A Message from our Executive Director, Maggie Rogers
On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis will proclaim a jubilee year dedicated to hope. He is asking Catholics to become “Pilgrims of Hope” in 2025 by taking prayerful, purposeful steps to follow Jesus’ mercy and love.
For me, the Pope’s call to action resonates in a special way. Hope is most needed in the darkest times, and Catholic Charities has brought hope by providing help for more than 75 years and some incredibly dark times.
This year brought us the usual challenges – and more.
As I write this, days before Christmas, Catholic Charities continues its long-term work addressing the needs of those devastated by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Catholic Charities is no stranger to disaster response, but we never imagined facing two hurricanes in 13 days. While streams of people sought food, water, and critical supplies in a disaster response hub we set up with Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in New Port Richey, people already scarred by Helene were anxiously checking their phones about Milton.
Milton came and our efforts spread. We were blessed with a surge of compassion and giving from friends old and new. Help came in from the area, the state and beyond. It was amazing. It was humbling. It was appreciated.
Pasco County entrusted us with setting up two emergency housing shelters for people displaced by the hurricane or staying in homes not fit for habitation – one for individuals and their pets, and a second for displaced families.
When Pinellas Hope damage prevented our clients’ return to the shelter, St. Catherine of Siena Church became our temporary home. While staff and volunteers worked in the church’s parish center, others feverishly worked to repair the heavily damaged campus so we could bring our clients home.
We continued and expanded our regular services at this time, too, helping with electric bills and rent, operating affordable housing, helping homeless people find work and safe homes, providing free medical care to the poor, supporting pregnant women and adoption, and helping people through the path to citizenship. We made sure that the more than 500 children helped through our programs had Christmas presents.
All of this provided hope for those we helped – a light to penetrate the darkness. It gave us hope, too. We end 2024 both grateful for being there when we were needed and ready to help again.
I wish you a blessed Christmas.