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Knights of Columbus announce charity fund has surpassed $100 million in grants

June 27, 2024 Catholic News Agency 0
Sisters of Life attend a dedication ceremony for the ultrasound machine donated by the Knights of Columbus to the First Choice Women’s Resource Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey. / Credit: Knights of Columbus

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 27, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund (KCCF) has exceeded $100 million in awards given since the project was founded five years ago, the fraternal organization said in a press release this week. 

The fund “has crossed a significant milestone” in surpassing the six-figure mark, the organization said in the release. The charity, founded in 2019, is run out of the Knights’ New Haven, Connecticut, headquarters. 

The charity on its website says it is meant to “inspire a legacy of generosity within the Catholic Church.” The organization ensures that “all charities supported by the fund are deeply consistent with the values and teachings of the Catholic Church.”

Among the causes to which the KCCF awards grants are “higher education, evangelization, religious formation, and pro-life apostolates.”

Dennis Gerber, the president of the fund, said in the press release this week that the $100 million milestone is “a dream realized.”

“And for KCCF to achieve this charitable impact in just five years is very encouraging for our work going forward,” Gerber said. 

“While this is an outstanding milestone, we believe it is just the first of many in our work of building a powerful new engine for supporting the Church and our communities.”

The fund has more than $120 million in assets under management, the press release said. It has “distributed over 11,000 grants to more than 2,000 organizations” across North America as well as Europe and Asia.

Among the group’s initiatives include the Ukraine Solidarity Fund, which works to provide shelter, food, medical supplies, and other necessities to Ukrainian families amid that country’s war with Russia. 

The charity works with the Christian Refugee Relief Fund, which offers humanitarian assistance to Christians at risk of persecution, particularly in the Middle East. 

The fund also supports the housing initiative Habitat for Humanity, as well as the Special Olympics and the American Wheelchair Mission. 

Also notable among the Knights’ charitable works is its ultrasound purchasing program, in which the organization buys ultrasound machines for pregnancy centers. 

The program helps save unborn lives by “giving [mothers] the opportunity to view their unborn children on ultrasound machines at pro-life pregnancy centers,” the Knights say on their website.

The Knights further offer broader assistance to pregnancy centers — including material and spiritual support — through the Aid and Support After Pregnancy (ASAP) Initiative.

Gerber this week said that St. Paul’s admonition to be “a cheerful giver” is “a driving force behind what we do with KCCF.”

“Our goal is to help provide the tools to inspire Catholics to give more generously and have a larger impact on organizations that are doing great work,” he said. 

[…]

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Catholic Charities to open ‘Compassion Corner’ to serve homeless, poor in Pittsburgh

May 6, 2024 Catholic News Agency 1
The Diocese of Pittsburgh’s Gismondi Job Training Program helps those in need. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 6, 2024 / 17:40 pm (CNA).

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is expanding its social services offered to people who are homeless and those in poverty with a newly created “Compassion Corner” opening in August. 

The nonprofit charity group is renovating a former office building located in downtown Pittsburgh to provide health care services, mental health services, job training programs, a place for the homeless population to eat, and a variety of other resources. The nearly 45,000-square-foot building is located at 111 Boulevard of the Allies, next to The Red Door (run by the Catholic Divine Mercy Parish), which provides services such as food for people who are homeless.

“I believe this is all divinely led,” Christopher Scoletti, a board member of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and previous president of the board, said during an official launch last week. 

“I believe God is working and channeling the love that we all have for our communities, for our neighbors, for one another,” Scoletti added. “I believe God is channeling the pride that we have for the City of Pittsburgh to enforce a powerful change for a better future.”

Susan Rauscher, who serves as the charity’s executive director, told CNA that the new building will allow Catholic Charities to provide more medical and dental care, which it offers to those in poverty for free. She said this expansion will allow for more dental chairs and more medical services, among other things. 

“[We’re] really excited about the increase in the number of people who can get health care services,” Rauscher said. 

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh provides eye exams to its clients. Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh provides eye exams to its clients. Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh

According to Rauscher, the added space will allow the nonprofit to provide mental wellness services, which will include anger management and therapy. The group will also provide job training services, which will include a free 12-week telecommunications course, and connect them with employers with whom the charity has existing relationships. The job programs will include training for five certifications. 

“Moving into the new building gives us some additional space to move into new areas that help us bring holistic solutions to our clients,” Rauscher added.

Because of the Compassion Corner’s proximity to The Red Door, Catholic Charities will create a spot for people who are homeless to eat inside. Rauscher noted that those people will also receive access to these services. 

“[Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is] pushing toward not only providing that emergency assistance and those basic needs but also incorporating case management and that long-term stability,” Rauscher said.

More than 100 elected officials, community leaders, and business leaders attended the official launch of the Compassion Corner, according to the diocesan Catholic Charities. This included Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who praised the work of the nonprofit and said Christians “can’t just read the Bible and teach the Bible” but need to show their faith in Christ through the “works and deeds that we do.”

“That falls on all of us to do,” Gainey said during a speech at the launch. “It doesn’t just fall on government [and] nonprofit [organizations]. It falls on us.”

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh has raised about $12 million in donations for its Campaign for Compassion Corner to provide these services, which is more than 70% of its goal of $17 million. The group is trying to raise $13 million for Catholic Charities and $4 million for its partner, Gift of Mary, an emergency women’s shelter. 

Rauscher told CNA that 100% of the staff at the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh has personally contributed to the fundraising effort. She praised the work of the staff, saying: “They can squeeze every penny out of every dollar that’s entrusted to us and turn it into solutions for the people they serve.”

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh serves about 20,000 people annually, according to Rauscher. She said the nonprofit served about 23,000 people last year.

[…]

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Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie partners with child sponsorship charity for special milestone 

November 28, 2023 Catholic News Agency 0
Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie during a visit to Unbound’s headquarters in November 2023. / Credit: Danika Wolf/Unbound

CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2023 / 15:25 pm (CNA).

The Catholic child sponsorship charity Unbound announced Tuesday that Jonathan Roumie, the actor who portrays Jesus in “The Chosen” TV series, has partnered with them to sponsor their 1 millionth child currently living in poverty. 

Roumie, a devout Catholic, was cast as Jesus in the Christian-produced hit TV series “The Chosen” in 2019. He has since gone on to headline the 2023 March for Life and has partnered with the popular Catholic prayer app Hallow on numerous occasions, among other projects. 

During a November visit to Unbound’s headquarters, Roumie had a virtual visit with a 6-year-old girl from Rwanda who Unbound says is the 1 millionth child to enter their program. Roumie first began sponsoring with Unbound in 2019, financially supporting and writing letters to a child in Tanzania. 

Jonathan Roumie virtually meets his new sponsored friend, a 6-year-old girl from Rwanda, during his visit to the Unbound global headquarters in Kansas City, Kansas. Credit: Danika Wolf/Unbound
Jonathan Roumie virtually meets his new sponsored friend, a 6-year-old girl from Rwanda, during his visit to the Unbound global headquarters in Kansas City, Kansas. Credit: Danika Wolf/Unbound

“Sponsoring a child is a direct expression of faith,” Roumie said.

“When you have the chance to participate in their life and, to an extent, be able to alleviate some of their suffering, it answers the call to bear one another’s burdens and serve each other through love. I’m excited to spread the word about the good work Unbound is doing and encourage more people to participate in a program that helps so many people around the world.”

"The Chosen" actor Jonathan Roumie meets Pope Francis (right) at the Vatican on Aug. 11, 2021. Vatican Media/CNA
“The Chosen” actor Jonathan Roumie meets Pope Francis (right) at the Vatican on Aug. 11, 2021. Vatican Media/CNA

Based in Kansas, Unbound was founded in 1981 by Catholics as an agency focused on putting resources directly in the hands of the world’s poor. Formerly the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA), the agency today uses a network of thousands of sponsors to deliver personalized support to children, elders, and their families living in poverty in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. 

Dan Pearson, Unbound’s chief international program officer, told CNA in an interview that Unbound’s work is rooted in the Gospel call to view each person living in poverty as “infinitely important,” with inherent dignity and worth, and connecting them with people willing to help, many of whom are people of faith. He said he has seen the connections that Unbound fosters make real changes in the lives of the poor but also in the lives of their sponsors. 

People who sign up with Unbound commit to supporting their “sponsored friend” — a child or elderly person living in poverty — with a donation of roughly $40 a month. More than 90% of the money donated goes directly into a bank account that is in the name of the sponsored child and, usually, his or her mother.

The funds can then be variously used to improve the child’s living conditions — such as providing better food and nutrition or enabling the child to attend school — with the goal of ultimately lifting the child out of poverty entirely.

“What you’re doing is you’re investing in the goals that that family has set for themselves. When a family enters the program, they identify their short-term and long-term goals. And as they check off those short-term goals, they set new ones to walk out of poverty,” Pearson explained. 

“You’re accompanying them, and you’re investing in the plan that [the] mother has for her children,” he continued. 

“The mother, she knows what her family needs and she can use that money effectively. She’s already nurturing and growing her family on just a few dollars a day, so she knows how to use a small amount of money very effectively for the betterment of that family.”

Unbound also facilitates letter writing and the exchange of photographs between sponsors and their sponsored friends in an effort to build personal connection. 

Pearson said when Unbound discovered recently that Roumie was already a sponsor and was passionate about their mission, “it seemed like just a natural partnership to explore.” He said he hopes that more Catholics will consider sponsoring with Unbound, as the organization says it currently has 20,000 children and elderly people awaiting sponsorship.

“We’re just very excited about working with Jonathan, and at this time of year, it is the giving season when people tend to give to organizations that are here to serve,” Pearson continued.

“And we feel like Unbound has something special to offer because it’s not just helping someone who’s in need but also connecting on a human level. And we often miss that.”

[…]

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PHOTOS: Pope Francis shares Vatican lunch with poor

November 20, 2023 Catholic News Agency 2
Waiters bring lunch to Pope Francis and those seated at his table on the World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. The lunch was offered by Hilton Hotels and organized by the Vatican’s charity office and the Sant’Egidio community. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Nov 20, 2023 / 11:11 am (CNA).

Pope Francis had lunch with approximately 1,200 poor, refugees, and homeless from around Rome on Sunday to mark the Catholic Church’s seventh observance of the World Day of the Poor. 

Pope Francis had lunch with around 1,200 of Rome's poor and economically disadvantaged for the World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. The lunch was served in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall and preceded by the Angelus and a special Mass. Credit: Vatican Media.
Pope Francis had lunch with around 1,200 of Rome’s poor and economically disadvantaged for the World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. The lunch was served in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall and preceded by the Angelus and a special Mass. Credit: Vatican Media.

The lunch, which was offered by Hilton Hotels, included spinach and ricotta cheese-stuffed cannelloni, meatballs with tomato sauce, and a cauliflower purée. The dessert was tiramisu and small pastries.

Waiters bring lunch to Pope Francis and those seated at his table on the World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. The lunch was offered by Hilton Hotels and organized by the Vatican's charity office and the Sant'Egidio community. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
Waiters bring lunch to Pope Francis and those seated at his table on the World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. The lunch was offered by Hilton Hotels and organized by the Vatican’s charity office and the Sant’Egidio community. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

The lunch was organized by the Vatican’s charity office and the Catholic Sant’Egidio community. 

Before the meal, Pope Francis led the weekly Sunday Angelus from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square. 

Pope Francis exchanges a look with someone seated at his table during a Vatican lunch with poor and economically disadvantaged people for the World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media.
Pope Francis exchanges a look with someone seated at his table during a Vatican lunch with poor and economically disadvantaged people for the World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media.

He also celebrated a Mass for the poor in St. Peter’s Basilica, in which he called poverty “a scandal.”

“When the Lord returns, he will settle accounts with us and — in the words of St. Ambrose — he will say to us: ‘Why did you allow so many of the poor to die of hunger when you possessed gold to buy food for them? Why were so many slaves sold and mistreated by the enemy, without anyone making an effort to ransom them?’ (De Officiis: PL 16, 148-149).”

Pope Francis receives the offertory gifts during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica to mark the Church's seventh World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. Among those who brought the gifts to Pope Francis were two people with blindness. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
Pope Francis receives the offertory gifts during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to mark the Church’s seventh World Day of the Poor on Nov. 19, 2023. Among those who brought the gifts to Pope Francis were two people with blindness. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

“Let us think, then,” the pope said in his homily, “of all those material, cultural, and spiritual forms of poverty that exist in our world, of the great suffering present in our cities, of the forgotten poor whose cry of pain goes unheard in the generalized indifference of a bustling and distracted society.”

Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor in 2016 at the end of the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy. The day is celebrated each year on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, a week before the feast of Christ the King.

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