If you’ve paid attention to the news over the past several weeks, you’ve witnessed the plight of Syrian refugees flooding into Europe. In a state of limbo, families are fleeing persecution and strife, leaving behind everything that they know to embark on a dangerous...
By Eric L. Steckel Imagine leaving your home, your career, everything you know, to take a job in an East Oakland fast food joint. With all due respect to the fast food industry, why would anyone choose to do that? The question should be, “What would force anyone to...
By Janiero Rodriguez I just graduated from McClymonds High School in West Oakland. Like any school, there are “good kids” and those that we consider “bad kids.” When you’re a “bad kid,” that’s most likely how they’re going to see you for life. That...
By Jason Sullivan-Halpern As the volunteer coordinator at Catholic Charities of the East Bay, I have seen our volunteers do some pretty extraordinary things to help the community. You don’t have to look any farther than our Refugee Resettlement and Employment Program...
By Eric L. Steckel As I mingled with the students in the parish hall of Saint Ignatius Church, in Antioch, I was reminded of a recurring dream most of us have. It was the one where you show up for the final exam and you realize you are dreadfully unprepared. That one...
By Jason Sullivan-Halpern In a recent conversation with Meg Bowerman of Just Faith Ministries in the East Bay, I heard her remark that, “Catholic Charities is not just Catholic and it’s not just charity.” When I look at the people at Catholic Charities of the East Bay...
