Catholic Charities marks 90 years of serving needy

As Catholic Charities celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, three innovative leaders stand out as individuals who molded the organization into what it is today -- an agency that serves the needy throughout the 14 counties of the Albany Diocese:

* Rev. Joseph A. Scully, the first director,

* Sister Serena Branson, DC, who steered the organization from 1974 to 1990 and

* Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM, Catholic Charities' current executive director.

Beginnings

In 1917, Father Scully was appointed by Bishop Thomas Cusack to be the first director of an organization established to help those in need.

He began by developing services for needy families in the Capital District, including the Masterson Child Development Center and Sunnyside Center.

For several years prior to his appointment, he had been involved in organizing boys' and girls' camps, located at Thompson's Lake in Albany County and, later, at Camp Tekakwitha at Lake Luzerne in the Adirondacks. The camps were for children from needy families or those living in conditions where their health was neglected.

Father Scully died at 45, having served only nine years as the head of the burgeoning Catholic Charities organization. Camp Scully on Snyder's Lake was named in his honor.

Expansion

Sister Serena headed Catholic Charities as it expanded from a five-agency organization with offices in three counties to a network of 28 agencies located in all 14 counties of the Diocese.

The services she initiated increased the budget of Catholic Charities from $500,000 to more than $30 million a year, with the sources of income coming from donors, grants and governments.

According to her successor, Sister Maureen, Sister Serena "was one of the most significant people in the history of the Albany Diocese, a leader in Catholic Charities locally and nationwide, and an innovator in social issues."

New resources

One of Sister Serena's first tasks in Albany was to expand St. Catherine's Center for Children from an orphanage into a full-service treatment facility for disturbed children.

She also established Catholic Family and Community Services in Saratoga, Montgomery, Columbia, Schoharie, Warren, Washington, Delaware, Herkimer, Greene and Fulton counties, as well as Mercy House in Albany, an emergency overnight shelter for women.

Other service programs, like Inter-County Home Care and Caregivers, were established under her tutelage.

Current times

Sister Maureen recalled that her early years as director were unique because she was given an opportunity to work with Sister Serena on projects during the transition of leadership.

"That was a real gift to me," Sister Maureen told The Evangelist. "Sister Serena was an innovative leader. She really expanded the organization."

Prior to becoming director, Sister Maureen founded Community Maternity Services, an agency that serves pregnant and parenting adolescents, and provides foster care, adoption and education for families with children that have special needs, including HIV/AIDS.

Under her leadership, Catholic Charities Diocesan AIDS Services and a jail ministry have been initiated, and Immigration Services and the Center for Community Collaboration were established.

Times of trial

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Sister Maureen spearheaded involvement by Catholic Charities in recovery efforts in New York City by sending volunteers there to assist families of the victims through counseling.

After the devastation caused in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Catholic Charities dispatched volunteers for many months to help victims rebuild and recover.

Sister Maureen has also established a public policy education network that addresses political responsibility and advocacy for the poor; health alliances in schools, parishes, hospitals and long-term-care facilities; and a senior housing initiative that serves the elderly and provides a continuum of care.

More to do

As Sister Maureen looks to the future of Catholic Charities, she sees a deepening of the care provided by the agency.

"We live in a very different world than the one in which this organization was founded in 1917," she said. "Our responsibility, transparency and visibility are heightened. Our programs may, at times, seem corporate, but the first question we always ask when we are planning them is, 'How does this apply to the mission statement of Catholic Charities?'

"As I look to the future, I see our first priority as being faithful to our mission and being open to new needs that arise in our communities. We have many opportunities to help those that need assistance, and we also have a great responsibility [to maximize] the use of contributions from parishes, the Bishop's Appeal and donors. That means being tenacious in making sure that what we receive is used for direct services to those that need them.

"When I look towards the future, I see Catholic Charities doing what it has always done -- helping those in need."

(According to its mission statement, Catholic Charities gives active witness on behalf of the Scriptural values of mercy and justice, recognizes human need at all stages of life, and responds to all persons regardless of race, creed or lifestyle with special emphasis on the economically poor and the vulnerable.)

(5/10/07) [[In-content Ad]]