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April 11 , 2008 - The Times-Picayune
Catholic Charities stays strong
By Michelle Krupa
In the wake of the Archdiocese of New Orleans' announcement this week of a plan to shrink the number of parishes across the region, leaders of the church's Catholic Charities arm say their work has greatly expanded since Hurricane Katrina and shows no sign of slowing.
That view is based on a spike during the past two years in donations that have ballooned the organization's budget, as well as skyrocketing demand for services, from house-gutting to mental health counseling, Chief Operating Officer Jim Kelly said.
Catholic Charities also was spared two barbs that have encumbered the recovery of the wider church: The agency sustained little property loss because most buildings that housed its programs were owned by the archdiocese, and it is run almost entirely by lay staff members, said Gordon Wadge, the organization's president.
"The church closings are principally driven by the lack of priests," he said. "Catholic Charities doesn't have to deal with that."
The shuttering of 33 parishes across the New Orleans area is not expected to affect the agency's social service offerings, the executives said. Because many of the churches targeted in this week's reorganization were mothballed in 2006, Catholic Charities based few programs at them.
At two Uptown parishes -- Our Lady of Good Counsel and St. Henry -- slated for closure against passionate opposition from their congregations, the agency will continue to serve about 200 children through Head Start early-learning and preschool programs based in auxiliary parish buildings, Kelly said.
"We will continue to do what we're doing at those churches," he said.
With its clientele displaced by the storm, Catholic Charities in late 2005 recalibrated its objectives, ramping up traditional case management efforts and launching a massive drive to gut and rebuild houses, the executives said. Direct cash payments to help residents pay for rent and utilities also grew from a nominal amount before Katrina to about $12 million since the flood.
With new programs going strong, the agency's basic services also have bounced back, though in some cases capacity remains tight as storm-wrecked facilities remain off-line, Wadge said.
For instance, a food distribution program that served 85,000 boxed meals per month out of two eastern New Orleans warehouses before Katrina now operates from Baton Rouge and dishes up 65,000 meals monthly, he said. With Head Start classes back at four of six pre-Katrina sites, a waiting list of 150 families has formed for 24 early-learning spots at a center slated to open soon in a building at the shuttered Incarnate Word Parish in Carrollton, said Gloria Cabrera, who directs that program.
Meanwhile, Catholic Charities has bolstered some traditional programs, such as English classes for adults. It also has opened 11 community centers since Katrina, compared with five before the storm, and has plans to open a center in the New Orleans' lakefront area, where the agency has never had a presence, Kelly said.
Kelly said he expects Catholic Charities to maintain the all-cylinders pace for at least two more years. Budget projections suggest the agency will spend between $70 million and $75 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1, slightly less than the current year but still well above the $56 million budgeted for 2005, he said.
Asked what commitments he has secured from backers such as Catholic Charities USA,United Way and dioceses across the country to support those expenditures, Kelly said he is operating on faith that the post-Katrina wave of generosity will continue. Catholic Charities also has squirreled away a few million dollars in case the tap runs dry sooner than expected, he said.
Given the recovery landscape, future spending priorities will include restoring housing, providing physical and mental health care and expanding educational programs, Kelly said.
"Will we be able to maintain our services at this level forever? Of course not," he said. "But we are very bullish on the support that has poured in." |
