Faith & Charity Catholic Appeal: "Shining the Light of Christ"

“When you support the Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal, you are Shining the Light of Christ and bringing hope to your neighbors. You are accompanying those on the margins – caring for the poor and vulnerable – proclaiming the gospel through youth, young adult, campus ministries, and Catholic education. Your generosity strengthens our faith community – now and into the future.”  – Bishop Koenig

The Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal – “Shining the Light of Christ” – is a call to action, enabling us to care for the needs of our people and form the next generation of faith-filled leaders for our parishes and the broader community.



This year, our 29 different programs served more than 86,000 individuals

and families and the numbers continue to grow.

The Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal is the single most significant contributor to Catholic Charities. Please consider participating in our Catholic Appeal and help support our community and programs. Contributions can be made in a pledge payable over months or a one-time donation.

Donations can be made by check, credit card, PayPal, electronic bill-pay, gifts of securities, IRAs, and corporate matching gift programs. Our Catholic Charities ministries care for so many physical and emotional needs. One out of eleven people throughout our community receives some service from Catholic Charities.

To make a one-time online donation to the ministry of your choosing, click here.



Ways to Give

Gifts to the Appeal – You may make a gift in the form of a pledge and receive a monthly reminder, or a one-time donation payable at the donor’s discretion.

Online Bill Pay – If you utilize this electronic technique to pay bills, add the Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal as a recurring payee.

Credit Card Payment Options – Payments can be automatically charged to your Amex, Mastercard, Visa, or Discover credit card. To initiate, complete the authorization section on your pledge form.

Gifts of Securities – The total market value becomes a tax-deductible gift. Contact the diocesan Development Office for transfer instructions. Individual Retirement Account Contribution – If you are 70½ or older, consider providing your gift through your IRA. For more info, go to cdow.giftlegacy.com or contact your tax advisor.

Matching Gifts – Many companies provide a matching gift program for their current and retired employees to promote charitable giving. Double the impact of your gift! Contact your Human Resources Department to determine if a matching gift program is available.

Catholic Charities' Sr. Kathy Flood helps hurricane survivors: A Catholic Forum video interview

On this Catholic Forum video interview, we talk with Sister Kathleen Flood, OSF, Disaster Relief Case Manager for Catholic Charities. Sister tells how the new Catholic Charities Disaster Relief and Recovery Program is helping survivors of Hurricane Ida in Wilmington, DE return to their homes and how the program will be in place when future natural or man-made disasters hit residents.

May is Diaper Drive Month

Catholic Charities Bayard House Diaper Bank Drive

The Bayard House Diaper Bank Services Over 100 Families

Local Families Need Your Support!

If you are able, please consider making an immediate donation

of diapers, baby hygiene items, and gift cards to help families

and at-risk young moms and their babies.

URGENTLY NEEDED: Sizes 4, 5, 6 and Pull-ups.

Donations are accepted at all Catholic Charities locations.

If you are in need of diapers, or know of a family that can benefit from the Bayard House Diaper Bank, please call Bayard House at 302-654-1184 to learn more about the program. Families must meet income guidelines and have children of the appropriate age.

Click here to make an online donation. Please designate "Diaper Bank" from the drop down menu under "Please designate my gift for the following ministry".

For information about Catholic Charities Diaper Bank, click here.

How Catholic Charities Bayard House Helps

Helping At-Risk, Homeless, Young Pregnant Women,

New Parenting Adolescents and Their Babies

Bayard House is the only licensed residential program in Delaware providing direct client care service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to at-risk, homeless, pregnant and/or newly parenting adolescents, young women, and their babies. The Bayard House program helps young women become nurturing parents and self-sufficient, contributing members of society.

Bayard House services include Residential Maternity Care, Diaper Bank, and Pregnancy Counseling. For 24-hour pregnancy counseling, call 877-225-7870.

From left, Chris Powers, Father Michael Darcy, Rick Johnson and Father Chris Hanley. Dialog photos /Joseph P. Owens

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington Honors

Delaware and Maryland Councils of Knights of Columbus

for the “Dignity of the Human Person”

More than 200 people joined the annual Catholic Charities Tribute Dinner in Wilmington on April 27 to honor Knights of Columbus from Delaware and Maryland councils that include thousands of members in two states.

Bishop Koenig, numerous priests and parishioners, and leaders from Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Wilmington gathered to recognize the work of the Knights of Columbus and their core principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

“Many times, people think of us as the guys who carry swords and wear feathers,” said Rick Johnson, state deputy for the Delaware Council, referring to former uniforms of the group. “We are the largest Catholic lay organization in the world,” he said.

“We promote the dignity of the human person. I am proud, humbled and grateful to be sharing this honor with our brother Knights in Maryland.”

Chris Powers, state deputy in Maryland, echoed his brother deputy in recognizing Knights in 33 councils in Delaware and eight on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He said it’s important for Knights to stand together and be seen in their efforts to promote human dignity.

“Our Knights of Columbus family can live our faith in the public square,” Powers said.

Bishop Koenig, Msgr. Steven P. Hurley, vicar general and moderator of the curia for the diocese, and Xavier DeCaire, Catholic Charities board of directors chairman, each cited Frederick “Fritz” Jones, Catholic Charities executive director. They said Jones has decided after more than 40 years with the organization that he will retire at the beginning of next year. Jones also said the work of the social services arm of the diocese will continue. “We’ve done this work now for 193 years and we’re going to keep doing it,” Jones said.

Both Johnson and Powers remembered Andrea Rotsch, the diocesan employee who worked for both Catholic Charities and the Development Department. Rotsch, the point person for the annual tribute dinner, died unexpectedly last week. Many of those who were part of the program remembered the popular colleague at the diocese. “The first time you met her it was like you knew her forever,” Johnson said. “She had that kind of personality.” Johnson said her husband, George, is a brother Knight and was present at the dinner.

To read the full article and see event photos in The Dialog, click here.

In Remembrance - Andrea Rotsch, Development Office Employee

Andrea Kruseski Rotsch, age 59, passed away on April 19, 2023. She is survived by her husband, George D. Rotsch; her sons, Gary, Jack, and Will, all of Wilmington, DE; her brother-in-law, Tom Boucek (VA); her nieces, Tanya Collin (CA), Nicole Gemberling (NC), Mara Frank (NC); goddaughter, Katie Gemberling Bast (PA); godson, Andrew Collins (CA).

To read the full Dialog article about Andrea Rotsch and her many accomplishments, click here.

We welcome Porsha Harvey!

Catholic Charities New Basic Needs Program Manager

Meet Porsha Harvey, Catholic Charities’ new Program Manager for the Basic Needs program. Porsha has been employed with Catholic Charities since October, 2020 and has been with the Basic Needs Program as a Case Manager since May, 2021. Prior to that she was a Case Manager Supervisor at New Behavioral Network, a Vocational Specialist and Case Manager at Connections CSP, Program Manager with KenCrest, and a Case Manager with the Catholic Charities CORE Program. Porsha holds a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitative Services from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and is working towards her Masters in Social Work from Capella University.

We welcome her to this new role of service with Catholic Charities.

For more information about Catholic Charities Basic Needs program that includes services for case management, financial literacy education, budget counseling, job readiness, diaper bank, food assistance, and rent/mortgage/utility assistance, click here.

Marydale Retirement Village Spring Extravaganza!

Yard Sale • Bake Sale • Craft Sale

Saturday, May 20, 2023

9am - 2pm

Marydale Retirement Village - Activities Center

135 Jeandell Drive, Newark, DE 19713

Please join us for a fun and creative event!

Browse and buy treasures, crafts and delicious baked goods.

For more info about Marydale, call 302-368-2784 or click here.

June is "Stock the Pantry" Month

Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation

Catholic Charities "Stock the Pantry" Drive gears up in June. Catholic Charities is looking to our communities in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland to help us stock our food pantries throughout the Diocese. Our food cooperatives provide monthly distributions of food for enrolled clients who are at or below 200% of poverty. The co-op offers an ongoing, sustainable resource for savings.

Throughout the month, all Catholic Charities locations will accept donations of nonperishable food such as canned meats, fruits, vegetables, shelf-stable milk, baby food, as well as peanut butter and jelly. We also welcome donations of cleaning products, dish detergent, paper goods, and personal care items like shampoo, soap and grocery gift cards.

Click here for Catholic Charities locations.

Click here to learn more about our Food Assistance program.

Click here to make an online donation. Designate your donation to “Food Assistance”.

Help Raise Awareness about Mental Health in Your Community!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others. Mental health is more than the absence of a mental illness—it’s essential to your overall health and quality of life. Self-care can play a role in maintaining your mental health and help support your treatment and recovery if you have a mental illness.

Mental health matters! Good mental health can help those in our community cope with stress and improve quality of life.

For information about Catholic Charities Behavioral Health program and counseling, click here.

To get tips and resources from the National Institute of Mental Health, click here. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth     #MentalHealthMonth

Join Our Team!

Catholic Charities Employment Opportunities

The Diocese of Wilmington and Catholic Charities currently has the following employment opportunities:

• Case Manager in Georgetown, DE and Princess Anne, MD

• Financial Analyst in Wilmington, DE

• Support Specialist at Bayard House, Wilmington, DE

To learn about these and other opportunities, click here. 

Thank You to All Our Supporters & Partners!

We Would Like to Recognize the following Catholic Charities Partners

Catholic Charities serves the most vulnerable in Delaware and the 

Eastern Shore of Maryland, regardless of religion, race, or ability to pay.

For more information about Catholic Charities, click here.

To make a donation to Catholic Charities, click here.

To learn about employment opportunities, click here.

To follow us on Facebook, click here.

Catholic Charities Mission

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington exists to help fulfill the Christian duty to love and serve God's people. Our mission is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The universal and local Church proclaims the Gospel and teaches the recognition of the dignity and sacredness of each human life and the belief that we are called to share our resources with the most vulnerable among us.

It is the mission of Catholic Charities to address human suffering and to promote and restore the well-being of people and society by:

• Providing, as a primary focus, caring service to families and persons in need;
• Coming together with members of the community to become informed about and to take action on critical social issues; and,
• Advocating publicly for social policies which enhance human dignity and safeguard basic human rights.

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No person is excluded from service because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

© 2023 - Catholic Charities - Diocese of Wilmington

501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization