Faith and friendship unite youth at Morris Township gathering #Catholic –

Youth from parishes across the Paterson Diocese gathered at St. Elizabeth University in Morris Township’s Convent Station neighborhood, N.J., on Nov. 8 to celebrate their Catholic faith and fellowship at Diocesan Youth Day. Guided by the theme “Made for More,” the multifaceted event featured prayer, talks, music, games, other activities, lunch, and Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.

Braden Johnson, a Catholic speaker from Kansas who travels the world sharing messages focused on awakening hearts to Christ, served as master of ceremonies and keynote speaker for the Diocesan Youth Day. The Scally Brothers, a high-energy Christian pop duo from Toledo, Ohio, provided worship music and performed a faith-centered concert.

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In Holy Family Chapel, Bishop Sweeney celebrated Mass, which several priests concelebrated and young people assisted. Many priests and youth ministers accompanied youth from their parishes.

After the event, St. Jude Parish’s youth ministry in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., posted on social media, “Our teens gathered with youth from across the diocese for a day of growing in faith, building friendships, and celebrating our Catholic community.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to share this experience with such an enthusiastic group of youth. May the friendships, inspiration, and faith we shared continue to grow long after this day. Keep the faith, stay connected and let your light shine,” St. Jude’s youth ministry posted.

The diocesan Office of Youth Ministry and St. Elizabeth University coordinated Diocesan Youth Day.

– Youth from parishes across the Paterson Diocese gathered at St. Elizabeth University in Morris Township’s Convent Station neighborhood, N.J., on Nov. 8 to celebrate their Catholic faith and fellowship at Diocesan Youth Day. Guided by the theme “Made for More,” the multifaceted event featured prayer, talks, music, games, other activities, lunch, and Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. Braden Johnson, a Catholic speaker from Kansas who travels the world sharing messages focused on awakening hearts to Christ, served as master of ceremonies and keynote speaker for the Diocesan Youth Day. The Scally Brothers, a high-energy Christian pop duo from Toledo,

Guest homilist advocates for Respect Life during Morristown Mass #Catholic –

On Nov. 7, Father Nicholas Bozza, pastor of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Chester, N.J., witnessed to the God-given value of every human life during his guest homily at the Monthly Mass and Procession for Life with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Morristown, N.J.

Bishop Sweeney celebrated the Mass with Father Bozza and Father Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret’s and vicar for Hispanic Affairs of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.

After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney processed with the faithful down Speedwell Avenue in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood. The bishop led them in prayer in front of the facility for an end to abortion. Many carried signs with pro-life messages, such as “Love Life. Choose Life.” The marchers then returned to St. Margaret’s to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.

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Afterward, St. Lawrence Parish posted on social media, “We are proud to share that Father Nick was selected by Bishop Sweeney to preach at this past weekend’s Diocesan Pro-Life Mass.”

“Father Nick delivered a beautiful and inspiring homily, reminding us of the sacred dignity and value of every human life. We are blessed to have him as our shepherd and are grateful for his continued witness to the Gospel of Life,” St. Lawrence posted.

Bishop Sweeney has invited guest homilists to preach at the monthly Mass in the past, but now they will preach each month consistently, starting with Father Bozza’s appearance. Next month, on Saturday, Dec. 5, Father Agustino Torres, a priest of the Franciscan Friars and the Renewal, campus ministry chaplain at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., and founder of Corazón Puro, will be the guest homilist.

Everyone is welcome to join the Mass and Procession for Life with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, which takes place on the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. at St. Margaret’s.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org] – On Nov. 7, Father Nicholas Bozza, pastor of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Chester, N.J., witnessed to the God-given value of every human life during his guest homily at the Monthly Mass and Procession for Life with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Morristown, N.J. Bishop Sweeney celebrated the Mass with Father Bozza and Father Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret’s and vicar for Hispanic Affairs of the Paterson Diocese, N.J. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney processed with the faithful down Speedwell Avenue in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood. The bishop led them

Obituary: Salesian Father James A. McKenna, 75 #Catholic –

A Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Stony Point, N.Y., for Salesian Father James Aloysius McKenna, who died in Charleston, S.C., on Nov. 10, after a month-long illness that was eventually diagnosed as pancreatic cancer.

Father McKenna was 75 and had been a professed Salesian of Don Bosco for 55 years and a priest for 46 years, including several years in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. On Nov. 19, a rosary at 6 p.m. and a sharing of memories will precede his Memorial Mass at Stony Point, N.Y.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Nov. 13 at Transfiguration Church in Blythewood, S.C. He and another Salesian had arrived in South Carolina last June to inaugurate a new Salesian parish presence in Blythewood and Winnsboro.

Born in Jersey City, N.J., on May 9, 1951, Father McKenna was the only child of Charles and Marie Coles McKenna. He attended Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., graduating in 1969.

Father McKenna studied at Don Bosco College in Newton, N.J., from 1969 to 1970 and from 1971 to 1974, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. From 1970 to 1971, he was in the Salesian novitiate in Ipswich, Mass. He professed first vows in Newton in 1971, and perpetual vows in Elizabeth, N.J., in 1977.

In 1980, Father McKenna was ordained in Columbus, Ohio, and that year earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, Ohio. He served as treasurer of Don Bosco College and of the Salesian community there for six years, from 1982 to 1988.

Father McKenna also served in Salesian parishes in Manhattan, from 1980 to 1982; Port Chester, N.Y., from 1994 to 1998; and Belle Glade, Fla., from 1998 to 2003. He served in financial administration in New Rochelle, N.Y., from 1989 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1994; Tampa, Fla., from 1990 to 1991; and Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., from 2021 to 2026.

Additionally, Father McKenna served as director of the following major Salesian works: Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, La., from 2003 to 2011, and the Marian Shrine-Don Bosco Retreat Center in Haverstraw-Stony Point, from 2011 to 2021. In Marrero, he helped the school recover from administrative difficulties and then from the effects of Hurricane Katrina; he oversaw the completion of a new classroom building, updated many other facilities, installed new lighting and security, and introduced computer technology to students.

In recent years, he ministered to the Salesian Sisters in North Haledon, N.J., from the Salesian community in Ramsey.

The Salesian Sisters’ postulants in North Haledon provided an example of his priestly availability: “There were a few instances when the aspirants would not be at the community for confessions (because of our apostolic experiences or home visits). Father Jim was always willing to stay behind after our daily Mass to make sure we had the sacrament of reconciliation before our travels. We remember his kindness and pastoral care with great gratitude.”

Interment for Father McKenna will occur at a later date at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Clearwater, Fla.

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– A Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Stony Point, N.Y., for Salesian Father James Aloysius McKenna, who died in Charleston, S.C., on Nov. 10, after a month-long illness that was eventually diagnosed as pancreatic cancer. Father McKenna was 75 and had been a professed Salesian of Don Bosco for 55 years and a priest for 46 years, including several years in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. On Nov. 19, a rosary at 6 p.m. and a sharing of memories will precede his Memorial Mass at

In Pope Francis’ homeland, his successor carries forward a legacy of prioritizing the poor #Catholic –

BUENOS AIRES (CNS) – With seven mouths to feed, Mirta Franco Godoy knew she had to find work fast.

In 2001, Argentina’s economy came crashing down amid mounting public debt, economic instability and a run on the country’s banks.

Her family had previously managed to get by with odd jobs, including tailoring and seamstress work. But as the economic crisis deepened, those earnings were no longer enough.

Desperate to make ends meet, many Argentines began sifting through trash, collecting cardboard and other recyclable materials to sell to companies. Known as “cartoneros,” or waste pickers, they became part of a growing informal economy. At the time, Argentina had no widespread municipal system for separating recyclable materials from ordinary trash, instead sending most waste to landfills.

“We started collecting cardboard because we were struggling to make ends meet,” Godoy told Catholic News Service in a Nov. 9 interview.

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During her first year as a waste picker, Godoy recalled preparing a large pot of food for people living on the streets when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, then-archbishop of Buenos Aires and the future Pope Francis, appeared.

As she began lifting the heavy, hot pot to distribute the food, Cardinal Bergoglio intervened.

“He wanted to carry the pot, but we wouldn’t let him,” she said. “But he insisted that we do it together.”

Argentina gave the Catholic Church its first Latin American pope but never welcomed him home during his 12-year pontificate. Now Pope Leo XIV has come to a country where Pope Francis’ memory remains a source of both pride and political controversy, retracing his predecessor’s footsteps while advancing his vision of a Church close to the poor.

Throughout his visit, Pope Leo’s itinerary has been closely connected to Pope Francis’ years in Argentina, including stops at Buenos Aires Cathedral, where Cardinal Bergoglio served as archbishop from 1998 until his election as pope in 2013, and the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione de Claypole, a charitable institution associated with his ministry.

At the Catholic University of Argentina, where the Argentine pope once served as grand chancellor, Pope Leo addressed workers, business leaders, trade unions and popular movements Nov. 9, emphasizing the dignity of work and the responsibility of governments and businesses to protect vulnerable workers.

He specifically mentioned waste pickers, farmers and artisans as examples of grassroots movements that organize themselves to address economic hardship, recalling Pope Francis’ longstanding support for such workers.

Pope Leo said those movements advocate the three principles Pope Francis frequently identified as essential to social justice: “tierra, techo y trabajo” — land, housing and work.

The pope emphasized that economic activity must serve human dignity rather than reduce workers to their productivity, drawing on the social teachings of both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIII.

He also defended the role of workers’ associations and trade unions in protecting people excluded from formal employment, calling on public authorities to promote stable policies that foster employment and social inclusion.

For waste pickers like Godoy, organizing collectively transformed what began as a means of survival into a movement seeking recognition, labor protections and a greater voice in Argentine society.

Initially, waste pickers faced resistance, particularly from police, but grassroots organizing eventually helped them establish cooperatives and join a union of informal workers.

Under previous government programs, some received a supplemental payment equivalent to half the minimum wage, while cooperatives gained access to spaces where workers could sort cardboard, plastic and glass for sale to larger companies.

There are now approximately 6,000 waste pickers in Buenos Aires, Godoy said.

One of the movement’s leaders, Sergio Sanchez, was invited to Rome for Pope Francis’ inaugural Mass in 2013 and subsequently participated in dialogues with Vatican officials and popular movements on social inclusion and labor rights.

Pope Leo’s itinerary reflected his predecessor’s longstanding relationship with the poor and marginalized in Buenos Aires, where he was known for traveling by public transportation and personally engaging with people living in poverty.

Marian Father Diego Maximino, an Argentine priest now based in Washington, said Cardinal Bergoglio was deeply involved in the daily lives of ordinary Argentines.

Although some disagreed with his political positions and theological approach, Father Maximino said Pope Francis’ commitment to mercy, particularly toward the poor, was widely recognized.

“He was like a prophet,” the priest told CNS in an Oct. 22 interview by phone.

Yet Pope Francis’ willingness to challenge political leaders and established interests also contributed to his complicated relationship with his homeland.

Argentina’s last papal visit was in 1987, when St. John Paul II visited for the second time.

David Lantigua, an associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in Latin American Christianity, said Pope Francis knew how easily the Church could become entangled in Argentine politics and may have feared a visit would be interpreted as an endorsement of a particular political administration.

“I think it was just too close to home. I think he probably did have the intention of going back,” Lantigua told CNS Oct. 30, adding that Pope Francis became more explicit about that desire toward the end of his life.

While Pope Francis was frequently outspoken in his criticism of economic and political systems, Pope Leo has largely advanced similar concerns through an emphasis on dialogue, social cohesion and institutional responsibility to protect the human dignity of all people.

Addressing President Javier Milei, government authorities, civil society leaders and diplomats Nov. 8, Pope Leo called for the protection of democratic institutions and urged public officials to exercise power in service of the common good.

“Democracy, then, is also a part of Argentina’s heritage that needs to be safeguarded,” he said, emphasizing the importance of listening to people with opposing views and seeking agreement.

He also stressed that political authority carries an obligation to promote the well-being of all citizens, including those struggling to support their families despite working.

Pope Leo’s remarks came as waste pickers and other informal workers continued to face economic uncertainty under Milei’s administration. The president, who was elected in 2023, has been categorized by international media as a far-right politician.

Godoy said government payments supporting waste pickers had disappeared, along with funding for improvements in the impoverished neighborhoods where many of them live.

“Everything has gone backwards,” she said.

The pope did not directly address those claims, but in his meeting with workers the following day, he argued that neither governments nor corporations should replace grassroots initiatives, but should instead support and strengthen them.

His message echoed Pope Francis’ longstanding defense of popular movements and their role in advancing social justice.

Throughout his Argentina visit, Pope Leo repeatedly invoked his predecessor’s teachings on poverty, human dignity and the Church’s responsibility toward marginalized communities.

During his four days in the country, Pope Leo drew immense crowds, with an estimated 2.5 million people attending his Nov. 9 Mass, another 1 million gathering for a prayer vigil in Buenos Aires Nov. 10, and more than 2 million at his Nov. 11 Mass outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, according to local estimates.

At a Nov. 10 Mass in Córdoba where an estimated 650,000 people attended, Pope Leo again recalled Pope Francis’ insistence that the poor need not only material assistance but also the love and spiritual care of the Church.

In a meeting with clergy Nov. 10, Pope Leo emphasized the need to provide spiritual care to the poor, a priority his predecessor had championed as archbishop through his support for the “curas villeros,” that is, priests who live and minister in Buenos Aires’ impoverished settlements.

Earlier, during a Nov. 9 visit to the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione de Claypole, which serves people with disabilities and other needs, Pope Leo emphasized the inherent dignity of every human life.

“Today I would like to affirm that your lives are not a burden on society,” he said. “A nation’s progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs.”

Lantigua said Pope Francis’ emphasis on the poor reflected a broader transformation of the Latin American Church following the Second Vatican Council, when bishops increasingly emphasized pastoral ministry, social justice and the Church’s responsibility toward marginalized communities.

“You can’t villainize Francis for caring for the poor. He is the pope after all,” Lantigua said. He sees Pope Leo as continuing that mission while placing particular emphasis on unity and avoiding the divisions that characterized parts of Pope Francis’ pontificate.

“Unity is going to be found in proximity to Christ, and where do we know we can find Christ? In the poor,” Lantigua said.

For many Argentines, Pope Francis’ legacy remains deeply personal even as his relationship with the country’s politics continues to provoke debate.

Marta Ramos, speaking to CNS Nov. 8 among crowds gathered to welcome Pope Leo in Buenos Aires, said the enthusiasm surrounding Pope Francis’ election eventually became complicated as political groups sought to appropriate his words and actions.

“I think that’s why he didn’t come here, so as not to divide this country even further,” she said.

Ramos said she believes Pope Leo is following a similar path, but with a different temperament.

“I think he’s very reserved. You have to listen to him,” she said. “He’s very profound, but he’s not as expressive as the other popes.”

Meanwhile, the Argentine Church continues some of the pastoral traditions Cardinal Bergoglio established, including an annual outdoor Mass in Buenos Aires’ Plaza Constitución dedicated to waste pickers and other marginalized workers.

Although Pope Francis never returned to Argentina as pope, his successor has brought his message back to the country where much of it first took shape.

With two Holy See flags flying in front of the Casa Rosada, Argentina’s presidential offices, Rosa González told CNS that Pope Leo’s visit offered hope for greater unity in a country marked by political divisions.

“I believe Francis left a great legacy, but I think Leo’s new dawn awakens in us another chapter of the papacy,” she said.

– BUENOS AIRES (CNS) – With seven mouths to feed, Mirta Franco Godoy knew she had to find work fast. In 2001, Argentina’s economy came crashing down amid mounting public debt, economic instability and a run on the country’s banks. Her family had previously managed to get by with odd jobs, including tailoring and seamstress work. But as the economic crisis deepened, those earnings were no longer enough. Desperate to make ends meet, many Argentines began sifting through trash, collecting cardboard and other recyclable materials to sell to companies. Known as “cartoneros,” or waste pickers, they became part of a growing

3 million people give Pope Leo XIV a warm welcome as he arrives in Peru, his home for two decades #Catholic –

LIMA, Peru (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lima Nov. 11 for the much-anticipated final leg of his 12-day apostolic journey to South America, landing in the country that the pope described as “one of my many homes.”

The visit marks Pope Leo’s first return to Peru since his election and brings him back to a country where he spent two decades that shaped his ministry as an Augustinian missionary and bishop in Peru. He first arrived in Peru as a missionary priest in 1985 and later returned to lead the Diocese of Chiclayo, serving as its bishop from 2015 to 2023.

In his very first speech as pope, he gave a special shoutout in Spanish from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to “my beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru,” where, he said, “a faithful people has accompanied its bishop, shared its faith and given so much, so much, to continue being a faithful Church of Jesus Christ.”

For the people of Peru, the apostolic visit is not just a welcoming of the Vicar of Christ; it’s the return of a missionary, a neighbor and a shepherd who understood the realities of those who lived there, particularly the poor and the marginalized. Many signs and welcome banners with images of the pope are spread across the streets of Chiclayo as the city awaits his return.

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“It feels like the return of a family member who’s been away,” Mildred Camacho, Pope Leo’s 31-year-old goddaughter, told OSV News the day before his arrival.

Camacho, who was named after Pope Leo’s late mother, Mildred, is serving as a volunteer for the papal visit. Then-Father Robert Francis Prevost was just 40 years old when she was baptized shortly after turning 1 in August 1996 in Chulucanas, Peru.

The papal flight touched down at the Callao Air Base in Lima at about 5 p.m. local time after traveling around 2,000 miles on a four-hour, 20-minute flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Peru’s President Keiko Fujimori welcomed Pope Leo at the foot of the stairs, and two children presented him with flowers. A children’s choir sang hymns in Latin and people in the crowds lining his walkway shouted with excitement as he greeted people, especially babies and children, and accepted gifts.

Pope Leo’s first stop in Peru was at the Palacio de Gobierno for the official welcome ceremony and a private meeting with Fujimori, who in July became the country’s ninth president in 10 years.

People lined the streets waving and cheering to catch a glimpse of the papal motorcade as Pope Leo traveled from the airport to the city center. The Holy See estimated 3 million people were present on Lima’s streets to welcome Pope Leo that evening.

The pope addressed the nation’s political authorities at Lima’s Grand National Theater that evening in his first speech in Peru.

“This return visit holds a very special meaning for me,” he said. “My history with Peru began long before the Lord entrusted me with the Diocese of Chiclayo. For decades, I shared in the lives of its people, listened to their concerns, and learned from their faith. Many opened the doors of their homes to me, shared their table with me — and, of course, some good ceviche — and made me feel like one of their own.”

Noting he received Peruvian citizenship in 2015, he added, “That act symbolized a bond that this people had been weaving into my life long before. Today I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you.”

Now as pope, he said, he recognizes how the Lord was “forming me as a shepherd” while in Peru.

“If I were granted the chance to relive those years, I would do so with joy, embracing both their
happy moments and their difficulties,” he said. “That is why I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I am also returning to my homeland.”

He spoke about the impact of the Gospel on Peru’s history when it was first proclaimed there 500 years ago. “The faith took deep root in these lands and found expression in their
traditions and in countless works of charity,” he said. “Suffice it to recall that the first flower of Latin American holiness bore the name ‘Rosa,’ and that this Rosa was Peruvian” — a nod to St. Rose of Lima, a Dominican tertiary who lived in Peru’s capital 1586-1617, and was the first canonized saint of the Americas.

He urged the officials to listen to the Peruvian people, noting that “Democratic life implies recognizing that no one has all the answers and that differences do not prevent us from sharing a sincere concern for the good of the country.”

“I would like to encourage everyone to cultivate honesty, integrity, and a willingness to engage with others — qualities that sustain trust among people and give strength to the life of institutions,” Pope Leo said.

Families should not be deprived of peace, which, for them, includes “going out to work without fear, caring for one’s children, and returning home with peace of mind,” he said.

The Associated Press has reported that crime, extortion and killings have been on the rise in Peru, with homicides reaching 10.7 per 100,000 ?inhabitants, up from 5.8 five years ago.

The pope acknowledged the suffering caused by violence and the Church’s desire “to remain close to those who endure it,” he said. He also said that “providing for one’s family with dignity is also part of that everyday peace” and that development has a “cultural, moral, and spiritual” dimension as well.

“There are goods that no economic prosperity can replace: peace of conscience, the certainty of being loved, and the freedom to seek the truth and to guide one’s life according to it,” he said.

Among Peru’s challenges is its inequality and poverty: In 2025, 25.7% of the Peruvian population was living in poverty, according to government data.

Stressing the need for unity in the country, Pope Leo also said that “To love a people is to desire that everyone may live with dignity among them, to take an interest in them, and to be willing to offer something of oneself for their good. It is a sentiment that I have come to understand better thanks to you, and which I wish to share today with those who hold public office,” he said.

The pope also listed different expressions of solidarity preserved in Peru, such as communal work projects, women running soup kitchens and meal programs, and the different ways families help one another in times of difficulty.

Through the intercession of Mary and all the saints and blesseds of the country, the pope asked God “that the love of Christ may help you to recognize in every Peruvian a brother or sister, and in each one, yet another reason to love your homeland.”

He concluded the speech asking for God’s blessings upon Peru and all his people.

On his second day in Lima Nov. 12, Pope Leo expects to meet with Peru’s bishops and lead mid-morning prayer at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist with the country’s Catholic community. He plans to give a speech outside the cathedral on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people. That evening, Pope Leo is scheduled to join young people and college students at the National Stadium for a prayer vigil.

In addition to Lima, the capital and largest city of Peru, Pope Leo will also visit Chiclayo, where he will celebrate a large outdoor Mass; Cusco, the former Inca capital in the Andes; and Pucallpa, a city on the Ucayali River in the Amazon rainforest that has long been a center of Catholic missionary outreach before arriving back in Rome on Nov. 17.

Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.

– LIMA, Peru (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lima Nov. 11 for the much-anticipated final leg of his 12-day apostolic journey to South America, landing in the country that the pope described as “one of my many homes.” The visit marks Pope Leo’s first return to Peru since his election and brings him back to a country where he spent two decades that shaped his ministry as an Augustinian missionary and bishop in Peru. He first arrived in Peru as a missionary priest in 1985 and later returned to lead the Diocese of Chiclayo, serving as its bishop

Catholic Charities key in the fight to house declining numbers of homeless veterans #Catholic –

(OSV News) — While a recent federal government housing statistics report found a 56% decline in homelessness among veterans — from 2009 through 2025 — local Catholic Charities around the country continue the fight to get them housed.

Catholic Charities USA, a national network of local Catholic Charities agencies, has multiple veterans’ housing programs established across dioceses with funding mainly from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and in partnership with other housing organizations.

In Minnesota, officials announced Oct. 13 there are no more homeless veterans in that state and that their numbers have reached “functional zero.” “Functional zero” refers to the incidence of homelessness as rare and brief, and that the supports to keep this status are maintained.

Twin Cities Catholic Charities, serving Minneapolis and St. Paul, is “lucky,” because the “functional zero” status has meant “the state or continuum of care has enough resources to meet the needs of veterans that may be homeless at any single time,” said Keith Kozerski, chief program officer.

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Kozerski said the Catholic Charities office connects veterans with government housing programs and has 34 housing units out of 1,100 set aside for veterans.

But as with the general homeless population that gains permanent shelter, a portion of them return to the streets or stay at emergency shelters despite the efforts of those serving them. Kozerski said his agency sees about 20% of the veterans who gain permanent housing go back to homelessness.

A study published by the National Library of Medicine in May 2023 found among newly-housed veterans, 5% returned to the streets after six months, while 9% and 16% went back after one year and two years, respectively.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2025 Annual Homelessness Assessment to Congress found that on a single night in January 2025, there were 32,495 homeless veterans. The report, released in May 2026, also said 40% of them did not have shelter that night. According to the National Alliance for Care at Home’s “We Honor Veterans” program, HUD’s 2024 report found nine in 10 homeless veterans were men.

“The men and women who show up at our doors sacrificed a great deal for our country and our communities, and we feel like it’s our obligation to honor that sacrifice and commitment that they made to ensure that they have appropriate services to help them out in their time of need,” said Kozerski.

Kelly Anderson also has a strong sense of service toward the country’s veterans. Anderson, a military wife and daughter of a service member, is program director of Catholic Charities Baltimore’s Sarah’s House, an emergency shelter that is one of only four in the country supported by the U.S. Army. The house mostly refers veterans to housing programs and helps get them situated with government housing vouchers.

“The significance is just quite simply serving people that have protected and cared for all of us in however many different ways, however many different spaces. Serving veterans always is, you know, the word unique is a great way to put it, right? Because anybody experiencing homelessness has some kind of trauma that’s associated,” Anderson told OSV News.

“Veterans who come to us have much more extensive and different types of trauma most of the time,” she said. “And oftentimes, it takes just a bit more patience. It takes an additional phone call. It takes more time to build these solid relationships, so that they are able to engage at a level that allows us to provide them the services that they need.”

At the St. Patrick Center of Catholic Charities St. Louis, sometimes it can take about six or seven tries from an outreach worker for a homeless veteran to respond to the services being offered, according to John Coleman, senior director of housing. The center helps those in need gain access to housing, employment and healthcare, and its outreach workers go to where homeless veterans converge.

“It’s really imperative that we are consistent, that we continue to reach out, and we continue to talk about what we offer, talk about what we can do for the veteran,” Coleman told OSV News. “Because, you have to break through some walls sometimes; because, unfortunately, the unhoused (veteran) in that community is not always treated well. They’re looked down upon. People kind of shut doors in their faces. So they’re used to being turned away.”

He said once the veterans get to the point where they place themselves on the intake list, St. Patrick Center aims to get them housed within 24 hours. Supporting them once they have a home is key, he added.

But even getting them to seek help can also be a challenge.

“They’re not great at asking for help, because they are the helpers of our world,” said Rainie Campagna, director of community support services of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania. “So sometimes they will opt to struggle a little bit longer than some of the other populations. Sometimes we see them when they’ve been outside for a little while, so that’s an issue.”

But Campagna told OSV News her office’s case teams include people who have experienced the difficulties of the populations they serve, which can make a significant difference in gaining trust. The Allentown outreach to homeless veterans includes a formerly homeless veteran.

And, Campagna added, he was originally a Catholic Charities client. Once his situation stabilized, he started working in the agency’s homeless veterans program.

At Catholic Charities Arizona’s MANA House, or Marines Army Navy Air Force House, in Phoenix, homeless veterans are given 90 days of transitional housing, including meals and laundry services, as they work with the VA system to eventually become integrated into regular society. At any given time the program can house up to 60 veterans.

Rachel Masch-Perez, community engagement coordinator of MANA House, said the three months can stretch to “six or even nine months” sometimes, because it can be hard to find affordable housing for the veterans, who are in their mid-50s and older.

But Masch-Perez said in coordination with the Arizona Housing Coalition in Phoenix, Catholic Charities has put up several affordable apartment buildings and converted old buildings such as hotels into affordable housing units. Also, there is St. Michael’s Crossing, an apartment complex dedicated to veterans, added the self-described advocate of homeless veterans.

“I have a long lineage of people in my family who served in the military, and often when they’ve left their service, there’s so many things that I feel like have fallen (by the wayside),” she said. “I know that veterans have done so much for our country … and I know they need (the help).”

Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington also has dedicated housing for homeless vets named after St. Michael. St. Michael’s Haven in Walla Walla, located next to a VA hospital, is a “newly renovated historic complex” made up of 40 permanent units for veterans. The complex was developed by Catholic Charities and includes supportive services from the VA and Blue Mountain Action Council, a veterans service agency.

David Sackmann, Catholic Charities Eastern Washington’s vice president of stabilization, reiterated the significance of building trust and building relationships with veteran clients.

“It’s important for us as a community,” he told OSV News. “And it’s important for us as a country to be taking care of the folks that have served us and sacrificed for us.”

Simone Orendain is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Chicago.

– (OSV News) — While a recent federal government housing statistics report found a 56% decline in homelessness among veterans — from 2009 through 2025 — local Catholic Charities around the country continue the fight to get them housed. Catholic Charities USA, a national network of local Catholic Charities agencies, has multiple veterans’ housing programs established across dioceses with funding mainly from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and in partnership with other housing organizations. In Minnesota, officials announced Oct. 13 there are no more homeless veterans in that state and that their numbers have reached “functional zero.” “Functional zero” refers