Catholic Charities remains true to its mission throughout pandemic

Jaime Reyna, Office of Social Ministry director, interviews Warren Phipps, executive director of Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi, on May 21. The event was livestreamed on the Social Ministry Facebook page, but the replay can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/lRSCQg8Lp2k.

In an interview with Jaime Reyna, Office of Social Ministry Director, Warren Phipps said his transition as executive director of Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi was unique due to the pandemic. His first day on the job was March 2, and on March 13, President Donald Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency. “It was a sort of D-Day,” the retired Major General recalled.

What struck him most was the “innovation and agility of the staff.” They used smartphones, iPads, and Telehealth software to provide continuity of services across the 12 counties they serve. “I’ve been amazed to see the staff raise to the challenge,” he said, adding, “and I can’t say enough about the wonderful board of directors who are all volunteers – very distinguished individuals from across the diocese. We have successful businessmen; we have distinguished members of the community; we have elected officials; we have educators. What a great group of people who just want to give back, and they do that as volunteers themselves.”

According to Phipps, their first priority was to ensure the safety of the men at the Mother Teresa Transitional Housing for Men. They had to close off the home to visitors and amp up their cleaning processes.

The second priority was to feed the homeless. Thanks to the Coastal Bend Foodbank, H-E-B and other vendors, their seven pantries have never been empty, and they’ve been able to continue to meet the needs throughout the diocese. “When a crisis hits like this – we never shut our doors. We continued to feed them from day one, on,” Phipps said. 

The day shelter initially averaged feeding 60 people a day. During the pandemic, they averaged 130 people a day, and instead of a light snack for breakfast and lunch, Mother Teresa Shelter began giving out two full meals a day at the shelter’s entrance. Now homeless are allowed under the covered pavilion, but not the kitchen. Besides increasing the content of their meals, they have also provided hand-washing stations and portable toilets. 

“Our counselor, Gloria [Garcia, department director] continues to provide services using Telehealth, and parent educators are providing virtual home visits with families,” Phipps said. “Catholic Charities has leveraged technology for financial aid claims through smartphones, and we’ve been able to help 288 families to date with rent and utilities. It’s about $48,000 from private donations.” 

The hardest-hit program was the Ministry and Life Enrichment for Persons with Disabilities. “They are a very vulnerable population … so, we weren’t able to bring them together,” he said, adding, “but I’ve got a wonderful department head, Celia Mendez, who went the extra mile to reach out to them.” He said that Mendez and Sister Antonietta Letizia, with the congregation of the Sisters of St. Ann, delivered goody bags to each of their clients, and Father R.J. Regalado celebrated Mass virtually. “What a tremendous capability to make those that we service through that life ministry to feel connected, connected not only to Catholic Charities but connected to the church and our faith,” Phipps said.

“In keeping with the mission of Catholic Charities and Mother Teresa’s shelter, we continue to offer our programs in one form or another to focus on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable in our community. We address their spiritual, emotional, physical and financial needs. We promote family, individual self-sufficiency,” he said. “Even though some processes have changed, we’ve been true to the mission and true to what we hope to accomplish.” 

See a full interview with Reyna, which had been livestreamed on the Social Ministry Facebook page and is now available at https://youtu.be/lRSCQg8Lp2k.