FCC provides services through Catholic Charities

by Rick Tipton

Catholic Charities of Louisville is the social services ministry of the Archdiocese of Louisville, serving all 24 counties of the Archdiocese of Louisville. The organization's mission is to serve people in need, especially the poor and oppressed and to advocate for necessary changes in social policy. Consistent with the principles of Catholic social teaching, Catholic Charities builds bridges of hope, mercy, and justice as they accompany struggling families and individuals to greater self-sufficiency, one relationship at a time. Catholic Charities calls on all others of goodwill to engage in acts of mercy and justice.

Founded in 1939, Catholic Charities of Louisville now has nine distinct but interrelated programs that serve Louisville neighborhoods including the most vulnerable among us. The activity directly involved in the Wholeness Grant from First Christian Church of Louisville was the resettling evacuees from Afghanistan, and a continuation of work serving those who have resettled here as refugees and asylum-seekers.

In 1975 Catholic Charities began their work in refugee resettlement with the influx of individuals from Vietnam. The Migration and Refugee Services program walks with refugees, including picking them up at the airport; accompanying them to their furnished apartment; giving them access to classes in English, computer, and cultural changes; enrolling their children in school; and helping adults find employment. The Language Services program offers individuals, businesses and organizations access to highly skilled translators and interpreters in 30-plus languages. Just as important, they train refugees who are proficient in English to become interpreters, allowing these individuals to quickly become well-paid independent contractors.

The wholeness grant used to fund this ministry was made possible through your faithful financial support of our church and its ministries and help fund a variety of efforts to make our world a better place.

You can find more examples of those efforts or apply for a grant to make the world a better place by clicking here.