Regional Office Provides Support
Clinton Area Benefits from
Catholic Charities Ministry 

CLINTON — Across the street from St. Mary Catholic Church, nestled between other homes on the block, is a small inconspicuous green house that blends with the neighborhood. The only outward difference is a sign in the front yard that reads, “Catholic Charities.”

Although it appears to be an ordinary house, it is quite the contrary.  Whether you are a stranger visiting for the first time, or a regular client, you will receive the same heart-warming welcome from Eileen McGee, Director of the Clinton regional office. “Opening the Clinton office four years ago has made such a difference to this community, and to so many people across western Oklahoma,” McGee said. The regional office serves Clinton, Elk City, Weatherford, Cordell, Canute, Sayre, and other towns
throughout Custer, Beckham, Washita and Roger Mills counties.

St. Mary’s Pastor Carl Janocha and parish office secretary Margaret Schamberger will testify to the importance of Catholic Charities’ presence in the community. “It is so comforting to know that Eileen is just across the street, and can assist us in serving those who are in desperate need of help.” Father Janocha added, “Catholic Charities is such a wonderful witness to our faith. The word has spread across the region that if you need help, you can call the Clinton office. A majority of the people served aren’t even Catholic.”

 A special need at the church is a growing Hispanic population. About 45 percent of the members at Saint Mary’s are Hispanic. Two Sundays a month, Father Janocha is saying Mass in Spanish. “This is a real challenge since I don’t even speak Spanish,” he said..

Like the other Catholic parishes in the region, the church office at St. Mary’s has a constant flow of people stopping by requesting aid for themselves, a family member, or a friend. Referrals include Catholic Charities, an active St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Mary’s, the Mission House in Clinton, or Opportunities, Inc.

“We all work closely together to make things happen,” Father Janocha said. “We have very generous people in our church and community. Our parishioners willingly donate to Catholic Charities and St. Vincent de Paul, because they know that money is being used right here in the community in which they live,” the priest said.

Two well- known projects coordinated by the Clinton office of Catholic Charities are the annual coat drive and the new blanket drive. In early fall, Clinton and Elk City sponsored a project called “Apple Tree” in which parishioners purchased school clothes for children. “The parishes in our area are so quick to respond. Even Southwestern Oklahoma State University helped out with our coat drive this year,” McGee said. She said, “One of the neatest stories is an 81 year old woman from Weatherford who heard about our coat drive four years ago. She told her children and grandchildren that all she wanted for Christmas was money so that she could shop for children’s coats. She bought 18 coats that first year and has done this every year since.”

On a daily basis, McGee, who is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and International Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor (ICADC), serves clients at Catholic Charities with a wide variety of needs. As the sole employee at the Clinton office, she stays quite busy counseling clients on coping skills, dealing with the death of a loved one, anger management, substance abuse, domestic violence, marriage counseling, pre-divorce and divorce counseling, and grief. She also works closely with a parent or parents who have lost their child to the child welfare system. “I try to help these parents find ways to get back on their feet so they can regain custody of their kids,” she said.  In addition to the Clinton office, the parishes at Weatherford and Elk City offer space for Eileen to provide counseling services to clients in those communities. Services are provided to people of all faiths.

Eileen McGee is the first and only coordinator of the Clinton regional office of Catholic Charities. When she was hired four years ago to open the office, she said she never dreamed her job would bring her such joy and satisfaction.

 “I am so grateful I took this job. I really believe it was divine intervention, because when the job was first offered to me I turned it down. I had a good job in Elk City at the time. But that Sunday at my church (St. Matthews) Father Fuller preached about serving God and working for the church. It made me think twice as hard about my decision the week before. However, I got a second chance when Julia Reed at Catholic Charities called me a week later and offered me the job again. This time I said yes and I have never regretted that decision,” she said.

Shortly after she took the job, a tornado struck Cordell. For about six months, she represented Catholic Charities assisting tornado victims. She worked three days in Cordell and two days at the Clinton office. McGee works closely with an Advisory Board Committee established shortly after the Clinton office opened. The Advisory Board representatives include professors from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, businessmen and women, and parishioners from Clinton, Weatherford, Canute, Cordell, and Elk City. Also on the board are Father Timothy Fuller from St. Matthew’s Parish in Elk City, Father Mark Mason of St. Eugene’s Parish in Weatherford, Father Carl Janocha of St. Mary’s in Clinton, and Catholic Charities staff in Oklahoma City, Tim O’Connor, executive director and Julia Reed, assistant executive director.

For additional information about the Clinton regional office, call 1-866-852-6336. Other Catholic Charities’ regional outreach offices in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City are located in Enid and Lawton.