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Member
Most Rev. Curtis J.
Guillory, S.V.D., D.D.,
Bishop of Beaumont
Board of Directors
Thomas Broussard
Linda Domino
David Dubose
G. R. "Lupe" Flores
Todd Fontenot
Kara Hawthorn
Beverly "Gail" Krohn
Barbara Lange
Garry LeBlanc
Mary Mahlie
Dana P. Melancon
Jeffrey Oliverio
Shawn Oubre
Jon C. Reaud
Craig J. Sherlock
Paul Trevino
Enrique "Henry" Venta
Donna Wade
Regina Winegar
Laura Williams, Ex-Officio
Carolyn R. Fernandez,
President/CEO
Executive
Committee
Craig J. Sherlock - Chair
Thomas Broussard - Vice Chair
Jeffrey Oliverio - Treasurer
Regina Winegar - Secretary
Enrique "Henry" Venta - Past Chair
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MISSION STATEMENT
“Providing Help and
Creating Hope”
People
of faith providing solutions to targeted human needs, aspiring towards a
universal community that preserves and supports the dignity of all.
Financial
Please click on the links below to
view our most recent agency financial information:
Annual Report: Fiscal Years Ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011
Annual Audit: Fiscal Years Ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011
IRS Form 990 for Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2012
History
Southeast
Texas is
alive with many diverse cultures. Immigrants from various areas of
the globe come to Southeast Texas
with their native cultures and religious customs. Many of those who
fled to the United
States,
in the early seventies, were Catholic. In 1975, the United States
Catholic Conference assumed a dominant role in the resettlement of these
immigrants. The Diocese of Beaumont accepted the responsibility of
resettling refugees and set an initial target of 1,000 people.
In October 1976, the Resettlement Office was formed to
address this issue. The Resettlement Office’s services included
providing reception, placement, case management services, childcare, job
development, job placement, support services, and immigration services to
refugees. In 1986, this program was renamed The Partnership for
Human Development.
The Diocese of Beaumont began using
the name Catholic Charities for social service programming in 1989.
Two years were spent evaluating the social service safety net throughout
the diocese with the goal of designing programs that met a recognized
human need without duplicating the services provided by other
organizations. From this research, programs of service
developed. Catholic Charities merged with the Partnership for Human
Development, the diocese’s first social service agency, placing all such
services under one umbrella.
The ultimate achievement for social
service organizations is to reach fiscal self-sufficiency or meet the
need of the social problems it addresses. One such Catholic Charities
success is The Hamlet. Catholic Charities operated a
residence for people with AIDS in the final stages of life, The Hamlet,
in rural Orange
County
from July 1989 through May 1998. The Hamlet experienced a decline
in occupancy, primarily caused by improvements in HIV/AIDS medication
regimens and positive changes in society’s view of persons
infected with HIV/AIDS. The Hamlet closed in May 1998 as the need
had been met. Catholic Charities was also the operating agency for
the Garth House—Mickey Mehaffy Children’s Advocacy Program in Beaumont
from January 1991 until April 2001. Garth House provides a safe,
non-threatening place for an abused child to tell his/her story with a
trained interviewer. Working in collaboration with law enforcement,
social service organizations, and foundations enabled this program to
achieve fiscal self-sufficiency and become a separately incorporated
501(c)(3).
In the wake of the devastating regional effects of Hurricanes Rita and Ike in 2005 and 2008, respectively, the agency expanded its programming to address regional disaster assistance and financial case management to help residents rebuild their lives. These programming initiatives live on still, having evolved into means of community assistance beyond their original visions. Similarly, the Elijah's Place
program for grieving children expanded in 2010 to include a component of
support for children affected by divorce and separation.
In 2007, the organization underwent a name change, shifting the name of the corporation from “Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Beaumont, Inc.” to “Catholic Charities of
Southeast Texas.” The current name better expresses that the
Diocese of Beaumont and Catholic Charities’ service territory consists of
nine counties (Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty,
Newton, Orange,
Polk and Tyler) commonly referred to as Southeast
Texas.
While Catholic Charities is
separately incorporated from the Diocese of Beaumont, we remain the
social service arm of the diocese, assisting the bishop in his pledge to
serve the poor within his diocese, regardless of their religious
affiliation. Catholic Charities is committed to the principles of
Catholic Social Teaching and in conjunction with supporting “The Common
Good” we offer services to anyone, without regard for their religious
preference. The Board of Directors and staff support our Mission
Statement: People of faith providing solutions to targeted human needs,
aspiring towards a universal community that preserves and supports the
dignity of all.
Catholic Charities is a tax-exempt
501(c)(3) Corporation. Contributions are tax-deductible as provided
by law. Through the years, Catholic Charities has continued to Provide
Help and Create Hope in the lives of hundreds of thousands of
people.
SHARING CATHOLIC SOCIAL
TEACHING
Challenges and Directions
REFLECTIONS OF THE U.S.
CATHOLIC BISHOPS
The Church’s social teaching is a
rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of
holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic
social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal,
conciliar, and episcopal documents. The depth and richness of this
tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these
documents. In these brief reflections, we wish to highlight several
of the key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition.
LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THE
HUMAN PERSON
The Catholic Church proclaims that
human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the
foundation of a moral vision for society. Our belief in the
sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person is
the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our
society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and assisted
suicide. The value of human life is being threatened by increasing
use of the death penalty. We believe that every person is precious,
that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every
institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of
the human person.
CALL TO FAMILY, COMMUNITY,
AND PARTICIPATION
The person is not only sacred but
also social. How we organize our society – in economics and
politics, in law and policy – directly affects human dignity and the
capacity of individuals to grow in community. The family is the
central social institution that must be supported and strengthened, not
undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to
participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being
of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Catholic tradition teaches that
human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved
only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met.
Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to
those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these
rights are duties and responsibilities – to one another, to our families,
and to the larger society.
OPTION FOR THE POOR AND
VULNERABLE
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.
THE DIGNITY OF WORK AND THE
RIGHTS OF WORKERS
The economy must serve people, not
the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it
is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the
dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must
be respected – the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to
organize and join unions, to private property, and to economic
initiative.
SOLIDARITY
We are our brothers’ and sisters’
keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our
national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences.
Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that “loving
our neighbor” has global dimensions in an interdependent world.
CARE FOR GOD’S
CREATION
We show our respect for the Creator
by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an
Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called
to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with
all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental
moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.
This summary should only be a
starting point for those interested in Catholic social teaching. A
full understanding can only be achieved by reading the papal, conciliar,
and episcopal documents that make up this rich tradition.
Copyright
1999, United States Catholic Conference, Inc., Washington, D.C.
All rights reserved.
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