Your Impact

Immediately, parishioners of Holy Trinity Church in Swainsboro, Georgia, helped their beloved pastor, Father Angel. He had arrived in town two summers before. In that time this small Catholic mission in southern Georgia has grown from 55 parishioners to 200, a substantial increase in a region where Catholics represent less than 3 percent of the population.

But this is nothing new for Father Angel, Catholic Extension Society’s 2015-2016 Lumen Christi Award recipient. He has been building the Church, both with bricks and people, throughout his 18 years as a priest for the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia.

Father Fredy is once again doing this at his latest assignment. Today, Catholic Extension Society supports his ministry at Holy Trinity and at Holy Family Catholic Church in Metter, Georgia, 30 miles south of Swainsboro.

Under Father Angel’s leadership, these parishes aspire to build up the Church. His track record suggests that together these faith communities are destined for great things.

On May 21, 2016, the parish community of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Ray City, Georgia, saw a long-held dream come true with the dedication of its new church building, pictured below. Father Angel used the monetary award from the Lumen Christi Award to spearhead the construction of the new church. For the previous eight years, Father Angel has pastored three mission churches that spanned three counties in Georgia and had multicultural parishioners.

After its completion, Father Angel united the three churches into one diverse community of African American, white, Hispanic and Asian American parishioners. Father Angel told parishioners at the dedication Mass, “The easy part is done. We already built the structure. Now we need to build the soul.”

Now in Swainsboro, Father Angel is looking for that same unifying transformation he witnessed in Ray City. Holy Trinity is a predominantly Hispanic parish in a town where Hispanics make up less than 4 percent of the population, and Catholics are an even smaller percentage. He said, “It doesn’t matter the race, the nationality or whatever. … It’s about the inclusion.”

He continued, “For me building the Church is to recognize eachother as one.”

His parishioners in Swainsboro tackled their first project. They repaired the collapsed roof and made improvements to the rectory in just five months. Now they’re making progress on multiple projects at the church to accommodate their growing community.

Since January 2023, Holy Trinity parishioners have come to work every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They have successfully expanded the church by eight feet on both sides to add more seating, seen below. Now they are in the final months of work on a new parish hall.

These renovation and expansion projects were estimated to cost $1 million—far in excess of the parish’s financial means. Yet Father Angel said he was able to do it all for just the cost of materials thanks to the commitment of his parishioners to their church and its growth. They waited 20 years for these changes.

“It’s just amazing when the community works together. When we are motivated, it really works.”

The entire community is taking notice of the new developments at Holy Trinity. This makes the Catholics in Swainsboro, despite being a religious minority in the region, proud to identify as Catholic. That fills Father Angel with great joy, saying, “We have been already now in two newspapers. People are talking about what we are doing here. It makes people proud to say, ‘I’m from the Catholic Church!”

Father Fredy Angel, a Church builder in every way, draws on St. Francis of Assisi for inspiration.

“Building Church comes with the spirit of St. Francis. God called him and said, ‘Just build my Church,’” Father Angel explained.

“We don’t build a community just with bricks and stones, but with a community united in faith.”

Vocations to the priesthood have skyrocketed. In the past 15 years, 51 men have been ordained. Twenty-five more are in the seminary. During this 15- year period, the median age of priests has fallen from 65 to an amazing 49 years old.

“Here in Arkansas, we’ve promoted vocations across the board in the life of the Church and created a culture of vocations in our parishes, in our youth programs, in our schools,” said Bishop Anthony Taylor of the Diocese of Little Rock. “And our young men have responded.”

To grasp how stunning these numbers are, the nation’s largest archdioceses with millions of Catholics would have to ordain more than 1,000 priests in the same 15-year period to keep pace with the Diocese of Little Rock. No diocese in the nation has exceeded 200 ordinations in that time frame, according to the Official Catholic Directory.

Little Rock, a statewide diocese, was founded on the same day as the Archdioceses of Chicago and Milwaukee. Yet Catholics there are still only 5 percent of the total population. The number of vocations is not just what’s impressive. The strength of those ordained is what’s most powerful.

Fathers Stephen Hart, Mauricio Carrasco, Stephen Gadberry and seminarian Chase Feltner are among those who have come through the ranks in the past 15 years. They have a lot in common. They are smart, fit, focused, affable, articulate and easy to be around. They are, for lack of a better term, joyful.

Father Hart has been a priest for five years and has served growing faith communities across the state of Arkansas, such as Holy Spirit Catholic Church.

He currently covers two parishes. He talks with such enthusiasm about his faith communities that one gets the impression he could handle many more. He doesn’t complain about the mileage but rather focuses on how hungry for the Gospel his people are and how great the harvest is. They are his fuel.

Father Carrasco is the old man of the group. He has been ordained for 11 years and covers four parishes.

He talks about the “holy inclusivity” of his parishes where diversity is a treasure. This is just not lip service—it’s his playbook.

It’s also the playbook of the Little Rock diocese. All seminarians and priests are required to learn Spanish so they may better serve the growing Hispanic population coming to the area for jobs in agriculture, logging, meatpacking and many other labor-intensive industries. This inclusivity—where not only all are welcome, but all feel at home in the Church—is revitalizing the diocese. Five new parishes have been started in the past 15 years.

Father Gadberry is a ninja warrior. That is no metaphor. He appeared on the TV show “American Ninja Warrior” in 2018 and 2020 wearing his clergy shirt and Roman collar as he traversed the obstacles in front of a national audience. Now he trains in his home gym.

When he was introduced at his first parish, Father Gadberry walked down the main aisle on his hands. The ushers and altar servers were mightily impressed. His priestly ministry makes him feel most alive. God is truly present beneath, between and beyond him.

Chase Feltner, a seminarian, is also a cross-country and track and field star. In fact, he (along with his dad) is in the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame, so “Chase” is the perfect name for him.

His family runs Feltner Brothers, a well-known and loved hamburger restaurant in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Feltner was all set to “run” and grow the family business, but something nagged at him. For seven years he struggled to know where he was being called. The notion of becoming a priest stayed with him and would not go away. He says that eventually the Lord outran him. Now he is in the seminary, trying to figure out what course the Lord has set for him.

The vocations of all these men are contagious. Their camaraderie is deeply moving. One wants to be with them on their journey. They are living proof that the best recruitment strategy for new vocations to the priesthood is to have happy priests, priests who are in love with their ministry, priests who exude the infallible joy of God’s presence.

These priests will be followed by more. Presently, the diocese has 25 seminarians. Catholic Extension Society has proudly supported these priests and seminarians over the years, as well as the missions and churches where they came of age. More young people—whose pulses quicken when they hear the Gospel, whose hearts burn within them when they follow Jesus, whose souls yearn for the adventure of priesthood—will follow.

So, it turns out, the explosion of vocations in the Diocese of Little Rock is due to young people coming to understand St. Ignatius’ idea that God is surely found in “that which makes you feel the most alive.” In other words, happiness and following God’s will are not mutually exclusive.

She was malnourished and could not communicate well due to a deformity in her jaw that made it difficult for her to speak and chew food.

As Sister Catherine Nagl opened the door and welcomed her in, she found a stable and peaceful environment that she had never experienced before. Originally, Sapphire was only supposed to come  on weekends as a “respite” child, to give her current caregivers a break. But after six months, she moved in permanently.  

Sister Catherine brought in a speech therapist to help Sapphire learn how to speak and eat according to the shape of her mouth. Sapphire began to talk and grew rapidly.

“Of course, she’s been a social butterfly ever since,” Sister Catherine said.

Now as a young adult, Sapphire shares a special bond with the sister who took her in permanently.

Sapphire’s story proves how Sister Catherine’s care and love can truly transform children. Her ministry is called the Family of the Good Shepherd. Since 2010, she has cared for more than 50 children, many of whom were considered too challenging to be housed by other caretakers. She takes in short- and long-term foster children and helps them understand their worth.

From a young age, Sister Catherine always knew she wanted to help children, especially those who require special care and attention. As a child, she too was counted out.

She was born premature, and her parents were told that their daughter would never be able to breathe on her own. They dedicated the feeble child to the Blessed Mother, and a few days later she went home without an oxygen mask.

Sister Catherine now seeks to bring about miracles for children who are “impossible cases” like she was once thought to be.

She joined the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. She served as teacher and coordinator of residential services at a Christian home for pregnant teens and teen moms. The call to serve children grew stronger still.

With the permission of her religious community, she returned to Nebraska to establish her new ministry to help foster children. She also aspires to form a new religious community, the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Jesus the Good Shepherd, to expand ministries to children.

Sister Catherine is still the guardian of Sapphire, who is now a young adult. Sapphire graduated from a Catholic boarding school for children with special needs, where she thrived, and now helps care for the other children at the house.

Among the other children is Eleyna, a seventh grade girl, and Micah, a sixth grade boy. They love playing with the family dog, Rosie.

Sister Catherine also gives special attention and love to a very medically fragile toddler currently living in the home.

The children Sister Catherine takes in often struggle to manage their emotions. She says children who grew up in abusive homes see the world very differently. They are survivors and react strongly. “They have traumas that trigger each other’s traumas,” she said.

Sister Catherine teaches them forgiveness and helps them understand what they are feeling so they don’t let their emotions get the better of them.

“We work on healing emotionally, spiritually and physically, if that’s needed,” she said. “We learn how to have a healthy sense of pride.”

She continued, “We learn how to value ourselves and the others around us.”

Sister Catherine has established firm household rules that help the children form healthy habits and a positive outlook on life.

“I very quickly get them into the routine of the household. Everybody has household chores,” she said.

While introducing them to structure, her highest priority is for them to find joy and security. “Children should be happy,” she said. “It’s the carefree time of life.”

She encourages the children to pursue their passions. Eleyna possesses a talent for cross-stitching and gymnastics.

Micah loves sports like soccer and basketball.

Some families just need her to take temporary care of children with special needs or who are more challenging. She will take them in often at the drop of a hat. “My name gets out,” she said.

She prepares many children to live with adoptive families. She loves to see them “blossom” in their new environments.

She helped one family adopt four siblings. “I had to teach them how to be siblings in a non-abusive environment, where they didn’t have to live and survive the way they had been, where they could treat each other with respect,” she said. The children’s new parents said they never would have been able to take in all four siblings without Sister Catherine’s care and guidance.

Sister Catherine sees the face of Christ in each child she cares for. Her patience, thoughtful attention and ever-present smile tell the children that they are important and loved. 

Bishop Alberto Figueroa Morales, who now leads the Diocese of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, remem­bers being in the rectory base­ment at his former parish where he served as a priest in the Archdi­ocese of San Juan when Hurricane Maria made landfall. His mother was with him, and they hid in the bathroom fearing the winds would knock out the windows and every­thing else. When the skies calmed, it was morning again.  

Bishop Figueroa Morales recalls emerging from his place of shel­ter to survey the wreckage.

“The first thing I heard was from the people we have living near the parish. One lady was tell­ing another, ‘¡María, estamos vivos!’ (‘María, we are alive!’). And the other answered her, ‘Yes, we are alive!’”

The U.S. federal gov­ernment was slow in its response, but the Catholic dioceses on the island were not. Neither was Catholic Extension Society. The minute that bishops regained communication capabilities, their first call was to Catholic Extension Society. “Help us,” they pleaded.

Catholic Extension Society was the first organization to wire money to Puerto Rico, allowing the Church on the island to immediately respond to the pastoral and humanitarian needs unfolding in its midst. 

Three months later, an unexpected policy change prompted by a U.S. Supreme Court decision led to a new opportunity for houses of worship to receive rebuilding money from the federal government. The only catch was that churches had to act fast to stake their claim, and they needed seed money to get their recovery claims organized.  

Knowing that time was of the essence and that dioceses were still—literally and figuratively— operating in the dark, Catholic Extension Society stepped up in early 2018 and organized an islandwide initiative.

Within six weeks, we helped the Church meet the application deadline. Hundreds of applications were submitted. This provided access to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid to rebuild churches and schools. Next, in early 2019, Catholic Extension Society assembled a full-scale recovery team, using the support of leading experts to guide all dioceses down the long and complex road to accessing and using recovery funds.  

In January 2020 Puerto Rico was struck by a series of catastrophic earthquakes, which toppled buildings like Immaculate Conception Parish in Guayanilla. 

Thankfully, communities immediately benefited from the capable support of our on-island recovery team to access federal funding to rebuild their felled schools and churches. 

The six dioceses of Puerto Rico operate with very few financial resources as they serve a population where nearly half the people live in poverty.  

“I have friends in the States, and they send me help sometimes because they know the situation of the Church in Puerto Rico,” said Bishop Figueroa Morales.  

He continued, “Sometimes they send me what a parish [in the United States] receives in a weekend collection. I don’t think that any, any church collection in Puerto Rico has a quarter of that or half of that in a year.”  

The disaster-struck dioceses could not have afforded the upfront cost needed to provide damage assessments without Catholic Extension Society’s coordination of disaster experts and initial financial backing. Catholic Extension Society provided $18 million to cover the upfront management costs, most of which will ultimately be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This capital has been a lifeline, ensuring the dioceses could pursue all the federal funding available to them.  

Five of the six Puerto Rican dioceses are participating in the recovery program.

Thanks to this upfront work and financing, the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico is now positioned to receive an estimated $400 million in funding to rebuild more than 600 damaged facilities, which include historical, centuries-old Catholic churches, schools and mission chapels serving the island’s most remote communities.

One of these churches is San Jose Church in Old San Juan. It endured significant damage. It is the second oldest church in the Americas.

Each provides so much hope, care and charity to the people of Puerto Rico.  

Archbishop Roberto González Nieves of the Archdiocese of San Juan said, “Every family needs a home, needs a place, needs a structure, needs a building to gather, to celebrate, and to pray.”

“When a place is destroyed, one needs to rebuild and begin again. As a Church within a sacred place, that beckons us to a more contemplative appreciation of life and a more spiritual undertaking in our daily living,” he added. “We come together to help one another in that spirit of resiliency and hope in the face of tragedy.”

To date, $328 million of the estimated $400 million have been “obligated” (that is, awarded) by the federal government to the Puerto Rican dioceses, thanks to immense and tedious work funded by Catholic Extension Society. The Church in Puerto Rico can now begin the long-awaited reparation of facilities and continue its vital mission. 

Catholic Extension Society’s recovery team also secured an additional $43 million in a competitive grant program, which will enable Catholic schools to receive “hazard mitigation funding.” This grant will allow these structures to be rebuilt more resiliently and in an eco-friendly way to serve as safe shelters during future disasters, which will ultimately save lives.  

In 2022 Catholic Extension Society formed a steering committee among the Puerto Rican bishops to coordinate the rebuilding process across all dioceses of Puerto Rico. Recently, the bishops issued an RFP (request for proposals) to find a construction management firm that will help ensure a timely, cost-effective, FEMA-compliant rebuilding of church facilities across the island.

Many reputable firms possessing both the expertise and manpower have submitted bids to work with the Church. Construction projects to rebuild damaged facilities are expected to begin in the coming year.  

The bishops’ steering committee also authorized a strategic plan that examines how best to use FEMA funds to rebuild appropriately sized Catholic schools in key locations to best educate the children of the island, including the poorest of the poor.  

The progress we have made in Puerto Rico to date gives us hope. This ambitious project will not only restore the Church but reconstruct churches of all types and locations, from the most remote mission chapel in the mountains to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista—one of the oldest Catholic churches under the American flag.

This project will also create jobs and provide an economic stimulus to towns across the island that have suffered through a yearslong downturn. Indeed, it promises to have a generational impact on the island. 

We are not in this project alone. Apart from Catholic Extension Society’s financial and coordination work, we count on the additional support of our major funding partners who are contributing to various aspects of this program.  

There is no precedent or prior example in the history of Christianity in America for a project of this immense size and scale.

Catholic Extension Society was able to emerge as the pivotal organization in this recovery for two main reasons.

The first is that Catholic Extension Society has supported Puerto Rico for more than 115 years, dating back to its earliest years as a territory of the United States.

The second is that Catholic Extension Society has always maintained a trusting and collaborative relationship with the Catholic leaders of Puerto Rico. This mutual confidence helps move this complex project forward, even when we encounter challenges.  

Catholic Extension Society makes routine trips to Puerto Rico, such as when our president, Father Jack Wall, and chancellor, Cardinal Blase Cupich, visited a damaged school in Vega Baja.

“I have been in parishes in the countryside. I have been in parishes in the cities. Catholic Extension Society was always present,” Bishop Figueroa Morales said.

With the expertise of our recovery and construction partners as well as the perseverance of our dioceses, bishops, pastors and all the faithful, we know that the Puerto Rican Church will one day rise again.  

Sister María Teresa “Tere” de Loera López, a member of the Catholic Teachers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is one of 150 sisters that are a part of our U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program.

This program invites Catholic sisters from religious congregations founded and based in Latin America to pursue a university degree as they create new ministries in Extension dioceses among the poor.

Sister Tere was part of the first group of 36 sisters, who came to the United States in 2014 and returned to their home countries in 2019.

When she returned to Mexico, she took on the leadership of a massive religious education program in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. Now she leads a staff of 12 as she oversees a religious education program that reaches 60 parishes.

“Each day I would drive for many hours through gang territories to coordinate children’s catechism in various parishes, passing drug houses and gunfire,” she said.

“This challenged me in a thousand ways to overcome my fears and focus on an important ministry—connecting with children and families and bringing the light of Christ into their lives, regardless of the difficult living situation many of them faced each day.”

She cares for the most vulnerable people in this dangerous region.

On receiving the doctorate, she said, “I feel blessed, grateful, surprised and happy. I’ve always carried out my apostolate giving my 100 percent for the love of the heart of Jesus without expecting any reward other than to please Him by doing His will from the charism of my congregation. This distinction that Boston College gives me is a great gift. I never imagined it.”

She graduated in 2019 with a master’s degree in applied leadership studies from Boston College through Catholic Extension Society’s program. “It was through the academic courses at Boston College that I was able to acquire the skills and tools to enhance my ministry,” she said.

While working toward her master’s degree, Catholic Extension Society also funded her ministry in rural parishes of Arkansas, where she created religious education programs, served women who were survivors of domestic violence, and bridged Hispanic and Anglo families into a united community of faith.

“Catholic Extension Society has been making a path of support and accompaniment to the sisters,” she said. “They are always in communication, like angels, always willing to collaborate. All of this has been decisive in making known our belonging to Christ, our unconditional service in favor of society.”

She continued, “Catholic Extension Society is an inspiration, because it is always looking for ways to benefit the most vulnerable people in our society. Catholic Extension Society has been key in my path to receiving the doctorate.”