Since our founding in 1905, Catholic Extension Society has been building up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities among the poor and in America’s poorest regions.
In 2022, we worked hard to continue and advance this life-changing mission. The Church is present within the most disadvantaged communities of this country. Our long-term support spans decades, ensuring Catholic leaders are present to share God’s love with those they serve.
In the face of tragedies, violence and natural disasters that our country has endured this year, we offered quick assistance to parishes and ministries to help them provide basic assistance and spiritual care.
This year we also witnessed moments of profound joy and faith from people across the country—people of all ages and all walks of life.
The photos below reveal just a few of the ways that we have worked in solidarity with Catholic leaders to help them do God’s work among the poor.
Tucson, Arizona
Jean Fedigan, founder and director of Sister Jose Women’s Center, speaks with a woman under the care of her ministry. Fedigan received our 2022-2023 Lumen Christi Award, Catholic Extension Society’s highest honor given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve.
The center is dedicated to the care of homeless and trafficked women living on the streets of Tucson. More than just providing shelter, Fedigan seeks to ensure that these women feel loved, respected, and assured of their human dignity. Her compassion is freely offered to all without judgment because she sees the face of Christ in all whom she meets. Many guests have told her, “You made me feel human today.”
Catholic Extension Society awarded Fedigan $50,000 to support the center. Read her full story.
Uvalde, Texas
A Catholic sister prays at the memorial at Robb Elementary School, where 19 children and two teachers lost their lives at a Mass shooting in May.
She and many other sisters traveled from across the country to minister to families in the grieving, tight-knit small town. Through the generosity of our donors and a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Catholic Extension Society continues to support healing ministries and ongoing mental health programs for the community. Catholic Extension Society helped build Sacred Heart Church and its Catholic school in Uvalde in the early 1900s. We provided more than 30 scholarships to former Robb Elementary students transfer to the Catholic school, where they feel safe.
Jocko, Montana
Chelsea Arlee is a parishioner at St. John Berchman’s church on the Flathead Reservation in the Diocese of Helena in western Montana. The reservation is home to the Salish and Kootenai tribes. She is a youth group leader and works in suicide prevention.
She and her husband help young people to see the beauty of nature and God’s presence on the land. “This is a little bit of heaven on earth, here,” she said.
Catholic Extension Society helped build the church and has supported the salaries of the Catholic sisters serving this faith community for many years.
Passaic, New Jersey
Maryna Pushak holds the hands of her 14-year-old son, Yurii, and 5-year-old daughter, Mariia, outside St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School in New Jersey.
The family, including Maryna’s husband and 12-year-old twin girls, left Ukraine when the war began and traveled for a month and a half before they made it safely to the United States to stay with Maryna’s mother. They were welcomed with open arms into the Ukrainian Catholic school. The children can continue to learn and grow with their own language and culture at the school.
“This school, it looks like a big family,” Maryna said. “Everyone tries to support us, to help us, to guide us.”
Catholic Extension Society has supported the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States since 1979. We are working to help Ukrainian American communities support the influx of refugees, who have arrived with nothing. Read more about St. Nicholas Catholic School and how to support it.
Mexico/Texas border
Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, greets a child waiting in Reynosa, Mexico, to enter the United States after escaping poverty and violence in her home country.
The United States government implemented a “remain in Mexico” policy during the pandemic. This left asylum seekers—many of whom traveled for thousands of miles—unexpectedly waiting for months in unsafe, unhealthy and unsanitary conditions in a makeshift tent city.
Catholic Extension Society provided a grant to the Diocese of Brownsville to build an organized and secure campsite, which includes a kitchen and dining area, restrooms, showers and an infirmary. The project provided safe and dignified living conditions, as well as food, water, and other basic necessities, for approximately 3,000 families. In a letter to Catholic Extension Society, Sister Norma said the project “would not have been possible if we had not received your support. Muchas gracias!”
Lafayette, Louisiana
Teenagers in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, sing together at the annual African American Youth Congress. This day-long event brings Black youth from across the diocese together to celebrate and affirm their faith, culture, and the gifts they bring to the Catholic Church. It is supported by Catholic Extension Society.
El Paso, Texas
Father Germán Alzate took a selfie with his congregation at San Pedro de Jesus Maldonado Mission, a growing Catholic faith community in El Paso, Texas. Catholic Extension Society supported the enthusiastic pastor’s seminarian education, and also helped build a church out of a small steel structure to give the parish a home.
Jenkins, Kentucky
Pastors and members of Catholic Extension Society’s Board of Governors bless a family who had to move into a camper after their home was damaged in the devastating flooding that hit eastern Kentucky in July. They are among thousands of families living in similar conditions in the area.
The pastors joined Catholic Extension Society on an immersion trip to experience the transformative work of the Church in poor regions of the United States. Although Catholics represent a tiny fraction of the population in the Diocese of Lexington, the Church has long been a life-saving resource in Appalachia.
Church leaders responded to the flooding by becoming centers for food, clothes and other basic necessities. Catholic Extension Society offered emergency funding and continues to support the work of the Church here.
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Father Martin Ma Na Ling greets a child after celebrating Mass for the Burmese refugee community in the Diocese of Owensboro in western Kentucky. He is the second Myanmar-born priest to be ordained in the United States. He is among nearly 90 priests who were ordained this year that received seminarian education support from Catholic Extension Society.
He grew up in an extremely isolated village that did not have telecommunication, schools or stores—overcoming immense challenges to live out his vocation today. “My life is full of happiness and full of blessings and grace from God,” he said.
We will be sharing his incredible story of perseverance and faith in the coming months.
Palm Springs, California
Faithful gather to pray at a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Palm Springs, California. Thousands embarked on a 30-plus mile pilgrimage in the Diocese of San Bernardino to honor “La Virgen de Guadalupe” on her feast day, December 12.
Catholic Extension Society has strengthened Hispanic Catholic faith communities in the diocese for decades by building churches, supporting religious education programs, developing leaders and more.
Related: Check out our Top 10 Photos of 2021, 2020 and 2019.
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