A full 13% of the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal is allocated to
Catholic Charities. This is the third largest recipient of the
BLA, (Vocations at 20% is the largest and Youth Ministry at
17% is the second largest). Internationally, Catholic
Charities is one of the most respected aid organizations,
and the U.S. Government often distributes assistance to
Third World countries through Catholic Charities as one of
the surest agencies when it comes to getting the aid to
those for whom it is truly intended. However the 13% of
the BLA for Catholic Charities goes to fund, not the
International Division, but our own local diocesan branch of
Catholic Charities. In this case Charity truly does start at
home. There is a special branch designed to meet the
growing needs of immigrant services, Hogar Hispano,
which is particularly geared to assisting immigrants from
Latin America. With its Spanish speaking staff it helps
many newcomers to our country traverse the often
bewildering hurdles of language and culture as well as the
maze of governmental bureaucracy. Hispanic peoples
make up the largest bloc of immigrants to our area and the
Catholic Church is a familiar beacon to them which can
help better integrate them into our society. Historically the
Church has always done this for immigrants from far away
countries. And Hogar Hispano is an important part of the
process.
Catholic Charities also reaches out to the most
disenfranchised among us, literally providing food to the
hungry and shelter to the homeless. Christ House in
Alexandria is able to offer shelter to some and food to
many more. The soup kitchen at Christ House is always
full and the emergency pantry for food assistance is in
constant need of replenishment. Additionally, the Diocese
recently purchased a bloc of apartments in Prince William
County to provide transitional housing for families who
have lost everything and are trying to rebuild their lives.
Catholic Charities also has some very important
programmes to assist with crisis pregnancies and families
seeking to adopt. Vulnerable young mothers are helped,
both to have and to keep their babies, while other children,
whose mothers cannot – for whatever reason – keep them,
are helped to find loving homes with open-hearted families.
Additional services offered by Catholic Charities are
counseling and elder care, service to the disabled and
prison ministry. And when you give to the Bishop’s Lenten
Appeal you become a part of it all. In a time of need it is all
the more important to give generously. Please consider
the good work of Catholic Charities when you decide how
much to donate to the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal.