Catholic Charities Attends Annual Gathering

Pope video address
The Pope addressing Catholic Charities in a video message to open the conference. Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C.

“My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I send you my warmest greetings of peace and abundant joy as you gather together in Charlotte, North Carolina, to celebrate the work and ministry of Catholic Charities in the United States of America. I really like your theme: “Setting the Pace: Changing the Course.” That really fits in with what I want to share with you today.”

So began Pope Francis’ video message to about 500 representatives of Catholic Charities agencies from across the United States gathered the weekend of October 4-7 for the Annual Gathering conference.

The Pope spoke from a simple desk, a painting of Our Lady hanging on the white wall behind him. He read from a paper that he frequently laid down to level his eyes directly at the camera. He spoke to the group in his native Spanish.

“I heard my accent. I was very emotional, my eyes were wet,” said Silvia Hirsch, a native of Argentina and senior intensive case manager with Catholic Charities’ Welfare to Work program. “The message was energizing. It wasn’t just what he said, it was how he said it. You felt like he was talking directly to you.”

Watch Pope Francis’ video message to Catholic Charities agencies in the U.S.

The Diocese of Camden’s Catholic Charities agency sent 19 of its staff to the gathering this year.

AG group shot
Catholic Charities Camden staff with outgoing president, Fr. Larry Snyder.

“It’s important to me that our staff understands that they are part of a network that spans the entire country, putting a face on the love of Christ for people in different and innovative ways in each member agency. I wanted them to meet and learn from our sister agencies, and be inspired by the good work being done in the name of Catholic Charities across this nation,” said Kevin Hickey, executive director for the Diocese of Camden agency and president of Catholic Charities USA’s council of diocesan directors.

The gathering was the last for Catholic Charities USA’s outgoing president of ten years, Fr. Larry Snyder. He was honored at the gathering with a CCUSA Vision Award, the organization’s highest honor.

“[I will always remember] what I call ‘Catholic Charities moments’ – those times when the promise of our mission and the power of our network to truly do good and bring about a society that cares for all of God’s children is made crystal-clear,” said Fr. Snyder in his keynote address. “These ‘Catholic Charities moments’ can be large or small, but are always a humbling reminder of what can happen when people inspired by the Gospel dedicate their lives to serving those in need.”

The gathering culminated in the announcement of the Father Larry Snyder Disaster Relief Fund, a legacy fund that will be used to support Catholic Charities’ ongoing efforts to assist those affected by natural and man-made disasters. Fr. Snyder was instrumental in coordinating Catholic Charities disaster response in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

“You are the very hands of Jesus in the world. Your witness helps to change the course of the lives of many persons, families and communities. Your witness helps to change your heart,” the Pope said.

“Here I repeat for all the Church what I have often said: Going out on the streets you can have an accident, but staying locked in will make you ill. I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” Pope Francis continued.

Many of Catholic Charities Camden’s attendees named the Pope’s opening address as a highlight of the conference, along with other keynote speakers and workshops. Dr. Ruby K. Payne, author of Bridges out of Poverty and A Framework for Understanding Poverty, among others, offered a dynamic keynote address in which she called for social services professionals to move from a “rescuer” to a “supporter” mentality.

“Rescuing is when you do for someone what they can do for themselves. Support is when you hold their hand while they do it for themselves,” Payne said.

St. Joseph Vietnamese church
Catholic Charities’ warm welcome to St. Joseph’s Vietnamese Catholic Church in Charlotte. Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Charlotte.

On Sunday the gathering attended Mass at St. Joseph Vietnamese Catholic Church in Charlotte. They were greeted at the Church’s entrance by the entire community in traditional dress. Human-sized dragon puppets danced to drumbeats and a color guard waved colorful banners.

“When we rode up to the Church I felt the love and excitement in that warm welcome. It was very joyful. I can say now I’ve fellowshipped with Vietnamese Catholics and I will always carry that with me,” said Quiana Taylor, a case worker with Catholic Charities’ Welfare to Work program.

“The conference was spiritually nurturing, educationally sound and socially uplifting. I was blessed to have been a part of it,” said David Jallah who works with Catholic Charities’ Immigration and Refugee services program. “To have the Pope deliver a message just to us at the conference was a special and a personal moment for me. He reminded me about why I do what I do.”

The Pope concluded by calling Catholic Charities, “the salt, leaven and light that provides a beacon of hope to those in need.”

“I ask…that you keep the poor always before you, in all that you do. They will precede us into the Kingdom of Heaven, they will open the gates for us. We are called to be a church, a people of and for the poor,” Pope Francis said.

He closed by asking for the assembly’s prayers, “because I need it.”

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