WS Chronicle

The Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte opened a new location at 1612 14th Street N.E. in Winston-Salem.  The opening ceremony and blessing took place on Thursday, June 29, which was followed by fellowship and a tour of the new facility.

The Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte provides a number of services, such as counseling, pregnancy services, distribution of goods to the needy (clothing, food, etc.), disaster relief, social concerns, education, justice and peace advocacy and economic opportunity development. Most services are free of charge.

The Catholic Charities has a location in Winston-Salem located at 627 W. Second Street but the new location was built in close proximity to St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church, which is led by Father Basil Sede.

According to Gerard Carter, director/CEO of the Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, the reason for the new location on 14th Street is because of the parking issues at Second Street and the staff is scattered across three different buildings.  With the new location they fix both of those issues all at once.

“We started thinking that we needed a place where we could all be together because it was getting difficult to coordinate services together,” said Carter.  “We wanted a location that was near bus lines and was convenient for people.”

“To us this is a continuation of the same neighborhood as our Second Street location,” he continued.  With St. Benedict in such close proximity, it just seemed all of the variables came together to say this was the right fit.  We want this to be an oasis of hope where we work together with community partners to help as many as possible.”

The short ceremony, which was held in the parking lot of the new building, included several prayers, Scripture readings and blessings.  Father Basil Sede of St. Benedict says it is a wonderful blessing to have Catholic Charities so close to the church. 

“Anything that has to do with charity is at the core of Catholicism and Christianity as a whole,” Sede said.  “To have this institution dedicated to charity is a two-fold blessing because for one, we are in touch with the poor and two, because when we support this institution, they in turn support the less fortunate in the community.”

Becky DuBois, acting regional director, said, “We are very happy to be in this location and there is a long history of Catholic presence here.  We are excited at the opportunity to get to know the neighbors and building relationships.  We want our new neighbors to help us decide what services are most needed in this area.”

For more information or to donate to the charity, call 336-727-0705.