US unemployment remains high, Catholic charities work to meet Christmas needs

Over the past two years, the number of people living in poverty in the United States has dramatically increased. Despite signs that the economy is picking up, unemployment continues to hover around 10%.

During this season, Catholic Charities USA is working hard to bring hope to individuals and families who have been affected by the recession, providing Christmas dinners and gifts for the children.

“Besides our outreach to families at this time, we also run quite a few of the shelters across this country for people who have no home,” says Fr Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA.

Fr Snyder spent many Christmases praying with the homeless. But there was one thing that left him deeply impressed:

“These were the people with the least in our society, who didn’t even have a place to call home. But when it came to the prayers of the faithful during mass and I would ask them to pray for whatever was in their hearts, they would always pray for others.

“They would pray for children who are homeless or they would pray for families who are out of work,” says Fr Snyder.

“That’s the whole beauty of the Christmas season: We really do take this time to seriously think about others, and that’s true in our homeless shelters as well as in our churches.”

Listen to Fr Larry Snyder’s full interview with Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: