100 years: Catholic Charities’ impact is personal for mayor, executive director

For 100 years, Catholic Charities of Omaha has been serving people in need – helping them obtain food, behavioral health services, assistance for domestic violence victims, legal aid for immigrants, business training for entrepreneurs and activities and meals for seniors.

The organization has impacted countless people – including Catholic Charities executive director Denise Bartels and Omaha Mayor John Ewing.

On April 1, the two helped celebrate Catholic Charities of Omaha’s 100-year anniversary at its St. Martin de Porres Community Center, 2111 Emmet St. in Omaha.

Denise Bartels, executive director of Catholic Charities of Omaha, speaks at a 100-year anniversary celebration on April 1 at the organization’s St. Martin de Porres Community Center in Omaha.

It was a homecoming of sorts for Ewing and his chief of staff, Thomas Warren. As youths, the two spent time at the building, participating in programs run by the Christ Child Center and Catholic Charities.

During a short service, the mayor officially proclaimed April 1st as Catholic Charities’ 100th Anniversary Day, touting, among other things, the way “the organization’s dedicated staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to uphold the dignity of every human being and to bring comfort and stability to those facing hardship.”

Omaha Mayor John Ewing reads the centennial proclamation.

Before the proclamation, Bartels spoke about how Catholic Charities, in its earliest years, influenced her life.

“Many of you may not know that Catholic Charities got its start in 1926 by assisting the Sisters of Mercy in operating in the St. James Orphanage,” she said to those gathered for the celebration. “Thousands of children, including my own mother, were adopted through the orphanage. It is amazing to me that I now lead the organization that cared for her once as a child.”

Elsewhere at the event, others were able to document and share their personal connections to Catholic Charities.

“Catholic Charities exists to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, to care for those in need,” Bartels said in her brief talk. “I’m humbled and honored to serve as part of an organization that has helped countless people over the past century.”

“We empower human dignity,” she said, “by serving all who come to us and helping them to a brighter future.”

Catholic Charities offers food and activities for seniors at its St. Martin de Porres Community Center. Programs at the St. Juan Diego Community Center in south Omaha include microbusiness training for entrepreneurs, immigration legal services and a food pantry.

Mobile pantries serve people in rural areas. Through its food programs, Catholic Charities provides nearly 3 million pounds of food a year to hundreds of thousands of people, Bartels said.

For more than 50 years, the charity has given emergency shelter to victims of domestic violence. Other programs include chemical dependency treatment and mental health programs.

“We continuously strive to be leaders as we update and adapt our programs to meet the challenging needs in this community,” Bartels said. “With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will continue to be a beacon of hope for those in a crisis as we enter our next century of service.”

Father Scott Hastings leads the gathering in prayer.