For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control. 2 Tm 1:7

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Highlights from CCUSA

After eight years of leading Catholic Charities USA, Sister Donna Markham OP, Ph.D., announced that she will retire as its President and CEO. Sister Donna is the first woman to lead the U.S. domestic humanitarian work of the Catholic Church and is the 10th president in CCUSA’s 112-year history. Her retirement culminates a more than 40-year career spent leading efforts to reduce poverty and providing care for people at-risk. The CCUSA board will conduct a comprehensive national search for a successor in the coming months. Sister Donna will remain in her role until CCUSA leadership transitions to a successor in summer 2023. Read more about Sister Donna's incredible career of service and leadership.

Sister Donna Markham announced a new CCUSA Innovation Challenge last week during the Annual Gathering in Baltimore. With a total award of $2.5 million to nine agencies, the latest Challenge seeks to inspire member agencies within the Catholic Charities network to propose a fresh workforce development–specific solution toward alleviating or reducing poverty.

Innovation Challenge submissions must recommend new and innovative approaches rather than expand on current programs. To learn more about the CCUSA Innovation Challenge please visit CCUSAInnovates.org.

More than 500 attendees from across the country convened in Baltimore last week for CCUSA's Annual Gathering. Featuring an address from Sister Donna Markham, an interactive plenary session with Pulitzer Prize winning author Dr. Matthew Desmond, Ph.D., and a plenary session with artist and sculptor Timothy Schmalz, the Annual Gathering was a time of networking, learning and celebration of our shared mission. Thank you to our partners, sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, attendees and our local host, Catholic Charities of Baltimore.

Mark your calendar and join us next year in Cleveland for the 2023 Annual Gathering, October 3 – 6!

Catholic Charities USA launched a dedicated disaster donation page to support people impacted by Hurricane Ian and served by their local Catholic Charities agencies. Donations provide much-needed support — including shelter, food and other humanitarian needs — to those impacted by the disaster. Catholic Charities USA will direct 100 percent of the funds raised through this effort to its agencies that are working with residents impacted by Hurricane Ian. Long-term relief efforts continue — sometimes for many years — to help individuals and families rebuild their lives through housing and home repairs, financial assistance and crisis counseling.

Events and Webinars

Multilingual Financial Empowerment Resources Webinar. October 4, 2022, 3:00 PM ET

Join CFPB staff to walk us through the variety of multilingual resources available to promote financial conversations with the people we serve. These resources are designed to help social services providers with Financial Empowerment tools for Spanish Speakers and other Limited English Proficiency communities to achieve goals and work through challenges.

Promising Workforce Development Program Models Webinar, Part 3/3. October 20, 2022, 2:00 PM ET

Join us for the third part of this webinar series focusing on designing a robust workforce development program. During this workshop,
we will discuss different workforce development program models that one can design and implement based on our organization's and
community's needs. Join our presenters to explore bridge programs, contextualized training programs, career pathway models and
hybrid training programs. Participants will have time to ask questions and workshop through their program models.
Register in advance for this webinar.

Parish Referrals: A Parish Engagement Strategy. October 24, 2022, 3:00 PM ET

Discover strategies for parish engagement through the gifts of time, talent or treasure as developed by Catholic Charities Fort Worth. Special emphasis will be placed on their parish referral program, which equips designated parish representatives to make streamlined referrals to Catholic Charities programs, maximizing impact and increasing trust and transparency with parish partners. Webinar participants will learn to develop customized engagement plans for individual parishes and adapt Fort Worth’s referral program for their local needs. Kasey Whitley, Director of Parish Social Ministry, and Kimberly Phelan, Parish Engagement Coordinator, will present. Register for the webinar.

Helping Clients Launch Thriving Wage Careers With Per Scholas. October 25, 2022, 3:00 PM ET

Are you interested in learning how you can help your clients with a passion for technology to launch careers in IT through tuition-free training, professional development and employer connections at Per Scholas? Join us for a webinar to explore how you can connect your clients to launch thriving wage careers in technology at the Per Scholas program and get the skills they need to grow their careers in tech.

CCUSA Immigration and Refugees Services Community of Practice Monthly Meeting

Please join us for the CCUSA Immigration and Refugee Services Community of Practice meetings. During these meetings, we will hear from the field about pressing issues in the Immigration and Refugee Services and receive a policy update from CCUSA, MRS/USCCB, and CLINIC.

October 26, 2022, 02:00 PM
November 23, 2022, 02:00 PM
December 28, 2022, 02:00 PM

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meetings.

Vision and Tools for Vibrant Parish Social Ministries. November 8, 2022, 3:00 PM ET

Inspired by the USCCB's Communities of Salt and Light and CCUSA’s Catalysts and Collaborators in Ministry, parishes and agencies can collaborate to build strong and integrated parish social ministries (PSM). Join this webinar to reflect on your own parish social ministry efforts in light of these two foundational documents and learn best practices for what is possible today. Participants will also learn about resources from CCUSA and USCCB for encounter, learning and action. Register for the webinar.

A New and Faster Way to Request a Social Security Card

Do your clients need to apply for a Social Security number and card? Do they need a replacement card or to update their name? The Social Security Administration now has a new — and faster — way for them to make the request online. Using the Social Security Number and Card webpage, they can answer a series of questions to determine whether they can:

Complete the entire application process online; or
Start the application process online, then bring any required documents to their local office to complete the application. This saves them time in the office.

In both scenarios, the Social Security Administration will mail their card after processing their completed application, typically within two weeks. Cards are not issued at offices or card centers. More information about this process is available in this blog post.

Employment Opportunities

View job opportunities at CCUSA and Catholic Charities agencies on our careers page. CCUSA members may post job opportunities through the submission form available on the members' portal. If you have any questions about the job opportunities submission form, please contact Christina Kilroy.

CCUSA Photo Gallery

Did you know that one of the benefits CCUSA provides to member agencies is access to a professional photo gallery? Visit our Flickr photo pages to explore our albums and photos. If you would like a high-resolution version for your agency's use, please email CCUSA with photo number.