charity
Message from Ethiopia
Sister Brikti Tesfay of the Daughters of Charity sends us thanks from Ethiopia, where Cross Catholic Outreach is funding a project to help vulnerable women attain financial stability. Sr. Brikti writes: Working with the poor is morally empowering. Every day I listen to their stories. When I let them narrate their stories, I see on … Continue reading
Epiphany Around the World!
This Sunday we will celebrate Epiphany, one of the Great Feasts of our liturgical year, which signifies the end of the blessed Christmas season. Epiphany commemorates Christ’s baptism—the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s physical manifestation, known as his “shining forth”, to the Gentiles is one of … Continue reading
It’s A Wonderful Life
My family has a yearly Christmas tradition. After a marathon day of holiday baking, we all settle down with warm cups of peppermint hot chocolate and watch the Christmas classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life”. I always find myself cheering for the film’s protagonist, George Bailey—especially when he uses his own money to help save the … Continue reading
St. Maarten: Poverty in Paradise
For those of us who work in the office here at Cross International Catholic Outreach, it’s a treat when one of our partners from across the globe pays us a visit. We were pleasantly surprised when Father Bob Johnson stopped by on the way back to St. Maarten. He led our morning staff prayer and … Continue reading
An enduring voice for the poor
Don’t forget to wish a happy birthday to Charles Dickens, who turns 199 next Monday – but doesn’t look a day over 40! You may remember the British novelist as one of those “dead white males” you were forced to read in high school, but hopefully you paid attention, because his voice still strikes a … Continue reading
Global Poverty: down but not out
Looking toward the future, there is some really good news for the developing world…but also some really bad news. First the good. The often-cited statistic of over 1.3 billion people in extreme poverty worldwide has been updated, and it’s gotten a lot smaller. Nearly half a billion smaller! Researchers from the Brookings Institution estimate a … Continue reading
Emergency relief from…tropical snowstorms?
Imagine a guy from Iceland arrives at your doorstep. He says he heard you needed help and he came to provide it. He tries to show you how to ice-fish and how to insulate your home against the weather, and how to grow hearty varieties of vegetables, and how to collect glacial runoff for drinking … Continue reading
Reflecting on 10 Years of Serving the Poor
Cross International Catholic Outreach was founded in 2001 with a staff of three sharing one donated office space. Today the organization has more than 100 employees, and has served the poor in more than 30 countries through more than $1 billion in donations over the last decade. Approaching our 10th anniversary, co-founder and President Jim … Continue reading
Their New Year’s Resolution: Survive
I have a friend who used to work in the fitness industry, selling exercise equipment. He told me that his company put almost all of its marketing budget and sales energy into selling products during December and January. Why? – because New Year’s resolutions about physical fitness are what stimulate most of their profits. Sadly, … Continue reading
Give a Fish or Teach to Fish?
Cross Catholic supports education and microenterprise programs that promote development. There is an old saying that goes: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The second part of that saying is the goal of much of the work … Continue reading
