Empowering CHANGE | Transforming LIVES

Please join us as we provide you with a visual storyline of where we have been and perspectives from our clients on where we are going.

“We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words, the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

Saint John’s Gospel describes that event in these words: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should … have eternal life” (3:16). In acknowledging the centrality of love, the Christian faith has retained the core of Israel’s faith, while at the same time giving it new depth and breadth. The pious Jew prayed daily the words of the Book of Deuteronomy which expressed the heart of his existence: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might” (6:4-5). Jesus united into a single precept this commandment of love for God and the commandment of love for neighbor found in the Book of Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (19:18; cf. Mk 12:29-31). Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:10), love is now no longer a mere “command”; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.

“Those who practice charity in the Church’s name will never seek to impose the Church’s faith upon others. They realize that pure and generous love is the best witness to the God in whom we believe and by whom we are driven to love. A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and to let love alone speak. He knows that God is love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8) and that God’s presence is felt at the very time when the only thing we do is to love. He knows—to return to the questions raised earlier—that disdain for love is disdain for God and man alike; it is an attempt to do without God. Consequently, the best defense of God and man consists precisely in love. It is the responsibility of the Church’s charitable organizations to reinforce this awareness in their members so that by their activity—as well as their words, their silence, their example—they may be credible witnesses to Christ.”  Deus Caritas Est, 31(c).

Together we will empower CHANGE to transform LIVES.

LEARN MORE  

Independent Seniors. Thriving Families.

For more than 77 years, Catholic Social Services (CSS) has been empowering people in need, regardless of faith or background, with the tools they need to reach their full potential. We are an anti­poverty agency focused on helping working-poor families stabilize and build a better tomorrow and on helping low-income seniors age with grace and independence.

Each year, Catholic Social Services’ 13 programs help 25,000 people in our 23-county region. Our holistic approach to client service is designed to help people use their own strengths and leverage the resources of the community to reach their goals. We do this while sparking hope, respecting dignity, and acknowledging worth.

Catholic Social Services is a research partner with the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame because we are committed to evidence-based practice. We are a member agency of Catholic Charities USA and the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County.

The client success is not ours alone; last year, we partnered with hundreds of corporations, public entities, nonprofits, and human service providers to help more people reach their full potential. Because our clients make up the fabric of our community, such as a working family in crisis, a senior struggling to stay independent, or an immigrant new to our neighborhood, our impact ripples throughout the entire community.

22,000

Working poor families served in 2020.

99%

Client satisfaction rate.