As we approach the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies show that more people are suffering from increased stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. Two years of more isolation than we’re used to and threats to our health and the health of our loved ones have taken a toll. Thankfully, the situation has improved somewhat, but life is just hard for a lot of people right now. 

We see it in those who come to us for help, and I also worry about our staff. They are the first responders for Catholic Charities. They are on the front lines responding to homelessness, hunger, medical issues and so much more. I worry about the increased pressure and stress in a time of a pandemic as they help struggling individuals every day while also taking care of their own families and loved ones. 

It's not just me. Our entire leadership team talks in practically every weekly meeting about the well-being of our staff.  We try to do what we can, like giving them an extra day off at Christmas, and we are hoping to do something special as we hit the anniversary of the pandemic’s start.

It is all an effort to help our staff in a particularly difficult time, one compounded by the current difficulty in finding employees. We are serving more people – 22 percent more in the last fiscal year – with fewer workers. That increases my already profound admiration and appreciation for our incredible staff and volunteers, and I would love to find them some help. If you know social workers or health care workers who are looking for a job or have a heart for service, please ask them to reach out to us. You can find our career information on our website, catholicharitiesdc.org. 

The well-being of our staff is always on my mind, but it has been even more so after a recent day that reminded me of the many problems they help people with. It was a Friday, and my calendar was a bit more open than usual. I had two meetings and one event at a local parish, but the day fell apart quickly.

The parish event was to welcome someone into the Catholic Church. This person has been going to church for years, and he was ready to “take the big step” to becoming a full member. Unfortunately, he has faced issues with alcohol before, and his alcoholism got ahold of him again. He had a few drinks, fell and ended up at a hospital. That prevented him from showing up to receive the sacraments, and we only found out later what had happened. 

When I was at that parish, I was told that a man kept calling the parish asking for help finding a place to stay. He was just down the street from parish, so I learned a little bit more about him and told the priests that I would take care of it. I went down the street and paid for four days for a room to help someone in need of a home and in need of hope. We normally ask social workers to get involved at the beginning. But this individual needed immediate assistance, and I was happy to help him personally as well as be there for the local parish, which is part of our mission at Catholic Charities. 

When I left the parish, I went to the hospital to visit one of our local priests suffering with COVID. It was a somewhat difficult visit as he struggled with the pain and suffering that can accompany the illness.

While I was there, I got the message that a good friend of mine had passed away at the young age of 36. I had anointed him just three days earlier, as he was also sick from COVID. He then suffered a stroke on Thursday and died that Friday. 

I also received word of a young man, just 26, who had died in his sleep. I presided at his funeral about a week later.

As I was leaving the hospital, I got a call from Sister Romana Uzodimma, program manager for our Catholic Charities Health Care Network, who told me that a man she had been helping had died of COVID and that his widow needed money for his funeral. We were able to arrange that with the help of one of our local funeral homes. I then learned of a little girl who was dying and needed our help.

This was an unusual day, and I share it not because I am depressed or discouraged. There is sadness, yes, but it is overcome by our faith that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Instead, I share it because the day helped me realize with greater clarity what it is like to be on the front lines every day, whether you are a nurse, doctor, social worker, first responder or anyone else who is working with others as they endure real pain and difficulties.

These are the struggles our staff deals with every day, as do most of my brother priests. It is a blessing to be part of people’s lives, even at such difficult times, to add what help and support I can. It is one way God calls us to love.

The day also reminded me that so many of us continue to struggle. Students have suffered disruptions in their academic careers, from the younger kids all the way up to post graduate students. Careers have been changed, some possibly for the better but many for the worse. Health has been impacted, physically and mentally. 

I believe that we are all in this together, and that God is in complete charge and watching over us. There still will be pain, struggles and loss. There still will be storms. But if we put our faith in God, we know that Jesus can calm our storms.

That gospel story of Jesus calming the storm is particularly poignant right now. I especially like the wording Mark uses in his telling (chapter 4: 35-41). He writes that a violent squall came up. After the scared disciples awakened Jesus, there was “great calm.” And then, the disciples were filled with “great awe.”

Perhaps we should all try to follow that same path. The storms of life help us recognize our need for God, and we ask for help. When we put our faith in God, a calm comes over us that we almost can’t explain. Finally, we stand in awe at how much God loves us. An awe that reminds us that God holds each of us in the palm of his hand. 

(Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, writes the “Faith in Action” column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites.)