The Tidings
By Father J. Bryan Hehir
The end of the year is often a time for reflection. This is surely the case for me as I prepare to leave the presidency of Catholic Charities USA after two years in order to return to Boston at the request of Archbishop Sean O’Malley. There, I will serve the archdiocese as cabinet secretary for social services and president of the local Catholic Charities.
During these eventful two years of my tenure, the people of Catholic Charities have worked to fulfill their ministry in the face of historic, sometimes tragic, events. The searing catastrophe of Sept. 11, 2001, gave the Catholic Charities network a challenging role to play as disaster response agencies. To that end, local agencies have offered responsible stewardship of the funds entrusted to us while assisting the short-term and extended needs of thousands of individuals and families.
The sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church had a multi-faceted impact on our ministry. Many Catholics, angered by the actions or inactions of dioceses, turned to Catholic Charities as a place to offer funds so that the work among the poor could continue. And as the work of recovery from the scandal continues, our network continues to be a bulwark of support for the wider church.
