Our Catholic Identity

The Secretariat for Catholic Human Services (CHS) has made it a top strategic priority to strengthen Catholic identity and mission throughout all of our facilities, programs and services. We are committed to assisting all those entrusted to our care with the highest levels of professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness. Yet the long tradition of the Catholic Church's charitable activity in this region also calls us to maintain and enrich the distinctive character of our service to others as Christian disciples in response to the Gospel. CHS is a ministry of the Church; we serve in communion with Jesus of Nazareth who came to bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, restore sight to the blind, and free the oppressed. (Luke 4:18-19).

In all our efforts on behalf of the poor, hungry, homeless, abused, and troubled members of our society, we endeavor to incorporate our work into the healing and saving mission of Jesus the Christ. Just as the earthly ministry of Jesus expressed a concern for the bodily and spiritual welfare of each person He encountered, so too what makes Catholic Human Services distinctive is our concern for the whole person, including support for his/her spiritual and ethical well-being.

Following Christ's example of servant leadership , we serve people of all faiths, races, ages, ethnicities, and lifestyles across the whole continuum of human need, and strive to express the unconditional love of God the Father for all His children. Indeed, it is increasingly the case that many of our clients and staff are from non-Catholic faith traditions, and we rejoice in this rich diversity as a visible sign reminding us that in God's economy “everyone has a place at the table.” (refer to .The Pastoral Reflection of the U.S. Catholic Bishops by this title released in 2002).

The many entities that comprise CHS today find their roots in the dedicated work of religious communities of men and women who founded charitable institutions that have made a positive difference in the lives of multitudes of people. They derived their inspiration and zeal from their Catholic faith, which is fundamentally incarnational , meaning that our love for God is made real and concrete through the manner in which we care for our brothers and sisters in need. This tradition of faith-based social service has been passed on to the many men and women of diverse faith backgrounds who today represent the hands of Christ as they continue these good works in CHS ministries. CHS is committed to provide ongoing training and development opportunities for our staff to articulate and reflect upon our Catholic identity and mission, and thereby insure that all of our organizations and programs “continue to be beacons of hope and centers of help for poor families and communities,” ( A Place at the Table , page 17).

Activities aimed at promoting our Catholic identity and mission will include:

• Building communities of faith-based and prayerful service
• Celebrating traditions as expressions of the God's grace among us
• Developing a comprehensive pastoral care plan across all CHS divisions
• Incorporating the core values of the CSS Statement of Beliefs into daily practice
• Integrating our work into broader efforts to promote social justice