Catholic Charities USA President: Our Commitment, Passion to those in Need will Not...

Catholic Charities USA President: Our Commitment, Passion to those in Need
will Not Waver during These Tough Economic Times

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a speech in Washington,
D.C., yesterday, Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA,
discussed the challenges facing Catholic Charities agencies and the people
they serve during this historic economic downturn. He also discussed his role
on the newly-formed President's Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships. He delivered the following remarks at the annual Catholic Social
Ministry Gathering in Washington, D.C., on February 23.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081008/CCUSALOGO)

"We live in historic times. I am confident in saying this because contemporary
chroniclers trying to make comparisons have been forced to go back 80 years to
the Great Depression or to say that this is only the second time in our
nation's history that has been marked by such enormous challenges for
individuals, for our society and for our world.

"Even though we are people of faith who find fundamental meaning in realities
that do not meet the eye, our lives are not able to transcend this reality nor
do we escape its obligations. Even if we personally are coping well with these
economic fluctuations, they are as close to us as the family two doors down
the block, or a relative struggling with unemployment.

"These are times where anxiety and stress are raising the instances of family
instability and family violence. Credible experts predict that before an
economic turnaround will happen, 50 million Americans will find themselves
below the poverty line. And as we as a nation try to chart a course on these
untried waters, we as individuals and as a Church remember the Gospel mandate
of service to our neighbor in need: a neighbor who is halfway around the world
and who is also within our local community.

"As people involved in the social ministry of the Church and some of us
specifically with Catholic Charities, I think it is worth our while to pause
and look at other historical moments that have challenged and defined us. For
almost 300 years there has been the presence of Catholic social ministry on
this continent: before there was a United States of America, before there were
many financial and economic realities that are now failing. From the
beginning, those individuals of faith and religious communities contributed to
the building up of this new land by making sure that those left behind,
especially women and children, would be taken care of.

"In 1910, Msgr. Kirby, leaders of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and local
leaders of Catholic Charities organizations came together on the campus of the
Catholic University of America close by to found the national movement of
Catholic Charities. The Church of that day faced the challenge that over half
of its membership was born in foreign lands and were taxing the social welfare
system and the penal system as they arrived. The Catholic education,
healthcare, and social service systems stepped up to provide the channels
necessary for them to become successful citizens in their adopted country.

"In the days of the Great Depression, Msgr. John O'Grady, who led the Catholic
Charities movement for over 40 years, worked closely with the Roosevelt
administration to devise a social safety network that would sustain people in
the harsh reality of the Great Depression. He is credited with having
influenced greatly the design of the Social Security Act which addressed the
remarkable number of senior citizens living out their lives in abject poverty.
In doing so, Msgr. O'Grady contributed to the most successful anti-poverty
program this country has witnessed.

"And so we come to this historic moment. We as Catholics involved in social
ministry have been here before, and I am confidant that we will not shrink
from the task at hand today. As we prepare to celebrate our centennial year in
2010, Catholic Charities is committed to reducing poverty in this country by
not only serving the poor and disadvantaged, but by doing so with programs and
services that will empower them to take control of their lives, and
participate in and contribute to their communities as well.

"This will not be easy over the next coming months or years. Already the
numbers of people needing assistance have reached epic proportions. A month
ago, we conducted a snapshot survey of our member agencies to get a picture of
what they are seeing. It is entitled: A View from the Frontline of Social
Service. The statistics are disturbing.

-- Ninety percent of agencies experienced an increase in requests for
financial assistance in 2008.
-- Eighty-six percent of agencies experienced an increase in requests for
rent or mortgage assistance in 2008.

"Fr. Ragan Schriver from Knoxville, Tennessee, reports: 'Through October,
November and December all family shelter beds were full. We had to ask our
United Way to allow us to spend some of their money on lower end hotel rooms
to put families who were homeless into a place until something opened up.'

"Laure Opelt of Rochester, New York, reports: 'We are seeing more working poor
who have never accessed services before and are not eligible for traditional
programs.'

"But perhaps Ken Sawa of San Bernardino, California, depicts it best when he
says: 'There has been lots of talk about resources for Wall Street and those
on Main Street but not a mention of so many of our families that live on the
'Back Streets' and long to live on Main Street someday.'

"While our resources are being severely challenged, our commitment and passion
will not waver.

"From 1935 until 1943, photographers were commissioned by the federal
government to create a pictorial record of the impact of hard times on the
citizens of this nation. Some eighty thousand photographs taken by these
photographers now form a part of our national archives documenting the
experience of the Depression on the lives of Americans, particularly those
living in the rural areas.

"Several months ago, before the extent of the present crisis was known,
Catholic Charities partnered with Mr. Steve Liss, a photojournalist, to
document the faces of people living in poverty today as part of our marking
our centennial year. Throughout this coming year he will provide us with
photographs that capture the experience of poverty today. (Actually the cover
of our snapshot survey contains one of these first pictures.) Some of the
faces are haunting; some are full of hope. But they are all hard to forget.
This morning I would like to share some of these pictures with you.

"In the euphoria of Inauguration Week, Steve put some of these first pictures
together with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bobby Kennedy and our
newly-elected president, Barack Obama. As we watch this presentation, let me
ask you to concentrate on the faces of those you are about to encounter.
(Faces of Poverty video shown)

"Recently I had the great privilege of attending the signing of the SCHIP
Reauthorization and Expansion into law by President Obama. A lot of hard work
by the Catholic Health Association, the Bishop's Conference, and Catholic
Charities finally came to fruition and millions of children living in poverty
will have the fundamental right of basic health care within their grasp.

"I was also appointed to the newly-formed President's Council for Faith-Based
and Neighborhood Partnerships. I would like to thank those of you who sent me
congratulatory notes. However, I also received a fair amount of what I would
term hate mail that questioned why I would associate with a contemporary
Hitler and that also told me that I would probably go to hell for accepting
this appointment.

"Let me comment on this. First of all, there are some very clear disagreements
between the teachings of our Church and some of the policies of this
Administration. We need to be clear and upfront about this and never
compromise our values in our dealings with any other organization.

"There can be no doubt that Catholic Charities is a firmly pro-life
organization. Anyone who doubts this calls into question the thousands of
women facing an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy who are given services from
free pre-natal care to parenting or adoption services to support a woman in
this crisis. In a very real way we give the Church credibility on this issue
by providing options and support and not just wishing those in this situation
well. Let me assure you the Administration is well aware of where we stand on
this issue.

"However, there are also areas where the teachings of our Church and the
policies of this Administration converge, especially when it comes to the poor
and marginalized. I believe that we must take every opportunity to improve the
lot of the poor in this country whenever we can. God will not forgive us for
not speaking up about the rights of the unborn. But I believe God will also
not forgive us for missing any opportunity to promote the care of the poor and
vulnerable in this country. We will be faced with opportunities to do so with
the Obama Administration and Catholic Charities will take them.

"As for the President's Council, you will find an extremely diverse group of
people constituting it. One of our purposes is to find out what common ground
might exist between such diverse opinions. Our voice needs to be at the table;
our values need to be championed in these discussions.

"In all of these challenges, we must never forget why the primacy of the poor
is important to us. It is not because of a profound humanistic attitude toward
life. It is because we have no choice. If we take seriously the mandates of
the Gospel as found in Matthew 25 and Luke 10 and John 13, we cannot do any
less.

"In his Lenten message this year, Pope Benedict XVI focuses on the penitential
practice of fasting. He talks about the meaning of fasting which ultimately is
to do the Father's will. He says, 'Fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the
situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live...Voluntary
fasting enables us to grow in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, who bends low
and goes to the help of his suffering brother (neighbor).'

"As Catholic Charities quickly approaches our centennial year, we honor the
incredible work and commitment of all those who have gone before us and on
whose shoulders we stand. But we also recommit ourselves to our Catholic
identity and renew the passion for the poor that has been the hallmark of our
network and will propel us into the future. But as we go, we carry with us,
deep in our hearts, the faces of those who have a special claim on God's love.
For in their faces we see most clearly the face of the suffering Christ.

May God who has begun this good work in us, bring it to fruition. Amen."

The Catholic Social Ministry Gathering is an annual event co-sponsored by 18
national Catholic organizations, including Catholic Charities USA.

Catholic Charities USA's members -- more than 1,700 local Catholic Charities
agencies and institutions nationwide -- provide help and create hope for
nearly 8 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic
backgrounds. For almost 300 years, Catholic Charities agencies have worked to
reduce poverty by providing a myriad of vital services in their communities,
ranging from health care and job training to food and housing. In 2010,
Catholic Charities USA celebrates its centennial anniversary. For more
information, visit www.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org.

SOURCE Catholic Charities USA

Shelley Borysiewicz of Catholic Charities USA, +1-703-236-6218,
sborysiewicz@catholiccharitiesusa.org