but on the people in communities across the country who continue to struggle.

This consideration extends to the important role that individual donors play in the ability for service providers and human services organizations to continue to meet the needs of the millions that come to us for help.

Recently, I co-authored an editorial with Brian Gallagher, CEO of United Way Worldwide, where we point out that Congress and the administration must recognize how important the nonprofit sector is to our country:

“The charitable deduction is different than other itemized deductions. It encourages giving, rewards a selfless act, and helps raise more for charities than would have otherwise been possible. Data suggests that for every dollar a donor gets in tax relief, the public typically receives $3 of benefit. No other tax provision generates that kind of positive public impact.”

At CCUSA, we believe that the federal budget is a moral document that demonstrates the nation’s priorities. Therefore, the needs and concerns of the most vulnerable must be a top priority.

An Update On Hurricane Sandy: My visit to agencies in New York and New Jersey

I’m always amazed by the strength of the human spirit. 

Having just returned from visiting Catholic Charities agencies in New York and New Jersey affected by Super Storm Sandy, I was touched by the acts of kindness and generosity I personally witnessed from staff, volunteers, and neighbors who just want to help those looking to put their lives back together.

I met a pizza shop owner in Staten Island who has been providing pizzas to families with no power or heat who need something to eat.  It’s the least he can do, he told me.  His pizza truck parked outside an agency distribution center, he becomes overwhelmed when talking about the destruction the hurricane caused, saying he plans to stay there at the site for as long as the community needs him.

I met volunteers who have been working nonstop since the Hurricane passed -- staffing distribution sites, sorting through donations and organizing items so that, as one volunteer explained, people can go “Fast-in” and “Fast-out”. Adding, “Asking people if they need help is just as important as providing it to them.  Sometimes people come in, have a good cry, and then I help them get what they need.”

I met a family in New Jersey who were dropping off goods at a distribution center to donate to   the families affected.  They were some of the “lucky ones”, they explained, and while they had seen the television coverage of the aftermath, they were shocked to see just how “real” the destruction had been, having to pass through some of the impacted areas for the first time telling me, “This is a whole new experience for New Jersey.”

And I met dozens of staff at our local agencies who have been working every day since the storm first hit.  As one agency director explained, “In some ways, staff impacted by storms want to come to work to take their minds off the loss felt at home.” Many agency staff are leading disaster response efforts and conducting damage assessments, things that weren’t something they necessarily signed up for or something that falls under their job description, but it’s incredible to see so many step-up and do whatever they need to do.

They are tired, the stress level is high, but they know that they are part of a network of more than 65,000 employees, each willing to help in whatever way they can.

Some of this help comes from the donations we have received from people across the country, for CCUSA’s disaster fund. These donations go directly to support such things as:

• Case management and emergency assistance which includes immediate health/medical needs, food and water, shelter, clothing, critical child care and transportation;
• Cleaning and house repair assistance which includes house “muck-outs”, debris removal, utility assistance, furniture and appliance replacement, home repairs, and complete home rebuilds;
• Emergency evacuation assistance which includes relocation, safe housing, transportation, and temporary sheltering needs; and
• Long-term recovery needs which include “big ticket” items that often times occur when reestablishing a home, such as roof replacements, hot water heater/air conditioner/furnace replacements, and complete home rebuilds. 

During my visits, I was able to present agencies with ten thousand dollar grants, a down-payment which serves as a reminder that we are committed to doing what we can to help each of these agencies recover. 

As my previous experiences with such disasters as Hurricane Katrina have taught me:  Even though the storm has passed, the recovery efforts are just beginning.  Thanks to our agency network and the continued generosity of the thousands looking to help those in need, we will continue to provide support to our local agencies until all those affected have rebuilt.

Walking in the Shoes of Those in Need

With over 46 million Americans living in poverty, it is a critical piece of our work to be able to internalize the struggles of our brothers and sisters in need as we continue our work to end poverty. If we take the time to put ourselves in their shoes, we gain the empathy we need and a deeper understanding for how to truly help.

A couple weeks ago, prior to the National Poverty Summit, I participated in a poverty simulation, where each attendee was required to put themselves in the shoes of someone struggling to get by. For two hours I was immersed in a life of poverty, living as a father of two who had recently been laid off. I was skeptical as to how much impact two hours could really have in conveying the reality of poverty, but even in that short time, I could feel my stress level rising as I tried to navigate the bureaucracy of government programs, apply for jobs, and help my children stay in school. It was truly an eye-opening experience.

Growing up, I sometimes found it hard to internalize the day-to-day barriers that those struggling just to get by had to face. Sure, times were sometimes tough, but I was blessed to have parents who were almost always able to make ends meet, to put food on the table and provide a roof over our heads. I suspect that many of us had a somewhat similar experience, making it hard to comprehend the daily reality that those living at or below the poverty line have to face.

The participants in the simulation came from diverse backgrounds with one thing in common: a commitment to understanding and reflecting on the experiences of the poor. We all came away with a deeper understanding of the frustrations, red tape, and obstacles preventing our brothers and sisters in need from achieving self-sufficiency and a better life.

That powerful experience stayed with me through the next couple of days as I attended the second annual National Poverty Summit, where my friend and nationally-syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne spoke about our call as faithful citizens to remember the poor and marginalized in this election cycle. We also heard remarks from researchers from the Urban Institute and the University of Notre Dame, who stressed the importance of reliable data and collaboration in measuring the effectiveness of innovative programs.

Each speaker challenged us to discuss the experiences and needs of the poor with friends and foes alike, with our co-workers and Members of Congress – no audience too big or too small. I hope you’ll join me in bringing a heightened awareness of the reality facing over 46 million Americans. Take a minute to put yourself in the shoes of those who struggle to put food on the table for their families or find a job that pays a living wage. I promise you – you won’t look at your blessings the same way again.