THE GOOD
NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN
| JOBS BOX |
| OKLAHOMA CITY ARCHDIOCESE |
| CONTACT US |
| from September 12, 2004 Catholic Charities Annual Appeal 2004 Lifting
Up the Human Spirit Annual Catholic Charities Appeal About
Raising More Than Just Money By Ray Dyer What will Catholic Charities do with the money it receives during its 2004 Appeal? The answer is plenty. The agency dedicated to promoting Catholic social justice will do a great deal for many who are in need of some type of support or helping hand. Perhaps just as importantly, Catholic Charities will provide a way for Oklahoma Catholics to live as Christ lived- in service to others, even those they may never come to know. Tim O’Connor is in his 20th year as executive director of Catholic Charities Oklahoma City. Over the years O’Connor has witnessed first hand how Catholic Charities and those who support its mission have grown in love, commitment, compassion and understanding for the less fortunate among us. He believes the acts of kindness, whether in making a financial contribution or praying for those assisted by Catholic Charities, is a strong indication that people want to help make a difference, they want to help people build better lives. “I remember a few years ago when the little girl fell down the hole in Texas,” O’Connor said. “All eyes were on that little girl as rescue works worked around the clock to save her life. Everyone wanted to somehow make a difference. As it turned out, she was rescued and there was great joy.” O’Connor believes that is the same kind of joy Oklahoma Catholics experience when they choose to become part of the campaign supporting the work of Catholic Charities. “We all need help at some point in our lives,” O’Connor said. “I believe those in need bring out the best in each one of us. I admire the people who come to Catholic Charities seeking help because it is these people who give us the real opportunity to understand what God is really all about. “We truly are our brothers and sisters keepers.” Last year, Catholic Charities Oklahoma City assisted more than 20,000 people. No matter what kind of need or personal crisis they were facing, Catholic Charities Oklahoma City found some way to help them in their time of need. There may have been a need for family support or housing. The need could have involved substance abuse prevention or teaching immigrants how to speak English so they could land a better job. Perhaps it was feeding someone who was suffering with AIDS, or finding shelter for a battered woman, or perhaps it was a parish nurse checking the blood pressure of an elderly person and making sure they were taking the correct medication. A young, unwed mother, abandoned by her family and with nowhere to turn found support, compassion and understanding when she walked through the doors of Catholic Charities. The needs are many. Fortunately, O’Connor said, so is the love, compassion and support. A little more than half of the $3 million annual budget at Catholic Charities is derived from the annual appeal. O’Connor said only 11 percent of the annual budget is used for administrative expenses. He said Catholic Charities is the largest non-government social action agency in the world. But O’Connor said it’s important for Catholics to understand it is their very parishes where social action occurs, often on a daily basis. He said Catholic Charities is intended to provide support for the work that is done at the parish level. In two decades of serving Catholic Charities, O’Connor has seen many forms of poverty. Financial poverty, he said, may be the easiest to address. It’s the spiritual poverty that causes him the most concern. “The real poverty may be in thinking we don’t have everything we need,” he said. “The right shoes, the right car.” Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta summed it up when she said, “We are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful.” Click here to read more on the Catholic Charities Appeal 2004 |
