Catholic Charities might be the Diocese of Madison’s best-kept secret. Founded in 1946, Catholic Charities is the charitable arm of the diocese.
Originally known as the Catholic Welfare Bureau, then Catholic Social Services, much of its early work focused on supporting adoptions and foster placements, as well as providing help to unmarried mothers and their children.
Over the years, Catholic Charities’ services evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of the most vulnerable populations throughout the Diocese of Madison’s 11-county footprint.
Today, the organization is committed to serving individuals, children, and families in south-central Wisconsin who are experiencing challenges with poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, addiction, aging, and developmental disabilities.
“Catholic Charities has proudly served the people of the diocese for more than 75 years,” said Shawn Carney, executive director of Catholic Charities.
“As we look to the future, we’re focused on identifying the gaps we can fill and how we can make a sustainable difference in the lives of the people who need our support.”
Those who are unfamiliar with Catholic Charities are probably well acquainted with its numerous and highly respected programs, including 5 Door Recovery, Adult Day Center, The Beacon, Care Team Ministry, Community Connections, Parish Mobile Food Pantries and Six Rivers Food Pantry, school-based mental health programs, and All Saints Senior Living.
Through these programs, Catholic Charities carries out its mission of demonstrating Christ’s love and justice by caring in faith for the human family.
The newly revised mission statement was adopted earlier this year and has been a guidepost for the strategic direction of the organization.
“So often, we meet people when they are at their lowest, and we want to be a source of compassion and strength while also giving them the tools to reach their potential,” Carney said. “This is how we care for our fellow humans and stand as representatives of Christ’s love.”
Charity and Catholic Social Teaching
Rooted in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, Catholic Charities aims to deliver services that give people in need a hand up and a pathway to stability.
One such program is The Beacon. The Beacon is a collaborative effort between Catholic Charities, Dane County, the City of Madison, and the United Way of Dane County.
As the only homeless day resource center in Dane County, The Beacon provides daytime shelter, meals, showers, and laundry services, as well as help navigating community resources for housing, employment, mental and physical health services, substance use treatment, and more.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year is Building Bridges, a program that offers short-term crisis stabilization and resource referral to students in Dane County schools who are experiencing mental health challenges.
This program has been so successful since its inception that it is expanding this year to serve more schools.
One parent participant said, “The team I worked with went above and beyond for me, and they were more than flexible in terms of hours for support. They both were limitless with empathy and compassion and understanding.”
In addition to Building Bridges, Catholic Charities also operates other mental health programs for school-aged children, such as Student Wellness and FACE-Kids, a collaborative effort with other Dane County organizations that delivers topical group therapy sessions to students in school.
At the Adult Day Center on Madison’s east side, aging adults and those with disabilities can find a community of peers and robust daily programming.
Many participants and their families view the Adult Day Center as a bridge between independent living and an assisted living facility or long-term care home.
It supports the unique needs of each individual and enables them to age with dignity and grace while experiencing the joy of connection to others and the community.
Another program that supports those who are aging is Care Team Ministry.
This is a blended program of Oakwood’s Care Team ministry and Catholic Charities’ Care Team program, which provides in-home, non-medical services to isolated older adults through congregation-based teams of volunteers who improve the quality of life and safety of those they serve.
Today, Catholic Charities serves as the administrator of this program and Oakwood Foundation generously provides funding.
Beyond Dane County, Catholic Charities operates the Six Rivers Food Pantry in Cassville, a brick-and-mortar pantry that is open two days per week.
To promote food security across the diocese, the organization also partners with local Catholic churches in Boscobel, Fort Atkinson, Highland, Janesville, Monroe, Pardeeville, Patch Grove, Platteville, Portage, and Reedsburg to deliver monthly mobile food pantries.
Through its 5 Door Recovery program, Catholic Charities offers substance use treatment primarily to individuals on Medicaid and those who are uninsured.
5 Door Recovery is one of the few treatment programs that accept Medicaid, and while it is based in Dane County, it accepts referrals from other counties, such as Rock, Sauk, and Columbia counties.
In Rock County, Catholic Charities offers a daytime community integration program for adults with disabilities, Community Connections.
As the name suggests, the program is committed to improving community access and inclusion for its participants.
Last year, Community Connections combined its Beloit and Janesville program locations into one location based in Janesville, where they secured a larger space, enabling them to serve more individuals.
Finally, through our Community Living Program in Marquette County, individuals with disabilities benefit from in-home supports and services that allow them to live full and meaningful lives.
Support Catholic Charities
This Catholic Charities Sunday, the organization asks parishioners throughout the Diocese of Madison to pray for the good work that staff and volunteers provide, to make a financial contribution to help support that work, and to consider volunteering.
To donate or volunteer, visit catholiccharitiesofmadison.org
Lindsey Hill is the grants specialist for Catholic Charities of Madison.