A Message from Cindy O’Connor
The Christmas countdown has begun! Bright lights and shiny decorations are inside and out, bakers are making sweet treats, presents are beautifully wrapped, and we are crossing off our last-minute items on our lists!
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown wishes everyone a blessed holiday season and a prosperous 2025. We thank all who have supported our ministry throughout this year by donating financially, collecting non-perishable items, clothing, in-kind items, and volunteering your time to help the needy. We could not be in service without parish, parochial school involvement, lay parish ministries and Catholic groups. These relationships are extremely important to us, and we are ever so grateful for the partnership.
Over the last year, Catholic Charites’s Blair County office has become the gathering place for the homeless to take a rest, get out of the elements of the weather, grab a snack and drink, obtain a new set of clothes, just to name the few.
On weekday mornings, our moderately sized lobby hosts dozens of individuals seeking a sense of belonging. Our visitors addressed empathetically and called by their name and asked how they are doing today. We are intentional to remember to share we are happy to see them.
As people of faith, we are to love one another as God loves us and to treat each other with dignity and respect for all humans. As a reminder, ‘dignity’ denotes worth or worthiness, therefore each human being is worthy of receiving the act of dignity, as Christians, it is our belief that God formed each of us in His image and likeness.
Our Blair County homeless outreach program does not officially have a title however, we refer to it as a ‘ministry of presence.’ This means opening our doors, being welcoming and mostly being present for those who need simply just a smile or to sit where no one will bother them.
During their visit, they can expect to be treated as a person, not a subject where an agency must check every box due to the restrictions of their funding sources.
We have dynamic volunteers that are a blessing who come in weekly to assist with requested items and resources and chat with our clients, bridging social capital and human interaction allows those who are struggling to be feel wanted and cared about.
Pope Francis has decreed the year 2025 as a Jubilee year calling all to be Pilgrims of Hope. As the social service sector of the diocese, we are to bring awareness and educate about the social injustices of those living in the margins. To do this, we must talk about the importance of looking through different lenses, the individual, the institution, the community, and the policies that often prevent those living in poverty from moving forward to being self-sufficient.
January is National Poverty Awareness month, please consider joining a virtual overview of Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities. We will have two options Friday, January 10th 2024, from 10:00 AM until Noon or Thursday, January 23rd 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. To register for a session, please RSVP to coconnor@dioceseaj.org.
Our Catholic Charities will be using this Jubilee year and the influence of Pope Francis to provide training opportunities to understand what poverty looks like in each parish community, dates for the workshops will be shared with each Deanery in January for the Lenten season. The knowledge provided will have participants embrace how they can bring hope and respond to real situations in their parish communities and local neighborhoods.
Cindy O’Connor is the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
