Catholic Charities builds skills at modern disaster relief, steps up to promote social and racial justice Rick Birkel 3/9/2021 8:51 AM
select Kathy Swift The Second Vatican Council called on Catholics to “read the signs of the times” and offer time-tested teaching to the world in a way that meets modern needs.
In that tradition, Catholic Charities of Oregon observed what happened in the state during 2020 and set about reinventing itself. With the pandemic, strife over racial justice and unprecedented late summer fires dominating life, the venerable Catholic agency has built its capacities for disaster relief and social and racial justice.
In other parts of the country, like the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast, Catholic Charities outlets have long had a hand in disaster aid. Oregon just had not had many catastrophes before 2020, said Kathy Swift, chairwoman of the board for Catholic Charities of Oregon