BY ANDY BARTON
“We are in this together.”
That is an overarching sentiment you will hear when you ask a Catholic Charities staff or volunteer how they would characterize working with our poor and vulnerable. It reflects a dedication to solidarity and the common good – fundamental principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church characterizes solidarity in this way: “It is a virtue directed par excellence to the common good, and is found in a commitment to the good of one’s neighbor with the readiness, in the Gospel, to ‘lose oneself for the sake of the other.’” The same document describes the common good this way: “The principle of the common good, to which every aspect of social life must be related if it is to attain its fullest meaning, stems from the dignity, unity, and equality of all people.”
More simply, every human life matters because we are all in this together.
That is why the work to alleviate the effects of poverty is so critical; however, there are no easy fixes. People are complex, which makes their problems complex. There is no app for a phone and no technological advance that will alleviate the suffering of poverty. Artificial Intelligence can do nothing to move someone from vulnerability to stability. The only way is to love our neighbors as we love our God and as we love ourselves; to walk with them on their journey from crisis to stability.
In this month’s newsletter, you can read a story that captures this complexity as well as any we have ever shared in the profile
of Alexander and his family. As you read, pay close attention to all the setbacks the family experiences, both because of decisions they have made and because of circumstances they have experienced. Then, notice all the people and programs at Catholic Charities that have helped the family. You can hear his full story in the video How You Help Families Succeed at www.CCharitiesCC.org/blog
All of this is possible because of you. Your support helps us to be flexible enough to respond to the complexity of poverty. This spring, your support is critical because the reality is that the need we are seeing in the communities we serve is growing rapidly.
In 2023, Catholic Charities served 14,570 people which is almost double the number we served in 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic. Over the same period of time, philanthropic giving declined both locally and across the nation. In 2023, Catholic Charities had 1,000 fewer individual donors than we had in 2020. That’s a 25% decrease. Inflation, uncertainty, and fatigue are among other factors that play into both trends.
Catholic Charities remains steadfast in our support for families like Alexander’s. We will continue to meet the growing needs of our poor and vulnerable when and how they occur. We are all in this together.
Thank you for walking with us and for walking with our neighbors in need of hope, help, and love.
Andy Barton is the President and CEO of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado. This article first appeared in the May 2024 edition of the Helping Hands monthly newsletter.
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