Catholic Charities: 100 years of 'caring beyond belief'

By VINCENT W. COLONNO- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

(Editor's note: Mr. Colonno is CEO of Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese.)

There's a lot of history that can be packed into 100 years, and perhaps no century has seen the pace of change move as quickly as this past one.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany is celebrating our 100th anniversary this year. As I reflect on what the world was like in 1917, I can't help but be astounded at how far we've come.

When Catholic Charities was started by Bishop Thomas Cusack in the Albany Diocese, there was much that would be unrecognizable to today's Catholics. Electricity was still rarely available outside of cities; railroads and streetcars were the popular mass-transit systems; technology like telephones and automobiles were only beginning to gain popularity.

One thing that wouldn't have been unfamiliar to us is the plight of the poor. For those without means, life back then was difficult and opportunities were few -- much like today.

Catholic Charities agencies were starting around the country at that time, as more people recognized a societal need to offer more formalized help. Where in the past priests and parishes would individually do what they could to help the poor people they knew, a movement was growing to professionalize the services offered and pool resources to better help neighbors in need.

During its beginning years and through the 1950s, Catholic Charities primarily served Catholic families in the urban areas of Albany, Schenectady and Troy. At that time, clergy, religious women and volunteers worked with orphaned children, foster and adoptive families, and the sick and dying in hospitals. Programs like Camp Scully were started to give inner-city children a chance to attend a summer camp.

Most of the focus was on helping people referred by parish priests to Catholic Charities. That continued for many years, but change was in the air with the Cadre Report of the National Conference of Catholic Charities in 1972. This report was a catalyst that influenced Catholic Charities' mission and expanded its role to reach out to the needy in many areas of society.

Catholic Charities broadened its focus to include the pursuit of social justice, and began activities like advocacy and public policy development on behalf of the poor and vulnerable. Programs were changed to serve all members of the community, no matter their religious affiliation.

In the 1970s, Catholic Charities launched a large-scale initiative to expand its social services beyond the Capital Region and to reach all 14 counties in the Diocese of Albany. Individual Catholic Charities agencies were established in rural counties of the Diocese, as well as service-specific agencies to focus on housing, helping people with disabilities, assisting senior citizens, and helping young mothers and pregnant teens.

Today, nearly 900 Catholic Charities employees and more than 1,100 volunteers serve more than 81,000 people in the Diocese annually.

I'm proud to say that our work is reaching people in ways that our founders could hardly have imagined 100 years ago. Today, Catholic Charities has expanded to meet needs in health care, homelessness, food insecurity, family stability, tenant rights, child care and numerous other areas.

We're not done yet. We are currently working on some exciting plans to address local challenges in affordable housing, emergency assistance and client service coordination. As the needs of our communities and the poor are changing, we, too, must change to meet those needs.

Over the past 100 years, Catholic Charities has kept a constant eye on how the poor are faring. Today is no different. As the social-service arm of the Church in our Diocese, we are committed to developing diverse responses to local community needs and serving with Christian compassion.

We are proud to be an established community partner in towns and cities throughout the Diocese. With the help of our donors, volunteers, staff and supporters, we will continue to respond to the Gospel call to assist the poor and vulnerable with dignity and respect.[[In-content Ad]]