By Dc. Tom Cuskey
Editor
“The Bishop’s House of Charity” was the original organization, founded in 1923, to do “all those things in the field of charity which should be done but which parishes alone cannot perform,” as Bishop Daniel J. Curley wrote then. One hundred years later, those acts continue with great care and expertise by Catholic Charities (CC), which is celebrating its centennial year in the Diocese of Syracuse.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to look over our shoulder and look at the work that Catholic Charities has done across the diocese for 100 years,” observes Executive Director Michael Melara, “and just take a moment to acknowledge and respect that effort, be grateful for that effort, and then look forward to what the next 100 years or so will bring for us.”
Melara recognizes that the work CC does is “vitally important to the communities we serve.”
Each of the eight Catholic dioceses across New York State supports a Catholic Charities office, serving millions of people statewide that are in need, going back to the legal creation of the entity in the state in 1917.
Melara points to the “incredible leaders” of the organization on its mission. Msgr. Charles Fahey, for example, was assigned to Catholic Charities as a young priest in 1961 and rose to its leadership role, building the ministries and services and becoming an internationally recognized expert voice on care for the poor and aging.
“Under his leadership,” Melara said, “we saw the beginning of places like Loretto and Christopher Community, our housing development corporation; St. Camillus (nursing care and rehab center); and all of these very robust health and human service organizations that live with us today.”
Melara believes that today’s Catholic Charities continues to reap the benefits of its rich history. The organization has served through the Great Depression, World War II and every other crisis that has wreaked havoc on the social order.
While the centennial is an opportunity to reflect on a job well done and to honor the history, Melara focuses on the “obligation to make sure that we continue to be a viable organization that’s addressing the current and emerging needs of the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
To maximize the efforts of the organization, the diocesan entity is made up of six local Catholic Charities chapters: Onondaga, Oneida-Madison, Broome, Chenango, Cortland and Oswego. Each has an executive director to lead local efforts; Melara serves as the Onondaga director as well as overseeing the entire group’s direction.
Combined, the six areas, as they are called, serve more than 150,000 people each year.
“And we do everything from non-residential crisis response work to high-end residential services with individuals who have a developmental disability, or maybe are struggling with a mental health concern.”
The number and breadth of ministries and services provided is large and growing.
“Our service delivery system is wide, it’s deep. It’s robust and it’s always focused on community need.”
While some areas may offer varying services, there is one major effort that is common to all six.
The late Bishop Daniel J. Curley outlined the mission of what would become Catholic Charities in 1924.
“Emergency services and food pantry services” are at the heart of each service area according to Melara. “Every Catholic Charities in the diocese operates emergency services, food pantry, rental assistance, utilities assistance, housing relocation; we all work on that.” Melara adds that food services, the basic human need, is a high-demand ministry. In excess of 800,000 meals were served in 2021 to single adults and families. Being in the midst of these efforts is what drives Melara and his team.
“What I love about our organization is we’re at ground zero when it comes to human need. There’s nothing flashy about what we do at Catholic Charities. People are struggling, hurting, they’re in crisis. They’re in pain, they’re searching for comfort and relief. And our mission is to provide that comfort and relief.”
Catholic Charities serves people in need regardless of their faith, ethnic origin or social standing.
“The common denominator across virtually everyone we serve is that they’re struggling with issues of poverty. If you are in need, that is the only qualifier to access Catholic Charities.”
Catholic Charities employs about 1,500 people throughout the diocese with an extra contingent of 500 volunteers who help out. With a budget exceeding $70 million annually, Melara is very proud that 88% of those funds go directly to programs and services.
“We really work hard for every dollar that we get, and we want to make sure that it’s going to help people in our community.”
A formal celebration of the centennial is planned for this fall. Between now and then, The Catholic Sun will spotlight the work done in the various areas of the diocese and will share the thoughts of Msgr. Charles Fahey about the organization he devoted so much of his life to. He and others forged the philosophy that Melara and his team live by.
“The people that we serve at Catholic Charities are no better than us. They are no worse than us. They just find themselves in really difficult situations and are struggling with difficult conditions. And we are, by and large, privileged to be able to assist them. The way I like to think about it is that we become part of their journey.”
