On Thursday, May 8, 2025, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson released the following statement congratulating Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope: Today we join with the global Catholic Church and people of good will throughout the United States and around the world in congratulating and praying for Pope Leo XIV as he begins his papacy. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the College of Cardinals has chosen a pontiff who, true to his roots as a missionary priest, will proclaim the Resurrection and spread the good news… Read More
On May 8, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh brought together staff from across the Central and Eastern North Carolina for a comprehensive hurricane preparedness tabletop training. Held at the Eastern Baptist Association in Rose Hill, the event was a vital step in reinforcing the agency’s commitment to providing timely and effective disaster response services to local communities. The training brough together 37 staff members representing all eight regional offices, along with representatives from the Communications and Development departments. Together, they reviewed past response efforts, identified gaps in preparedness,… Read More
This year, Earth Day falls at the beginning of National Volunteer Week, allowing Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh to reflect on the role our volunteers play in connecting with nature. Our mission of creating hope through community aid is done in a variety of ways, but on Earth Day, we’re highlighting how our Cape Fear and Tar River regional offices have done this through their creation of green spaces! In 2018, the Cape Fear Region participated in a life-changing partnership for families with the creation of a community… Read More
In reaction to the death of Pope Francis, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson issued the following statement: Throughout his historic papacy, Pope Francis inspired Catholics and all people of good will to live as Christ did. A modern-day prophet, Pope Francis read the signs of the times and awakened us to meaningful change in our behavior — within the Church and within the world. Complex challenges such as extreme poverty, homelessness, mental illness, forced migration, climate change and war did not intimidate him; they broke his… Read More
On Friday, March 14th, 2025 the Fayetteville Marksmen prepared to face off against the Evansville Thunderbolts in an anticipated match for the local team. As part of showcasing wonderful nonprofits from the Fayetteville area, the Marksmen demonstrated their commitment to the community by partnering with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh. The initiative consisted of a portion of every ticket sold through a dedicated Catholic Charities link being donated to the agency. As the sun set, local Fayetteville hockey fanatics trickled into the Coliseum, passing by the Catholic Charities… Read More
When Catholic Charities first visited the Carol C Mobile Home Park in Wallace, NC, staff were unexpectedly assisted with fostering trust within this vulnerable community. On this initial visit, staff and volunteers were outsiders, looking to connect with individuals and distribute fresh, healthy food. Helping break down this barrier was an individual who had regularly visited the Catholic Charities Choice Pantry at the Cape Fear Regional Office in Wilmington. This individual, who is a painter, had recently been hired for a painting job in Wallace and was familiar with residents… Read More
In an effort to make food assistance more accessible to families in need, Catholic Parish outreach Food Pantry (CPO), a program of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh has launched its first-ever mobile food pantry. The inaugural event took place on February 11, 2025, at Kingsborough Estates, where CPO, in partnership with St. Joseph Catholic Church and Centro para Familias Hispanas, served 100 families despite the rainy weather. This mobile food pantry builds on similar efforts which have been underway in other Catholic Charities regions including the Cape… Read More
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh has a long history of serving our most vulnerable neighbors through disaster services, food pantries, providing financial assistance for things like rent and utilities, and through immigration legal services. Our immigration staff are accredited by the Department of Justice and are knowledgeable about current laws, evaluate if clients are eligible for services, and assist clients in following immigration laws. For the list of legal processes staff support families through, please visit our website www.CatholicCharitiesRaleigh.org/Immigration. “We are proud of our Immigration Legal Services Program, and… Read More
As Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh continues its critical role in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, staff members reflect on their recent deployments to East Tennessee, where they collaborated with local agencies to help hurricane survivors. In October and November, three staff members from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh traveled to East Tennessee for rotating two-week deployments as part of the Staff Assistance Program coordinated by Catholic Charities USA. Most recently, Fayetteville Region Program Director Vicky Jiménez and Cape Fear Region Disaster Specialist Vickie Sasser, who brought… Read More
For people working in disaster preparedness, “blue sky” days are a vital opportunity for communities to build preparedness and improve resiliency before the next disaster. In emergency disaster work, “blue sky” refers to non-disaster periods and “gray sky” is the time around an incident, such as in 2016 for Hurricane Matthew and 2018 for Hurricane Florence here in North Carolina. Catholic Charities Communications and Disaster Services Director Daniel Altenau said, “Each disaster teaches us valuable lessons and we know the question is when, not if, another storm will impact our… Read More
