Join Us! Catholic Charities Annual Tribute Dinner

The 2024 Annual Tribute Dinner is happening April 18! Do you have your tickets?

Plan to attend this exciting evening when Bishop Koenig presents

Xavier DeCaire with the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award!

2024 HONOREE XAVIER DECAIRE

Community Philanthropist

Mr. Xavier DeCaire, former partner with George J Weiner Associates, was the Chairman of the Board at Wellness Community Delaware, and the University and Whist Club, and is the Chairman of the Board at the Delaware American Cancer Society. He is the former President of Caesar Rodney Rotary Club. He serves on the Boards of St. Anthony’s Community Center Delaware, Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, and Catholic Charities, and was a volunteer with Operation Smile. He founded Kids with Confidence to cover surgical costs for children with facial anomalies. He is a Trustee Emeritus and recipient of the Simon Brute Medal award from Mount St. Mary’s University. 



To read more about our 2024 Honoree, click here. 

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Chase Center on the Riverfront • Wilmington, DE

Registration: 5pm • Dinner & Drinks

Live Band performance by Tweed DOGs,

 including retired Catholic Charities Executive Director Fritz Jones,

playing classic rock and blues!



Business Attire • Reserved Seating

Thank You to 2024 Annual Tribute Dinner Sponsors! 

Harbor of Support Sponsor

Rocco & Mary Abessinio

Ray of Resilience Sponsors

Catholic Charities Board of Directors

Terrence & Janet Wolf

Friend Sponsors

ABHA Architects • Artesian Water • Belfint, Lyons & Shuman, CPA • Buccini Pollin Group

Frank & Mary Ellen Gunther • McCrery & Harra Funeral Homes and Crematory, Inc.

Dr. & Mrs. Siebold • Renaissance Charitable Foundation • Timothy & Noreen Constantine

Parish Sponsor

St. Ann Church, Wilmington

For sponsor info, contact Stephanie Kelton at skelton@cdow.org or call 302.573.3121.

About the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award

Each year, Catholic Charities honors outstanding individuals who have demonstrated a deep commitment to addressing the well-being of our communities’ most vulnerable. We bestow upon these remarkable persons the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award, created in 1989 in memory of Msgr. Reese, a community activist and longtime director of Catholic Social Services, the forerunner of Catholic Charities.

Bishop Koenig was joined by members of the youth choir from the "Circle of Honor" event at St. Jude the Apostle in Lewes, DE on March 7. Saints Peter & Paul parish in Easton, Md., hosted the final 2024 "Circle of Honor" event on March 13.

Catholic Faith & Charity Appeal 2024

Faith & Service: Strength Achieved Working Together

By Sheila McGirl

As we launch the 2024 Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal with the theme “One Body, One Spirit in Christ,” we invite our parishioners to join us in this vital mission, not just as members of the Church of Wilmington but as partners in a journey of transformation and service.

This Appeal is a beacon of hope and unity, calling each of us to play our part in a story much larger than ourselves — a story of faith, hope, and love in action.

My personal journey with the Church and its ministries has profoundly shaped my understanding of what it means to serve and be served, to give and to receive. There was a time when my family found ourselves in a place of unexpected need, a time when the world seemed to close in around us with little light in sight. It was then that the ministries of our Catholic Church, especially Catholic Charities and Catholic Education became a beacon of hope for us, offering support and solace in our time of desperation. The ministries of our Church and the compassionate outreach we received were a hand extended in our darkest hour, embodying Christ’s love and mercy in the most tangible way possible.

The formation ministries for youth and young adults have touched my children’s lives, guiding them through their formative years with a sense of purpose and belonging within the faith community. Witnessing their growth and the positive impact of these ministries on their lives has been a source of great joy and gratitude. It has shown me the vital role these programs play in nurturing the spiritual and moral development of our young people, ensuring they have a strong foundation in their faith to carry with them throughout their lives.

Photo: Sheila McGirl, Development Director, Diocese of Wilmington

This year’s Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal is more than a campaign; it’s a testament to the power of our collective action and the profound impact we can have when we come together in the spirit of generosity… >>READ MORE

Your Donation Makes a Difference!

Your Appeal donation enables us to provide resources for education, formation, campus ministry and outreach to those in need through Catholic Charities. It’s the lifeblood of our Diocese.

To learn more about the Appeal or watch a video, click here. 

To create a pledge, make a one-time or a recurring gift, click here.

How Your Donations Help Those We Serve

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington is a faith-based, social services organization providing critical direct care human services to over 83,000 individuals and families residing in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. No one is excluded from service because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin, or ability to pay.

Catholic Charities programs include:

BASIC NEEDS

• Energy Assistance

• Food Assistance

• Budget Counseling & Financial Literacy

• Nutrition Resources for Day Care

• Diaper Bank

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

• Routine Outpatient Counseling

• First Episode Pyschosis Program

• Pregnancy Counseling

• Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC)

   Workshop Series

RESIDENTIAL SERVICES

• Bayard House – Residential Maternity Services

• Casa San Francisco – Emergency Adult Shelter

• Marydale Retirement Village,

Housing for Low-Income Seniors

Catholic Charities employs staff who are licensed and certified in their respective professions to provide professional services. Catholic Charities holds all necessary state licenses to operate in Delaware and Maryland. In addition, Catholic Charities is a full member of the United Way of Delaware and the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore and meets the standards for membership established by those organizations.

Contact a Catholic Charities office nearest you:

New Castle County 302-655-9624 • Kent County 302-674-1600 • Sussex County 302-856-9578



To make an online donation to any of our services or where needed most, please click here.

Your prayers and support make so much difference.

Please give a vital gift today.

Basic Needs Program Client Spotlight

Your Help Makes Community Successes!

Karen*, assumed legal custody of her younger sister when their mother moved into a nursing home with a serious illness. Karen came to Catholic Charities and together they created a plan to help her secure a better paying job and a secure a safe place to live. Karen and her sister now successfully live on their own.

To help our next client, please click here. Designate your online donation by choosing "Basic Needs Program."

*Client name changed to protect privacy.

Thank You to All Our Supporters & Partners! 

We Appreciate the following Catholic Charities Partners

Rocco and Mary Abessinio, Applied Bank, Delaware Community Foundation, Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA), Catholic Charities USA, Citizens Bank, Community Foundation of Eastern Shore, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLB), Highmark Delaware Fund of the Delaware Community Foundation, Laffey-McHugh Foundation, Raskob Foundation, Somerset County Commissioners, State of Delaware - DSCYF & DHSS, United Way of Delaware, and United Way of Lower Eastern Shore.

Catholic Charities serves the most vulnerable in Delaware and the 

Eastern Shore of Maryland, regardless of religion, race, or ability to pay.

For more information about Catholic Charities, click here.

To make a donation to Catholic Charities, click here.

To learn about employment opportunities, click here.

To follow us on Facebook, click here.

Catholic Charities Mission

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington exists to help fulfill the Christian duty to love and serve God's people. Our mission is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The universal and local Church proclaims the Gospel and teaches the recognition of the dignity and sacredness of each human life and the belief that we are called to share our resources with the most vulnerable among us.

It is the mission of Catholic Charities to address human suffering and to promote and restore the well-being of people and society by:

• Providing, as a primary focus, caring service to families and persons in need;
• Coming together with members of the community to become informed about and to take action on critical social issues; and,
• Advocating publicly for social policies which enhance human dignity and safeguard basic human rights.

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No person is excluded from service because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

© 2023 - Catholic Charities - Diocese of Wilmington

501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization