If you still give to Catholic Charities...

The US Bishops have gotten so addicted to the government cash for immigrant services that it has come to dominate their focus. I recently read a few news stories concerning Catholic Charities resettlement offices  closing down because there are less illegal aliens and refugees and because the government grants are drying up. The employees were quite angry about all the collected clothes and home wares  just sitting on the shelf never to be used.  The sites that had these stories and who allow comments had some interesting responses. People asked why the office wasn't going to serve the homeless or poor American families?  Those comments reminded me of something an acquaintance told me about a lady in his parish. This woman had faithfully put money in the Catholic Charities envelope for  probably most of her adult life  and then in her old age,  after  her own finances tanked, she  found herself going to her local Catholic Charities office. The staff treated her rudely and she left humiliated and crying. Maybe she went to the wrong office but could not someone have said to this old lady, "Ma'am, the American services are at X street," or "I'm sorry ma'am, but your income is  above our cut off limit  but here are numbers you can call to see if you can get senior citizen utility assistance." I haven't willingly (remember, that government money is our tax money),  given Catholic Charities a dime in years. If you still do, take a good look at your local office's annual report and website, if they have one. Read for yourself where the money goes.