Catholic Charities USA leader encourages Oregon staff The new leader of Catholic Charities USA visited Oregon in early May and thanked local workers. “I can’t imagine the church without the work you do,” Kerry Alys Robinson told employees gathered at the Catholic Charities office in Portland. “It would almost be a mockery. And it’s not…

The fascinating life of a Ukrainian refugee in Oregon “All our family and friends — everybody — went to jail,” says Peter Vins, a former Soviet political prisoner who now works with refugees at Catholic Charities of Oregon. “They put my grandmother in jail when she was 64 and had cancer. For me growing up,…

A long-established service organization working with Oregon’s Latine community is seeking new board members to sustain its life-giving mission.   El Programa Hispano Catòlico, a member of the Catholic Charities of Oregon network, serves about 32,000 individuals annually via efforts in economic sustainability, education, community wellness, domestic violence healing and sexual violence survivor support.

Volunteer team spruces up Kenton Women’s Village Thanks to crew of about 30 employees from the local homebuilding industry, a tiny home community run by Catholic Charities of Oregon got a free spring update.

In addition, former head of the church’s social service arm will receive the university’s highest degree The University of Portland class of 2024 will hear from the leader of Catholic Charities USA May 5 during commencement. In August 2023, Kerry Alys Robinson began her service as president and CEO of the network of 168 agencies…

Ascension Catholic Parish in Southeast Portland has long offered shelter for the most vulnerable, starting in the 1980s. Now, the parish is part of the church-based Family Promise network. The old Ascension school cafeteria holds 15 people, large enough to make a real difference yet small enough for the interaction to be meaningful.

We highlight not only Amanda Gorman as a Catholic woman of note, but our own villagers at Kenton Women’s Village and the ladies who are part of our Housing Transitions Program. They are seeking to make the move from homelessness to stability and are climbing hills with great zeal.

Father Hans Mueller, a member of the Catholic Charities of Oregon board of directors, visited Feb. 13 to give the nonprofit’s offices a pre-Lenten blessing. Staff read from Psalm 90: “Lord, give success to the work of our hands.” Father Mueller, pastor of St. Juan Diego Parish in Portland, walked throughout the Catholic Charities offices…

In the history of Portland’s struggle for civil rights, the church communities of Black citizens wielded the Gospels powerfully and skillfully. They worked peacefully to provide a great promise, hope and future for their communities.

Bobbie, 75, wouldn’t dream of leaving Catholic Charities senior housing Bobbie is a human anchor at one Catholic Charities of Oregon senior housing site.

At a time when we honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for his extraordinary work in bending our nation toward justice, we want to hold up a lesser-known person who embodied the same tradition decades before King. Introducing St. Josephine Bakhita.