Who would imagine that so many people in our diocese
suffer from hunger or food insecurity? When I was
growing up overseas in what we now call the developing
world, poverty was obvious. Sometimes painfully so.
Driving into major cities we would pass through entire
neighborhoods that had been created by the poor, living
in one room shacks built of cardboard and corrugated
tin. Children would be in the streets, begging. The blind
and the lame would be at the entrances to the bazaar,
and the marketplace, and most especially, outside of
churches and mosques.
As depressing and distressing as those sights were, at
least we could see the poor. We knew that they were
there. In our country the poor are much harder for us
to see. And perhaps we prefer it that way.
There is a shame that is wrongly associated with being
poor in America. A shame that often leads to isolation.
Those suffering from poverty become what are now referred to as "the invisible poor.”
It is to these, and anyone in need, that Catholic Charities
extends the love and consolation of God in very real and
tangible ways. And in doing so, we acknowledge that they
exist, and more importantly, that they are loved.
Sometimes we can overcomplicate our faith. Jesus has a way
of cutting to the chase. When his disciples were imploring
Jesus to dismiss the crowds of hungry people to fend for
themselves, he tells them “give them some food yourselves.” (Mark 6:37)
And with your help and support, this is what we do, every
day. Because of your generosity we can provide the material
help that people need, and we do so with hearts filled with
gratitude and compassion.
May God’s peace be with you this Easter season, and always.
Gratefully yours in Christ,
Stephen Carattini
President and CEO
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington
Mission Newsletter, Spring 2022