Like a child counting down the days until Christmas or their next birthday, the team at Catholic Charities looks forward to our anniversary on September 27th with anticipation. This year, we celebrated 89 years of service and begin our 90th year!
Our excitement doesn’t come solely from our longevity, but from the hundreds of thousands of people we have helped since our founding during the Great Depression.
As an agency, we are committed to serving our community’s most vulnerable and walking alongside them on their path to permanent solutions and have been since 1933.
Dignity of the Person
We are grateful for a diverse staff that can rally around the Catholic Social Teaching principle of the Dignity of the Person. Despite coming from different faith traditions, we collectively believe that human life is sacred.
We unite under the Spirit of the Good Samaritan, a parable of a man who saw someone in need, was moved with compassion and served him, meeting him where he was, and asking nothing in return. This parable teaches us to show mercy and love our neighbor.
Who is My Neighbor
Scott was living in the desert when his vehicle broke down. Our PATH team helped Scott, filled his water tanks and continued to check in and offer help. When he was hospitalized for a heat related illness, our team made sure his dog was taken care of until he could return. Read More: Homeless Outreach Team Keeps Mohave County Hydrated
When Beth discovered she was pregnant, she called our 24/7 Pregnancy Hotline, our team of compassionate pregnancy specialists at Joining Hearts was there for her. Our team traveled to Beth’s home and explored life-affirming birth options. Our team listened and offered resources to help. When Beth decided to make an adoption plan, our team helped her understand the process, legalities and connected her to adoptive families. Beth has expressed appreciation and gratitude to the adoptive family she chose for her child, and to Catholic Charities for providing this free service in her time of need. Read More: Unexpected Pregnancy Leads to Supportive Adoption
After Sam lost his job due to COVID, his worsening eyesight kept him from finding a job and he became homeless. He sought help at our shelter in Bullhead City and secured a 90 day stay, during which he was able to attain health benefits, including eye care, and emergency housing in Kingman. His Catholic Charities Veterans Services case manager helped him locate resources in the area, including how to navigate to the nearest bus stop. It doesn’t stop there, Sam continued working with Catholic Charities and was able to coordinate with the VA to secure housing in Kingman Veteran Villas. Read More: Case Manager Walks Alongside Veteran Experiencing Homelessness
Our neighbors are all around us and they have needs. We need only look.
Thank you Parishes
We are grateful for the partnership and support of parishes within the Diocese of Phoenix. As the social service arm of the diocese, we strive to help meet needs in our communities, across people of all backgrounds, and offer parishes an opportunity to be a part of our life saving and life changing work.
During September, many parishes participate in Catholic Charities Awareness Month in honor of our anniversary. Some of these festivities may include additional acknowledgement in the form of pulpit announcements, bulletins, donation drives or guest speakers. Perhaps most impactful is inviting our Parish Champions to host a table after mass. Dulce Valdez, Parish & Diocesan Engagement Manager who leads the Parish Champion initiative said, “A Champion at Catholic Charities is someone who learns about what we do and shares it with others! Most importantly, the opportunity of encountering God in others." Read More: Parish Champions
Deacon Lowell from Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Phoenix exhorted his parish to turn to Catholic Charities with needs that individual parishes may not be able to help including social services and counseling. He further encouraged parishioners to become Catholic Charities Champions.
We would like to thank the following parishes for offering support and participating in Catholic Charities Awareness Month.
- Corpus Christi Parish in Ahwatukee
- Holy Cross Parish in Mesa
- Our Lady of Joy Parish in Carefree
- Most Holy Trinity Parish in Phoenix
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Glendale
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Scottsdale
- Queen of Peace Parish in Mesa
- Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott
- San Francisco de Asis Parish in Flagstaff
- Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix
- St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Chandler
- St. Agnes Parish in Phoenix
- St. Anne Parish in Gilbert
- St. Augustine Parish in Phoenix
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish in Scottsdale
- St. Daniel the Prophet Parish in Scottsdale
- St. Francis Xavier Parish in Phoenix
- St. Gregory Parish in Phoenix
- Immaculate Heart Parish in Phoenix
- St. Jerome Parish in Phoenix
- St. John Vianney Parish in Goodyear
- St. Margaret Mary Parish in Bullhead City
- St. Matthews Parish in Phoenix
- St. Patrick’s Community Parish in Scottsdale
- St. Philip Benizi Mission in Black Canyon City
- St. Rose Parish in Anthem
With more coming soon!
Learn more about Catholic Charities Awareness Month and the resources we have for parishes and community partners on our Parish and Community Engagement Page or in our Catholic Charities Awareness Month Toolkit, which provides a letter from Bishop Dolan and Catholic Charities leadership, pulpit announcements, bulletins and more. For more information contact Dulce Valdez at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
