Pathways to Possibilities - Day 2 - Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville

Pathways to Possibilities – Day 2

Welcome back for Day 2 of Pathways to Possibilities presented by First Horizon. If you missed anything, please visit the Pathways to Possibilities page.

We are especially grateful to The Most Reverend J. Mark Spalding for his blessing yesterday and for his eloquent reflections on service to others.

The Love of a Faithful Friend

Yesterday we talked about the importance of a faithful friend – that person always there to help, to listen, to bring stability when your world is shaken, and to nudge you toward the right path when you veer.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville, has been that faithful friend to thousands of families, individuals, and businesses over the last year. Helping those who don’t know where else to turn is our specialty. Our Emergency Assistance and Basic Needs programs are literal lifelines for people who need help with rental payments, utility payments, a hot meal, or personal necessities, like diapers for their babies.

And the needs just kept escalating this year. While our region was hit with the triple whammy of tornadoes, a pandemic, and a bombing, calls to Catholic Charities for help increased more than 50 percent during that time. Recovery is a long way off for many of those who suffered.

What stood out most was the number of people calling a social services agency for the first time. Most had been self-reliant their entire lives but lost work and/or their home because of the disasters, including pandemic layoffs. A significant portion of the area workforce depends on the very jobs that make our region a destination for many.

Catholic Charities stepped up as a key player in the recovery efforts for all three crises, and we were honored to love and serve our neighbors, regardless of religion, nationality, ethnicity, or life circumstances.

We were able to serve many more people this year because of you: OUR faithful friends. Did you know that only five percent of our annual budget comes from the Diocese? Your donations and support for our mission ensured we did not have to turn away anyone who needed help.

Pathways to Possibilities ensures that Catholic Charities can and will always be that faithful friend when our neighbors need us most.

Your continued love and support make it all possible. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this email and sharing our social media posts.

“Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?” And answering, the king will say to them, “Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me. (Matthew 25:37-40)