Catholic Charities Maine celebrated its 60th anniversary in style on April 30, bringing together supporters, staff members, volunteers, and clients from around the state for a gala held at Innovation Hall in Portland. Among the guests were Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, and Bishop James Ruggieri, who gave thanks to the many who have contributed to Catholic Charities Maine through the years.

“For six decades, Catholic Charities Maine has stood as one of the most visible and concrete expressions of the Church’s mission here in Maine,” the bishop said. “The Church is called to proclaim the Gospel, to bring people into encounter with Jesus Christ, and to build up the kingdom of God. Catholic Charities Maine helps carry out that mission in a profoundly human and practical way: by feeding the hungry, accompanying the lonely, serving children and families, supporting older adults, assisting those in crisis, welcoming the stranger, and helping people move toward stability, dignity, and hope.”

Catholic Charities Maine was established by Bishop Daniel Feeney in 1966 as the Diocesan Bureau of Human Relations Services. It was an effort to bring cohesion to a variety of social service programs run by the Diocese of Portland and to ensure their future success. The agency’s original budget was just $50,000. 
Today, Catholic Charities Maine has 20 programs serving tens of thousands of people across the state. During the gala, guests heard, through a video presentation, some of the many ways the agency is touching lives.

“The mission of Catholic Charities Maine is to help all of the people in the state. Independent Support Services does that by helping the elderly and the disabled stay in their homes and be able to live like everybody else,” said Mary Peterson, an ISS worker.

“Our mission is to feed people. You can’t get much more basic than that,” said Jon Blanchard, director of Hunger and Relief Services, which serves people in northern Maine.

“When we look at the teaching of Matthew 25, where we’re called to assist and support the strangers, our Refugee and Immigration Services is exactly responding to that mission,” said Charles Mugabee, director of Migration, Refugee, and Immigration Services.

“One of the things that I’ve grown to appreciate about Catholic Charities is that they make sure that people of Maine are being taken care of with dignity,” said Tom Farrington, program director of the St. Francis Recovery Center in Auburn. “Men who come here come two ways. Either they’re desperate for change, or the legal system has mandated that they come. Our hopes are they have an aha moment where they say, ‘OK, I can have a better life.’” 

Among the many special moments of the gala was the announcement that Julie Abbott, who has answered Catholic Charities Maine’s Relief & Hope emergency services hotline for 15 years, was chosen as the Catholic Charities USA Volunteer of the Year. According to Robinson, Abbott was honored for her gift of presence and for allowing “struggling neighbors to retain their dignity even in their most distressing and vulnerable moments.”