Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Camden is currently holding a week of open houses at all of the centers it operates across South Jersey.
The open houses are one of the highlights of Catholic Charities’ 40 Days of Francis campaign, a countdown to the visit of Pope Francis in Philadelphia. The goal of 40 Days of Francis is to help South Jersey parishioners and residents prepare for Pope Francis’ visit to the United States next month by becoming more aware of the poverty in the region and ways to help.
Bishop Dennis Sullivan launched the campaign with a press conference Aug. 17 at which he called for the South Jersey faithful to take up Pope Francis’ challenge “to hear the cry of the poor.”
Open house visitors have been able to meet Catholic Charities’ staff and learn about the programs and services it offers in their community. Open houses began at the Family and Community Services Center in Vineland on Aug. 24. They continued at the offices in Atlantic City, Penns Grove, Salem, Westville and Bridgeton. The last two are in Rio Grande on Aug. 28, 4-6 p.m., and Camden, on Aug. 29, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Kevin Hickey, executive director of Catholic Charities, said he hopes the open houses prove to be an inspiration to those who visit.
To learn more about 40 Days of Francis, visit CatholicCharitiesCamden.org/40Days. Other upcoming events as part of the campaign include a diocesan-wide food relay involving Catholic high schools and Catholic Charities annual Justice for ALL awards dinner.