Over the holidays, as we celebrated Christmas and began a new year still facing a global pandemic, I found myself looking back at what has happened and ahead at what’s to come. In doing so, I had somewhat of a revelation. It wasn’t a new idea or thought but a much clearer awareness of something I have long known and experienced.
Looking back, I see suffering, illness and struggles of various kinds as we continue dealing with a pandemic that won’t go away. It has been a difficult time, and many feel as though they lost some of their mojo during the past year. They don’t feel as connected because of less in-person time with family, friends and coworkers. We are all eager to get COVID behind us as much as possible.
And yet, I also have a front-row seat to an awful lot of good that has me optimistic about what’s to come. I celebrate what many nonprofits have done, particularly Catholic Charities, during this time of change and difficulty. At a time when even the basic things in life are more of a struggle, it is easy to miss how Catholic Charities and other charities have grown, adapted and become even more accessible.
I am always amazed at what and how much our staff can do. People are often shocked to learn that we have 800 full-time employees. They are also shocked to hear that our budget is close to $100 million when you include pro bono efforts from lawyers, doctors, dentists and health workers. They are surprised we are that large and can help as many people as we do.
In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, we served 120,000 people. We were pleased with that effort. Amid the pandemic, we have nearly doubled that number. In 2021, we served 235,000 individuals who came to us looking for help and assistance.
Before the pandemic, we served about two million meals per year. Last year, we more than doubled that to over five million meals provided to those who came to us food deprived. We also increased our homeless shelter capacity through the support of the city and the Department of Human Services. We now have 2,500 beds available every night of the year.
Most recently, we served many meals during the holiday season. We had wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and we provided meals at various places throughout the city. We also helped 2,000 children experience the joy of opening a Christmas present and the knowledge that Santa Claus hadn’t forgotten them.
Reflecting over the holidays, I realized more than ever before that we do these things not just to give people a gift or serve them a meal. As important as those are, it goes beyond that. When we do these things, we are saying to individuals – some 235,000 in the past year – that they are important. They are valued. They have dignity. They count.
They need to know that the world has not forgotten about them as they struggle to make it to the next day. Rather, they matter to us at Catholic Charities and to the entire Catholic Church as fellow children of God. Supporting and caring for them says in a very tangible way that they are important, not just because they received a gift or a meal, but because God created them in the same way he created all of us – in his image and likeness.
All of this would not happen without you. We could never do what we do without your donations, support and volunteering. I know you support not just Catholic Charities but other organizations and activities as well. It happens when you give of your time and talent in your parishes and your workplaces. It happens through donations to the United Way and other funds. You have found a way to say to those in need that they count.
I wonder if, amid the struggles in the world right now, we have all realized on some level that we don’t want people to feel worthless and forgotten about. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said: “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.”
It is indeed a joy to help take care of people’s needs, but it is an even greater joy to treat them with love, care and dignity. We feed not just their bodies but their souls as well.
I am overwhelmed at how many people have increased their support of the poor and vulnerable during the pandemic. I promise you that when you support Catholic Charities, your gift goes directly from your hands through ours and right to those in need. As someone who is blessed to see firsthand the difference it makes, I thank you and all our staff and volunteers for giving dignity and love to those who do not receive it very often.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago because we all count. We are all his brothers and sisters. He does not forget about us – even the hairs on our head are counted – and we try our best to make sure those in need know that they count, too. And that like us, God also has them 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. For more information on Catholic Charities and how to support its work, go to catholiccharitiesdc.org.)
