“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.
“And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ “Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
“He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Mt 25:31-46)
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Our Catholic Social Teaching principle “Option for the Poor and Vulnerable” references this Gospel passage. The principle states, “A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.” (usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching)
Jesus taught and showed us how “to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first” and He is calling all people to do likewise.
Our Church teaching emphasizes this and countless saints, many Church programs and initiatives, and many groups and individuals live this calling out on a day-to-day basis in our world.
I want to highlight three such amazing organizations that do so throughout the Diocese of Madison: Catholic Charities of Madison, the Catholic Multicultural Center, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Review their respective websites. You will discover the information I did which I share below (so much more for you to discover as well), and you may also find a program or two you want to help with moving forward.
If you know people who are in need, share these website addresses, physical addresses, and phone numbers with our brothers and sisters in need.
Catholic Charities of Madison (catholiccharitiesofmadison.org)
Catholic Charities of Madison is located at 702 S. High Point Rd, Ste. 201 in Madison. The phone number is 608-826-8000. The executive director is Shawn Carney.
- Providing caring, compassionate services for all people throughout southern Wisconsin
- Aging (Adult Day Center, in-home care, All Saints senior living)
- Children and Families (post-adoption services, counseling and mental mealth, food Pantries)
- Developmental Disabilities (developmental disabilities programs)
- Homelessness (The Beacon day shelter, Housing Navigation Services)
- Substance Use Treatment (5 Door Recovery)
Catholic Multicultural Center (cmcmadison.org)
The Catholic Multicultural Center is at 1862 Beld St. in Madison. The phone number is 608-661-3512. “Making a difference one person at a time” is its motto. The director is Steve Maurice.
- Basic needs (food pantry, personal essentials pantry, free daily meal)
- Education and employment programs (classes, employment search assistance, food service job training, youth activities)
- Immigration legal services (family/asylee/refugee visa petitions, family-based adjustment of status applications, naturalization/citizenship applications, consular visa processing, applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), document renewals and replacements, permanent resident applications (green cards) for refugees and asylees, representation of survivors of domestic violence (VAWA-based applications), representation of victims of violent crimes (U Visa applications), travel documents, community outreach and education)
- Community engagement (programs in Spanish, Community Environment Program, Fratelli Tutti Group, Care for Creation)
St. Vincent de Paul Society (svdpmadison.org)
- St. Vincent de Paul Society is located at 2033 Fish Hatchery Rd. in Madison. The phone number is 608-442-7200. Its motto is “Helping Our Neighbors In Need.” The CEO and executive director is Julie Bennett.
- Programs (food pantry, charitable pharmacy, clothing vouchers, furniture vouchers, Port St. Vincent, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton program, Vinny’s Lockers)
- Other assistance (home visits, portable cribs, energy assistance, referrals)
- St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores (When you shop and donate used goods at the thrift stores, you help our neighbors in need with food, prescription medication, clothing, furniture, household goods, housing, emergency financial assistance, storage lockers, and more.)
- More than 1,000 members of the 36 St. Vincent de Paul conferences in the Diocese of Madison commit to spiritual growth and friendship through service to neighbors in need.
The Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46 is such a great passage about caring for the poor and vulnerable. The three great Catholic organizations I highlighted show us how to do so in many ways and remind us that when we help others we are serving our Lord and assisting Him in building His Kingdom.
Dr. Chris McAtee is the director of the Office of Human Life and Dignity and publishes his column, “Building the Kingdom of God Together,” each month in the Catholic Herald. To contact Chris, you can email him at [email protected]