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The Dispatch

Love and the Skeptic

February 14, 2026 Carl E. Olson 13

Saint Valentine’s Day is a good time to remind ourselves that human love is an imitation, a reflection, of the divine love that created all […]

Columns

Yet another comment on ordo amoris

March 1, 2025 James Kalb 33

Vice President JD Vance’s recent comment that we should love and assist those close to us before those who are more distant provoked an outburst of argument that eventually involved even the Pope. The comment […]

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News Briefs

Knights of Columbus announce charity fund has surpassed $100 million in grants

June 27, 2024 Catholic News Agency 1
Sisters of Life attend a dedication ceremony for the ultrasound machine donated by the Knights of Columbus to the First Choice Women’s Resource Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey. / Credit: Knights of Columbus

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 27, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund (KCCF) has exceeded $100 million in awards given since the project was founded five years ago, the fraternal organization said in a press release this week. 

The fund “has crossed a significant milestone” in surpassing the six-figure mark, the organization said in the release. The charity, founded in 2019, is run out of the Knights’ New Haven, Connecticut, headquarters. 

The charity on its website says it is meant to “inspire a legacy of generosity within the Catholic Church.” The organization ensures that “all charities supported by the fund are deeply consistent with the values and teachings of the Catholic Church.”

Among the causes to which the KCCF awards grants are “higher education, evangelization, religious formation, and pro-life apostolates.”

Dennis Gerber, the president of the fund, said in the press release this week that the $100 million milestone is “a dream realized.”

“And for KCCF to achieve this charitable impact in just five years is very encouraging for our work going forward,” Gerber said. 

“While this is an outstanding milestone, we believe it is just the first of many in our work of building a powerful new engine for supporting the Church and our communities.”

The fund has more than $120 million in assets under management, the press release said. It has “distributed over 11,000 grants to more than 2,000 organizations” across North America as well as Europe and Asia.

Among the group’s initiatives include the Ukraine Solidarity Fund, which works to provide shelter, food, medical supplies, and other necessities to Ukrainian families amid that country’s war with Russia. 

The charity works with the Christian Refugee Relief Fund, which offers humanitarian assistance to Christians at risk of persecution, particularly in the Middle East. 

The fund also supports the housing initiative Habitat for Humanity, as well as the Special Olympics and the American Wheelchair Mission. 

Also notable among the Knights’ charitable works is its ultrasound purchasing program, in which the organization buys ultrasound machines for pregnancy centers. 

The program helps save unborn lives by “giving [mothers] the opportunity to view their unborn children on ultrasound machines at pro-life pregnancy centers,” the Knights say on their website.

The Knights further offer broader assistance to pregnancy centers — including material and spiritual support — through the Aid and Support After Pregnancy (ASAP) Initiative.

Gerber this week said that St. Paul’s admonition to be “a cheerful giver” is “a driving force behind what we do with KCCF.”

“Our goal is to help provide the tools to inspire Catholics to give more generously and have a larger impact on organizations that are doing great work,” he said. 

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News Briefs

Catholic Charities to open ‘Compassion Corner’ to serve homeless, poor in Pittsburgh

May 6, 2024 Catholic News Agency 1
The Diocese of Pittsburgh’s Gismondi Job Training Program helps those in need. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 6, 2024 / 17:40 pm (CNA).

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is expanding its social services offered to people who are homeless and those in poverty with a newly created “Compassion Corner” opening in August. 

The nonprofit charity group is renovating a former office building located in downtown Pittsburgh to provide health care services, mental health services, job training programs, a place for the homeless population to eat, and a variety of other resources. The nearly 45,000-square-foot building is located at 111 Boulevard of the Allies, next to The Red Door (run by the Catholic Divine Mercy Parish), which provides services such as food for people who are homeless.

“I believe this is all divinely led,” Christopher Scoletti, a board member of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and previous president of the board, said during an official launch last week. 

“I believe God is working and channeling the love that we all have for our communities, for our neighbors, for one another,” Scoletti added. “I believe God is channeling the pride that we have for the City of Pittsburgh to enforce a powerful change for a better future.”

Susan Rauscher, who serves as the charity’s executive director, told CNA that the new building will allow Catholic Charities to provide more medical and dental care, which it offers to those in poverty for free. She said this expansion will allow for more dental chairs and more medical services, among other things. 

“[We’re] really excited about the increase in the number of people who can get health care services,” Rauscher said. 

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh provides eye exams to its clients. Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh provides eye exams to its clients. Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh

According to Rauscher, the added space will allow the nonprofit to provide mental wellness services, which will include anger management and therapy. The group will also provide job training services, which will include a free 12-week telecommunications course, and connect them with employers with whom the charity has existing relationships. The job programs will include training for five certifications. 

“Moving into the new building gives us some additional space to move into new areas that help us bring holistic solutions to our clients,” Rauscher added.

Because of the Compassion Corner’s proximity to The Red Door, Catholic Charities will create a spot for people who are homeless to eat inside. Rauscher noted that those people will also receive access to these services. 

“[Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is] pushing toward not only providing that emergency assistance and those basic needs but also incorporating case management and that long-term stability,” Rauscher said.

More than 100 elected officials, community leaders, and business leaders attended the official launch of the Compassion Corner, according to the diocesan Catholic Charities. This included Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who praised the work of the nonprofit and said Christians “can’t just read the Bible and teach the Bible” but need to show their faith in Christ through the “works and deeds that we do.”

“That falls on all of us to do,” Gainey said during a speech at the launch. “It doesn’t just fall on government [and] nonprofit [organizations]. It falls on us.”

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh has raised about $12 million in donations for its Campaign for Compassion Corner to provide these services, which is more than 70% of its goal of $17 million. The group is trying to raise $13 million for Catholic Charities and $4 million for its partner, Gift of Mary, an emergency women’s shelter. 

Rauscher told CNA that 100% of the staff at the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh has personally contributed to the fundraising effort. She praised the work of the staff, saying: “They can squeeze every penny out of every dollar that’s entrusted to us and turn it into solutions for the people they serve.”

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh serves about 20,000 people annually, according to Rauscher. She said the nonprofit served about 23,000 people last year.

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