A few weeks after being installed as the new archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy smiled as he addressed the guests at the 40th anniversary Catholic Charities Gala at the Washington Hilton on April 5.
“You know, although I’m new to Washington, I feel very much at home on this stage tonight,” he said. “You see, when I was 5 years old, I had my musical debut along with 20 other kids at a Catholic Charities fundraiser in San Francisco, and I can’t sing!
Cardinal McElroy noted how his mother and aunt had joined the junior auxiliary of Catholic Charities there when they were young women, and as they got older, they didn’t want to be considered part of the group’s senior auxiliary of supporters.
“My aunt died at 90 a junior, and my mother died this past year at 98, a junior. They never made the transition!” he said, adding, “And I always saw in their eyes what I see in your eyes tonight. You are here and doing this because of the love of Christ’s least brothers and sisters in the most vulnerable moments of their lives.”
More than 1,100 people attended the gala, raising over $3.5 million for the outreach of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, which is the most comprehensive provider of social services in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding Maryland counties. Last year, Catholic Charities’ 47 programs in 29 locations served 158,000 people.
Cardinal McElroy noted how Jesus’s Parable of the Good Samaritan reflects “the call of Christ to every one of us, and that is why we are here tonight, because in our society and our world as a whole, there are so many lying on the side of the road, sick, alone, isolated, strangers… (people) who are suffering from all sorts of afflictions in their lives, mental, physical, spiritual and emotional.”
“We are here tonight because Catholic Charities is the Good Samaritan walking down the road, coming to victim after victim on the side of the road, lifting them up and caring for them and doing so in the name of Jesus Christ and the Church,” the cardinal said.
Expressing gratitude to the staff and volunteers of Catholic Charities and its supporters, Washington’s archbishop said that like the Good Samaritan, they stop and face “the reality of all those who are suffering in our midst, standing with them, helping them, lifting them up, and being in solidarity with them, as children of the one God who gave us every blessing that we know in this world.”
The gala booklet noted that this past year, 3,390 people volunteered with Catholic Charities, totaling more than 68,000 hours of service. Volunteer attorneys, doctors, dentists, financial advisors, English instructors and other professionals provided more than $22.3 million in pro bono services in Catholic Charities programs. And last year, 6,331 individuals, organizations and foundations supported Catholic Charities’ work with gifts.
Addressing the gala, Jim Malloy, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities, thanked the sponsors and donors on behalf of the agency’s 820 staff members.
Noting highlights of Catholic Charities’ service this past year, Malloy pointed out that Catholic Charities’ Health Care Network is marking its 40th anniversary, and since its founding in 1984, its participating volunteer medical and dental professionals and clinics and hospitals have provided pro-bono, specialty care to 70,000 patients.
At the gala, Dr. Sean Dwyer, a local cardiologist who has volunteered with the Health Care Network since it began 40 years ago, was recognized.
Also this past year, Catholic Charities broke ground on the Conway Education Center in Northeast Washington, which will house the Kennedy School for children and young adults with developmental disabilities, and the Child Development Center.
Catholic Charities began its outreach in Washington in 1929 during the Great Depression, and it continues its legacy of service in the digital age.
Malloy – a retired Navy vice admiral who took the helm of Catholic Charities two years ago – emphasized that “as our agency approaches our 100th year, I assure you that we remain steady on course and on mission, continuing to work with our government sponsors and community partners. We remain committed to the service of others as guided by the richness of Catholic Social Teaching.”
Welcoming the Catholic Charities Gala guests, David DiLuigi, the chair of its Board of Directors, emphasized that “for many of our clients, the services provided by Catholic Charities are life changing.”
The gala booklet noted the impact that Catholic Charities programs had on the lives of people in need in Washington and the surrounding Maryland counties this past year.
- More than four million meals were given to those experiencing hunger and food insecurity.
- A total of 8,733 people received medical, mental health and dental care, and 1,789 low income individuals and families received pro bono legal services.
- Job training and employment services were provided to 2,361 adults.
- Catholic Charities provided permanent supportive housing to 441 individuals and families.
Emphasizing the need for continued support for the agency, DiLuigi noted “the uncertain environment in which Catholic Charities is operating.”
“It is important to understand that Catholic Charities generates 35 percent of its revenue from government funding. Some of this funding is at risk in the current environment. As a result, Jim Malloy, the executive team and our board of directors have a responsibility to plan for a future in which Catholic Charities is more self-reliant, positioned to control its own destiny, and able to continue our almost 100-year legacy as one of the largest, most important social services agencies in the greater Washington community,” DiLiugi said.
Msgr. John Enzler, formerly the president and CEO of Catholic Charities and now its mission advocate, thanked people for putting their faith in action by supporting Catholic Charities.
The families of Patricia and Nicholas J. DeNovio, Anne and Bob Easby-Smith, and Rose and Mark Lee served as co-chairs of the 40th anniversary Catholic Charities Gala.
That day, Rose and Mark Lee were celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary. Mark Lee thanked the gala guests “for supporting the mission of Catholic Charities. By being with us this evening, you recognize the work that strengthens our community by serving people who are most in need.”
Bob Easby-Smith underscored how Catholic Charities is all about “people helping people,” and he pointed to the examples of two families who recently left the agency’s Angel’s Watch Shelter in Waldorf for permanent housing, and two clients of its Harriet Tubman’s Women’s Shelter in Washington, who after case management services, have moved to independent living.
Anne Easby-Smith noted that Catholic Charities’ first gala in 1985 at the Italian Embassy featured political satirist and comedian Mark Russell who performed for 150 guests. That inaugural gala was chaired by Vince and Kate Burke, who also co-chaired last year’s gala and were in attendance at the 40th anniversary gala.
“The 1985 gala raised $50,000 and set the stage for the many successful galas that have supported the work of Catholic Charities over the years by raising a total of $49 million,” Anne Easby-Smith said.
Other gala highlights in the past 40 years included singer Tony Bennett’s performance at the 2002 Catholic Charities Gala. The black Fiat that Pope Francis rode in during his 2015 papal visit to Washington was on display at the next year’s gala.
Before the 40th anniversary Catholic Charities Gala guests danced to the music of the band Onyx, the program concluded with a look to the future. Christina DeNovio – who as a college student interned with Catholic Charities and as a high school student was a summer volunteer at its dental clinic in Silver Spring – said the agency offers young adult Catholics the opportunity “to leave the desks and screens and get out into the world” and make a difference in the lives of people in need. She encouraged them to join the next generation of Catholic Charities supporters through its 83.33 Society – whose members donate $83.33 per month and collaborate in philanthropy, volunteerism and fund-raising and come together for family-friendly service activities – and Catholic Charities’ Enzler Society for young adults ages 21-35 who focus on volunteer work and networking to promote the agency’s outreach.
“My siblings and I encourage our generation – no matter your interests – to get involved with Catholic Charities,” Christina DeNovio said.
(For more information on how to support or volunteer with Catholic Charities, go to www.CatholicCharitiesDC.org .)
