News and Events

Catholic Charities Clean of Heart Mobile Showers help the Homeless in Seneca
Catholic Charities of South Carolina brought their ‘Clean of Heart’ mobile shower unit from Greenville to the Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in Seneca and with the help of volunteers from St.Paul the Apostle Catholic Church and Our Daily Bread, set up for free showers for homeless from about 11:30 to 1:30pm on Saturday Sept 19th. Shower recipients were provided with fresh towels, soap, shampoo for their shower as well as other personal hygiene amenities to take with them and information on where to turn for help in Oconee County. 

Gracie Ortiz is the Catholic Charities Regional Coordinator in Greenville and has led efforts to help homeless with the mobile shower unit in the Upstate, using it in Greenville, Spartanburg and now Seneca. She and April Bittner, Catholic Charities Client Advocate, coordinate the Clean of Heart shower schedule and organize the transportation of the unit including a ‘dry run’ to make sure the actual event goes smoothly. She and April also provided towels and masks for participants, took care of the shower hook up equipment, cleaned showers between uses, welcomed and registered participants, and offered Christian support to those interested in a free shower.  

Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church helped sponsor the event by covering the cost of bringing the mobile shower to Seneca, providing the soap and personal hygiene amenities and providing volunteers. Saint Paul member Steve Finger pointed out “the Saint Paul Social Outreach Ministries have been working with Catholic Charities of South Carolina for several years on things like immigration issues and setting up a Senior Companion program locally. More recently, we’ve gotten Catholic Charities help with tornado relief repairs and with Gracie’s help, we’ve been able to bring this wonderful mobile shower unit to Seneca.” Also volunteering from Saint Paul were Benevolence Ministry lead Jim Corey and Knights of Columbus President Brian Lamb. 

Our Daily Bread Board Chairman Richard Ledford, who was also instrumental in helping bring the Clean of Heart unit to Seneca, confirmed that many of those of who come to Our Daily Bread each day for a meal are homeless, noting that some take the CAT bus, while others walk. Since Covid19 restrictions have been in place, Our Daily Bread has been providing ’to go’ lunch meals Monday to Friday to over 100 people each day. On Saturdays they work with Christ Central Ministries who uses the Our Daily Bread facility to provide bag lunches along with an outdoor church/prayer service.  Ashley Williams is Director for Oconee Christ Central Ministries in Walhalla which also operates Ash Tree men’s substance abuse recovery program and the Oconee Resource and Solution Center (the old Oconee county Jail) to provide a solution for homeless who are suffering from mental and substance abuse issues. 

The mobile showers were a big hit, with the first shower recipient saying afterward, “I feel human again”. In addition to showers and bag lunches, counseling was provided on finding jobs and other help in the area. Volunteer Stephanie Blake, an Our Daily Bread board member, is also a Workforce Consultant at SCWorks and was able to guide people on job openings in the area and invite them to SCWorks to help with job placement. 

The current plan is offer these free showers monthly at Our Daily Bread with the next Clean of Heart Mobile shower unit visit to Seneca on Saturday Oct 17th at 11:30.  
 

Catholic Charities of South Carolina stands with our mother organization, Catholic Charities USA, in their statement. 

CCUSA is profoundly Disturbed by Such Continual Repetition of Acts of Indifference to Human Life

Alexandria, Va. (May 30, 2020) – Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) President and CEO, Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, issued the following statement condemning the killing of George Floyd and the continuous acts of violence and indifference to human life:

“These past few days as we watched the news, many of us found ourselves moved to tears over the killing of George Floyd. Our horror at watching the murder of this man on live TV will be something we can never forget. CCUSA is profoundly disturbed by such continual repetition of acts of wanton indifference to human life, especially to the lives of our African American brothers and sisters.

“Community is created by human beings, by our choices and actions. Together we can change things.  As we enter into this Pentecost season, we join in prayer that God’s Spirit will lead us to deep conversion of heart and equip us with the wisdom, insight and courage to reject hatred and racism and lead us all to heal our broken nation and our broken hearts.  We pray most intently for our black and brown sisters and brothers in this time of extraordinary suffering.”

From The Catholic Miscellany. Click for full article. 

CHARLESTON—After a night of riots and looting in Charleston and Columbia, Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone and civic officials released statements asking for peace to prevail.

The riots spun off protests and rallies for justice after the death of George Floyd of Minnesota, a man who died while in the city’s police custody. 

Several days of protest in cities across the nation made their way to South Carolina May 30. 

Bishop Guglielmone urged people to respond with prayer and restraint.

“The Catholic Church of South Carolina grieves with our community about the events leading up to these riots taking place around our state and our country. We pray for those who have been harmed and pray that the anger and frustration be lessened with time and reflection,” the May 31 statement said. 

“We must step back and learn from history that these vengeful mobs do nothing but elicit a flash of negative attention resulting in resentful distraction from a cause that requires systemic change,” the bishop continued.

“Peace is an ethic for people of all faiths. We know that over 2,000 years ago the authors of the Bible recorded the accounts of a man who changed the world. Jesus Christ did not do so, however, by commanding armies, and engaging in warfare. He taught his followers about love and mercy; that we must love God first and we must love our neighbors as ourselves,” Bishop Guglielmone said.

The bishop stressed that Christians are called to follow those teachings today and to sacrifice the ways that impede love and mercy. 

“We must sacrifice our prejudices, ignorance, hostility, apathy, and all that halts us from truly loving our neighbors as ourselves,” Bishop Guglielmone said.

The bishop also asked people to refrain from bickering on social media and step away from petty arguments. 

“Opinions and misinformation are not the answer to our society’s problems. Prayer is. Education is. Empathy is,” he continued.

He also urged youths to take up the mantle of peace and justice.

“Young people, I call on you to take the lead and show us how to effect change. Take Our Lord’s message of mercy out into the streets and show people how to welcome it into their hearts and homes. Show the world what it is to change the world peacefully through reason and open communication, by linking arms and teaching us to love God first,” he said.

Bishop Guglielmone called all people to pray for George Floyd and his family, and for all victims of racism, those who are suffering because of the riots, and for peace.

Charleston County was placed under curfew in the aftermath of the unrest. Columbia city officials also announced a state of emergency and a curfew.

Updated 4/14/2020

We have made a few operational adjustments during this time to keep everyone safe and healthy:

• Our Lady’s Pantry remains open with pre-packaged food available drive thru pick-up procedures to ensure the health and safety of our staff and visitors.
• Clean of Heart Homeless Laundry and Shower Facilities remain open with adjusted intake and hygiene requirements to help protect our vulnerable and homeless populations. Conway location is open for full services. Columbia's shower and laundry services are closed due to volunteer constraints; however, we are distributing snack and hygiene bags.
• All other ministries and services have been suspended at this time. We have been checking in with current clients and offering access to Our Lady’s Pantries.
• Please call your local office if you have any specific questions

 
Click the image to see a video clip of the pantry in action. As Gracie, our Regional Coordinator says, "we are here to fill the void"

Thank you to WBTW for visiting and interviewing our staff in the Pee Dee office. Here's a link to the story and more information: Click Here

Catholic Charities of South Carolina's Disaster Services division recieved much needed volunteer aid from WBTW, a news station in Myrtle Beach. WBTW employees spent a day of service working to rebuild a home in Horry county that had suffered devestating effects from Hurricane Florence. 

Click here to read the full story. 

Thank you WBTW!