When Marianite Sister Marjorie Hebert became president and CEO of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans six years ago, Archbishop Gregory Aymond asked her to ensure that one of the agency\u2019s primary missions would be to serve the archdiocese\u2019s 121 parishes and missions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me, \u2018I want you to be of assistance to our parishes and our priests and the needs of the people,\u2019 and we have worked with that as our guidepost,\u201d Sister Marjorie said.<\/p>\n
Within a year, Catholic Charities established a parish outreach ministry that \u201cdoes exactly what it says \u2013 reaching out to parishes to give direct assistance and meeting the needs of pastors\u201d to help the needy, Sister Marjorie said.<\/p>\n
Raise pastors\u2019 awareness<\/b><\/p>\n
Sister Marjorie and her staff have tried to raise awareness of that parish-centric focus by hiring two full-time staff members who rotate throughout the archdiocese and provide case management services and direct assistance when a pastor calls. She also has given reports to the Presbyteral Council to make priests more aware of the parish services.<\/p>\n
Those parish efforts will be facilitated by the annual second collection that will be taken up throughout the archdiocese at all Masses on the weekend of Feb. 16-17. That collection, in addition to the annual Archbishop Hannan Community Appeal, which was founded in 1965, provide the unrestricted funds to help run Catholic Charities\u2019 30 programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are dependent on people\u2019s support for us to give direct services within the parishes,\u201d Sister Marjorie said. \u201cBecause of the second collection, we\u2019re able to do more in giving direct services back to the parishes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tom Costanza, division director of Catholic Charities, said his agency can help parishes when people come forward seeking assistance for a variety of needs. One example of the success has been simply signing up people in the parishes who did not realize they qualified for SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medicaid or Medicare benefits, which can sometimes add up to hundreds of dollars a month, Costanza said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of that parish outreach, we\u2019ve calculated that people have been able to access $11 million in added benefits,\u201d Costanza said. \u201cIt\u2019s a collaboration. We have great case-management skills. The parish may have a few funds, and we may have a few funds, and we can work together. We\u2019ve been able to serve every parish. We\u2019ve been able to document that at least one parishioner, from every parish \u2013 and sometimes multiple people from a parish \u2013 have been served by one of our programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Can do more collectively<\/b><\/p>\n
Catholic Charities also collaborates strategically with parishes and with other existing parish ministries and with non-profits when there is a community need, Sister Marjorie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t do it all ourselves,\u201d she said. \u201cWe will partner with a parish\u2019s St. Vincent de Paul Society.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the last 18 months, Catholic Charities\u2019 Office of Justice and Peace has trained 80 parish social justice coordinators using the model provided by the U.S. Catholic bishops, \u201cCommunities of Salt and Light.\u201d Costanza said that faith-formation initiative explores Catholic social teaching; direct service and outreach; advocacy on criminal justice, immigration and human trafficking; and global solidarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make the comprehensive programs of Catholic Charities better known,\u201d Sister Marjorie said. \u201cWe continue to hear from people that they don\u2019t know what Catholic Charities does. We have programs that serve people from the moment of conception through their death and burial.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those receiving growing interest recently are English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, domestic violence, Head Start early childhood education, prisoner re-entry services, PACE adult day care and Food for Families\/Food for Seniors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very well known for our disaster relief services during weather-related events, but we\u2019re also there in the everyday disasters of life, when people need food, shelter and clothing,\u201d Sister Marjorie said.<\/p>\n
Another major initiative will be moving homeless people away from a life on the streets into stable housing, along with assessing their physical and mental states and providing a road map for success. That program is being funded for the next four years through a grant from the Bezos Day One Fund.<\/p>\n