Did You Know?

Catholic Community Services is our Tucson Diocese social ministry agency and provides a very broad spectrum of services across our entire Diocese, ranging from Ministry to the Incarcerated, adoption services, foster care, homeless shelters, feeding programs, behavioral health services, domestic crisis shelters, services to the elderly, and so many, many more expressions of Christian love. Supported by the Annual Catholic Appeal, CCS is our outreach into every community in southern Arizona! Most recently Catholic Community Services is dramatically expanding its services in Sierra Vista and across Cochise County. Already present in Forgash House and other human services, CCS recently took over the operation of Good Neighbor Alliance-Samaritan Shelter, which we have supported since its foundation almost 30 years ago! Catholic Community Services is now constructing a “tiny homes project” adjacent to Forgash House to provide much needed ‘transitional housing’, with dreams of expanding the “tiny homes project” to other parts of the community! Much of this has been made possible through grants, but mostly through the generous support of our Diocesan Church – your participation in the Annual Catholic Appeal! Because we know that CAPACITY MULTIPLIES BY COLLABORATION (“We may not have it all together, but together we have it all!”) Catholic Community Service leaders brought together as many groups working through our local parishes to listen, to identify networks already in place, to listen, to invite wider public participation, to listen, to engage stakeholders, to listen, and to explore how we, as the local Church in Cochise County, can meet the challenges and embrace the opportunities together! It was inspiring to experience the Spirit-filled wisdom of the leaders of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, parish Social Ministry participants, clergy, CareNet volunteers, and CCS leadership! This will be the first of more Roundtable events to build this needed collaboration! Please pray that this “good work begun in the Lord may be brought to fruitful completion” and that we, as God’s People, may be more effective witnesses to the transformative, life-changing, power of love of God and love of neighbor! If you would like to learn more, please contact our CCS representative: Maryann Hockstad!