Holding hope in our hands: Charity and Mercy Grants
Encounter at Catholic Charities
At Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, our goal is to “provide care and create hope” throughout the Diocese of Jefferson City.
Yet we face a challenge.
Our office only resides in Jefferson City, though we are called to serve 38 counties.
Truly, we are Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri — not only Catholic Charities of Jefferson City.
Thus, we are grateful to have received a restricted donation of $1 million to be used to fund grants of Charity and Mercy for our parishes and their ministries.
Several years ago, I attended a session of the Amazing Parish Leadership Summit in Dallas, Texas.
In the closing presentation, Father Michael White, pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Baltimore, posed a powerful question: What will history write about us and our parish?
He then reminded us:
The Church of Christ is the hope of the world.
The parish church is the heart of that hope.
We hold that hope in our hands.
At Catholic Charities, we believe this deeply, recognizing that parishioners are the “boots on the ground.”
By encountering families facing hardship and neighbors searching for stability, they intimately know the needs of their community and are uniquely positioned to carry out Catholic Charities’ mission of providing care and creating hope — hope they already hold in their hands.
So, through the Charity and Mercy Grants, we collaborate with our parishes — not to replace or replicate their ministries, but to support and advance the good work already flourishing in local communities.
In the past two years, we have provided more than $200,000 in funding for works of charity and mercy.
Here are just a few examples of how parishes are bringing this hope to life:
Mary Immaculate Parish in Kirksville recognized the need for transportation to school and Sunday Mass for families working in area meat-packing plants.
Catholic Charities provided $50,000 to purchase a van, while the parish provides fuel, drivers, maintenance and insurance.
St. Patrick Parish in Rolla, in collaboration with the diocesan Schools Office, identified a critical need for behavioral and mental health counseling for Catholic school children and their families in parishes unable to fund such services.
Catholic Charities provided $50,000 to launch a pilot program this semester with a licensed counselor.
Holy Family Parish in Hannibal operates the Good Shepherd Ministry, which offers food vouchers and rent and utility assistance to those in need.
As funds were running low, we provided a grant of $5,000 to sustain this vital outreach.
Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lake Ozark requested a $10,000 grant to help support its ministry to families and ministry to those in need.
After speaking with the deacon who coordinates assistance efforts, the need was clear and the grant was approved.
St. Brendan Parish in Mexico received $4,142 to assist the Audrain County Human Resource Coalition in purchasing refrigerators to be used in transitional housing units serving families awaiting placement through the Mexico Housing Authority.
St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City as well as St. Brendan Parish have received funding for their respective St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Beds for Kids program, which provides beds for children sleeping on the floor or couch hopping.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society conducts a home visit to verify the request for a bed, says a prayer with the family, and delivers the bed frame, box spring, mattress, linens and pillows.
St. Bernadette Parish in Hermitage received funding to provide weekend meals for school children facing food insecurity.
St. John Henry Newman Center in Columbia received a $25,000 annual grant for three years to support its Social Justice Ministry that provides Catholic social teaching education and collaborates with other agencies in providing these services, namely Sacred Heart Parish, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and Catholic Charities.
These are only a few examples of what is made possible throughout our diocese when parishes and Catholic Charities work together.
To learn more about Charity and Mercy Grants, visit cccnmo.diojeffcity.org, select “Programs” and then “Parish Social Ministry.”
The application form and guidelines are available there.
Please note: Your ministry should align with your parish pastoral plan, be supported by parishioners and the application must receive approval from your parish pastor — ensuring that every grant supports a work of charity and mercy that flows from the life and mission of the parish itself.
The Church of Christ is the hope of the world.
The parish church is the heart of that hope, and Catholic Charities stands ready to unite with parishes and distribute the hope we all hold in our hands to those most in need across the Diocese of Jefferson City.
Deacon Leonatti, assists the pastor of St. Brendan Parish in Mexico, is a member of the Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri Board of Directors.
