CHARLOTTE — Parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte will take up a second collection for relief efforts and other work of the Church at all Masses the weekend of May 20-21 as part of the International/National Combined Collection.
Coordinated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, donations received from this annual collection benefit five organizations: Catholic Relief Services, Collection for the Holy Land, Collection for the Works of the Holy Father (Peter’s Pence), The Catholic University of America, and the Catholic Communications Campaign.
Donations are used as follows:
> The Catholic Relief Services Collection supports Catholic Church organizations that carry out international relief and solidarity efforts. Programs include relief and resettlement for victims of persecution, war and natural disasters; development projects to improve living conditions for the poor; legal and support services for poor immigrants; peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence; and advocacy on behalf of the powerless.
> The Holy Land Collection supports the work of the Franciscans working in the Holy Land.
The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land have the unique responsibility of caring for the Holy Places as well as caring for the Christians living in the Holy Land.
> The Peter’s Pence Collection provides the Holy Father with the financial means to respond to those who are suffering as a result of war, oppression, natural disaster and disease. The USCCB National Collections Committee oversees the promotion of this collection.
> The Collection for The Catholic University of America underwrites scholarships to assist financially deserving students in completing their education at CUA in more than 50 disciplines.
> Through websites, social networks, television, radio and print, the Catholic Communication Campaign helps the Church spread the Gospel message through the media locally and nationally.
Half of all donations to the CCC collected in the diocese stay in the diocese to support local communications needs, such as radio and television programming and diocesan publications.
— Catholic News Herald
BELMONT — The Montcross Chamber of Commerce honored Regina Moody, the retired president of Holy Angels in Belmont, with the Harley B. Gaston Jr. Public Service Award at its annual awards celebration March 30 for her four decades of service and leadership.
The award is named for the late Harley B. Gaston Jr., a long time judge and community leader in Belmont. This award is not given annually, but the chamber board felt it was important this year to present the award to Moody following her 40 years of service at Holy Angels.
“We are honored to present the Harley B. Gaston Jr. Public Service Award to Regina Moody for her more than four decades of service, not only for the differently abled, but to scores of other initiatives and leadership contributions in Belmont and throughout Gaston County, as well as North Carolina,” said Marc Jordan, Montcross Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO. “Regina’s legacy at Holy Angels is reflected in the joyful faces of the residents and the staff who turned to her for support and vision.”
Moody retired at the end of 2022 yet remains committed to the mission of Holy Angels, serving as president emeritus.
“It’s an honor for me to receive this award in honor of Harley B. Gaston Jr., who is a man I knew and respected so much,” Moody said. “Harley was a friend and supporter of Holy Angels, and we had the pleasure and privilege of serving his son Bo in some of our day activities. The impact Harley made in the Gaston community, especially in Belmont, was enormous.”
Gaston served on the Gaston County Board of Commissioners and was past president of the Belmont Chamber of Commerce. He received numerous awards for his public service, including the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is given to North Carolinians with a proven record of extraordinary service to the state.
This is the second year in a row that Holy Angels received the Harley B. Gaston Jr. award. In 2022, the public service award was presented to all local health care workers who fought on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recipients included Holy Angels, CaroMont Health, Atrium Health and Kintegra Health.
Holy Angels was founded in 1955 by the Sisters of Mercy. The private, nonprofit corporation located in Belmont provides residential services and innovative programs for children and adults with intellectual developmental disabilities with delicate medical conditions. To learn more about Holy Angels, join Holy Angels caring team or volunteer, please call 704-825-4161 or visit Holy Angels’ website at www.holyangelsc.org.
— Shawn Flynn
ASHEVILLE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte invites everyone to its annual Spirit of Hope fundraiser, which supports the work of Catholic Charities in the western region of the diocese.
The event will be held Thursday, May 11, at the Double Tree by Hilton Asheville-Biltmore, located at 115 Hendersonville Road in Asheville.
The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with drinks and hors d’oeuvres and dinner stations opening around 6:15 p.m.
The event program will begin around 7 p.m.
The fundraiser is a critical source of support for Catholic Charities’ work in western North Carolina. At this year’s event, attendees will hear inspiring stories and be invited to make a financial gift to help Catholic Charities reach its fundraising goal of $100,000. These proceeds go directly to strengthening families, building communities and reducing poverty in the 12 westernmost counties of North Carolina.
To register to attend or to donate to Catholic Charities, go online to www.ccdoc.org.
— Catholic News Herald
On a mission
Basil Duncan, a military veteran, bounced between temporary short-term housing programs until Catholic Charities found and furnished a permanent home for him in Charlotte and connected him with employment and other services. Now, Duncan says, “I can’t wait to experience the rest of my life!” (Photos provided by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte)CHARLOTTE — After four years of military service and two years of trade school, Basil Duncan fell into what he calls “fast living” and eventually ended up in prison for larceny. When he got out in 2020, he set out to turn his life around.
With no home or money for rent, Duncan could find only limited temporary shelter through different veterans programs.
Then he found Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. The agency’s veterans assistance program reaches hundreds of homeless and other struggling veterans annually – thanks to the support of staff, volunteers and donors living out God’s call to help those in need.
“When I got with Catholic Charities, everything fell into place,” Duncan says. “I wake up happy and go to bed happy. I’m making it work my way.”
Catholic Charities placed Duncan in a Charlotte duplex almost a year ago – also providing food, clothes and furniture – and linked him to employment and other services provided through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families program. Duncan now works part-time at Bank of America Stadium and hopes to buy a car by the end of the year.
Finding permanent housing is more than just putting a roof over someone’s head, says Tonya Lawrence, Catholic Charities’ supportive services supervisor. “It is personally rewarding for me,” she said, “to watch an individual or family come into the program and see how providing assistance with obtaining housing permanence can be the answer to all of the other concerns in their life.”
Since Catholic Charities launched the effort in 2019, Supportive Services for Veteran Families has helped more than 413 veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the greater Charlotte area. Last year, the agency also participated in a national initiative by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to place 38,000 veterans into housing – and exceeded the local goal by placing 362 veterans in the Salisbury area.
“Having a decent place that does not limit the length of stay is critical before people can gain stability,” Lawrence said.
In addition to its veterans outreach, Catholic Charities leapt in recently to manage the resettlement of more than 50 people living in Charlotte’s “Tent City,” a highly visible encampment then located alongside Brookshire Freeway where more than 100 people had pitched tents in 2021. When the government stepped in to break up the encampment, campers were moved to hotels where federal emergency funding paid for temporary housing until Catholic Charities and other organizations, partnering with the United Way, resettled residents into permanent housing.
Catholic Charities has long advocated for people facing housing instability – and in 2022 was named Charlotte’s “Provider of the Year” by Veterans Bridge Home, a national organization that helps veterans and their families navigate re-entry into their communities through a network of partner service providers. Finding housing is always the biggest challenge.
“We maintain landlord workgroups and engage them to explain our services and our concern about homelessness in the area, and we enlist their assistance to find housing in a community with a severe lack of affordable housing,” Lawrence said.
At the same time, Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement program has navigated the tight housing markets in Charlotte and Asheville to find homes for hundreds of people fleeing Afghanistan, Ukraine and other countries around the world.
In each of its programs, Catholic Charities focuses on wraparound “case management” for individuals and families in need, linking their clients with an array of services to help them back on their feet.
Its veterans program provides supportive services specifically to very low-income veteran families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness – with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness among veterans.
“All individuals have the right to have a safe haven to go to every night to call home,” Lawrence said. “Housing permanence fits in the mission of Catholic Charities by providing a service to people in need.”
Basil Duncan is grateful and optimistic for his future.
“It’s really hard trying to get back on my feet. When Catholic Charities offered me a place to live, it really set me up tremendously because I can save more money that way. And Catholic Charities coordinated furnishings and clothes and food. It really puts your faith in people again.’’
— Courtney McLaughlin
How can you help?
If you know a veteran who struggles with housing instability, call 2-1-1 and complete a Coordinated Entry Assessment or call Catholic Charities’ supportive services supervisor Tonya Lawrence at 704-370-3257.
Catholic Charities’ Supportive Services Encampment Project does not receive open referrals, but your monetary contributions directly assist in addressing housing issues. Donate online at www.ccdoc.org.