Pathways to Possibilities - Day 3 - Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville

Pathways to Possibilities – Day 3

Welcome back for Day 3 of Pathways to Possibilities presented by First Horizon. If you missed either of the first two days, please visit the Pathways page.

Hope and Renewal

Yesterday, we talked about the importance of loving our neighbors. Catholic Charities is like a faithful friend always ready to help.

Our first goal when helping clients is to get them out of the immediate crisis, whether they are facing eviction, needing a nutritious meal, recently lost a job – or got blindsided by a disaster.

Once the immediate crisis abates, possibilities emerge, and our clients can truly feel the depth of Catholic Charities’ caring.

The seeds of hope are planted, but they need a little help to grow. To flourish, three essential components are needed.

The first is access to important services, including financial literacy, child care, job training, health care, etc. That’s “case management,” a process of identifying, recommending, and connecting a person’s needs to resources.

Most importantly, case managers recognize the dignity of everyone who calls or walks in the door. Circumstances do not matter. Nationality does not matter. Race does not matter. Faith tradition does not matter. All that matters is loving our neighbors and having a passion to work together and to help them see a new and better future.

Catholic Charities has a stellar reputation for professional case management, which we have earned over 60 years. It is the reason we are one of the most trusted agencies in the region.

We also understand the importance of providing easy access to services. Our family resource centers, embedded in communities, are one-stop locations that eliminate the need to drive all over town for services. When you need help, your thinking right brain needs a quick solution – I need a service. That service is right here in this location. But hope requires the emotional left brain to generate feelings of stability, connectedness, worthiness, and gratitude.

Which brings us to the second component: counseling services. About one-third of our entire staff are licensed counselors who meet individually or in groups. Every day, they help children, individuals, families, and older adults work through important emotional issues and regain control of their lives.

Counseling could not have been more vital than this year, when survivors reeled from the three major crises in Middle Tennessee: the March 2020 tornadoes, the pandemic, and the December 25 bombing. And, of course, now we have recent flood survivors, many of whom have been in harm’s way more than once this year.

It is traumatizing to be confronted by the loss or the potential loss of something important. A severe car accident or violent crime can result in the loss of life. Being laid off takes away the ability to provide for oneself and loved ones. The resulting trauma, if not addressed, creates another burden–and a barrier to a fresh start.

Please tell your friends, family, and others you know about our services, and encourage them to apply even if they think they might not qualify. We want to help restore hope.

Deanne and her family escaped civil strife in Azerbaijan
to find a better life filled with commmunity and hope thanks to Catholic Charities

The third and final component is community. And it is by far the most important. Everyone needs and wants to be part of a community. The connectedness to community is where we both find support and consolation from others as well as hope when it has been lost.

Catholic Charities is blessed to be part of the enormous and generous Catholic community in Middle Tennessee. But did you know that a significant portion of our funding comes from individual donors – from both our Catholic and non-Catholic friends?

Our faith requires that we do our part to build a better community together for all. The connectedness we feel to you is what gives us hope that we can do that.

Thank you for your continued support of Pathways to Possibilities. Rest assured that your contributions will be put to use to bridge the gaps for those who need it most.