Supporting All God’s People
“In God’s family, where all are sons and daughters of the same Father, and, because they are grafted to Christ, sons and daughters in the Son, there are no “disposable lives.” All men and women enjoy an equal and inviolable dignity. All are loved by God.”
– Pope Francis
We’re glad you’re here. Whether you’re looking for a way to help fill a need or you’d like to get involved with one of our many programs, Catholic Charities of Oregon is the central meeting ground for support, community and assistance.
We work with everyone. Our focus is on providing what is needed for people to create healthy, fulfilling lives for themselves and their families and we have a number of programs here at Catholic Charities of Oregon to make that possible.
We’re a vibrant, effective part of Oregon and we’d love you to be a part of our ever expanding family.
The Two Feet of Love
Catholic disciples on mission are called to put Two Feet of Love in Action. This foundational tool describes two distinct, but complementary, ways we can put the Gospel in action in response to God’s love: social justice (addressing systemic, root causes of problems that affect many people) and charitable works (short-term, emergency assistance for individuals).
Social Justice “concerns the social, political, and economic aspects and, above all, the structural dimension of problems and their respective solutions” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 201). We step with this foot when we work to address the root causes of problems facing our communities by advocating for just public policies and helping to change the social structures that contribute to suffering and injustice at home and around the world.
Charitable Works are our “response to immediate needs and specific situations: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for and healing the sick, visiting those in prison, etc.” (Deus Caritas Est, no. 31). We step with the Charitable Works foot when we work to aid or assist others both locally and globally to meet their immediate, short-term needs. Examples include engaging in direct service or providing food, clothing, shelter, or monetary assistance to help those in need.