Four diocesan entities recently received $123,000 in grants from Fidelis Care in support of their missions to provide hope and healing to the underserved within the Diocese of Rochester.
Fidelis Care distributed the money, which came from its Community Grant Fund, to the diocesan department of Parish and Clergy Services and to diocesan Catholic Charities as well as to Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes and Catholic Charities of Livingston County.
Diocesan Parish and Clergy Services will use its $61,500 grant to help meet the pastoral and sacramental needs of the many migrant farmworkers within the diocese through its Catholic migrant ministry. Diocesan Catholic Charities will use approximately two-thirds of its $31,500 grant to support La Casa, a transitional housing program for migrant farmworkers and their families. The remainder of the agency’s grant will be put into its Consistent Life Ethic Grant Fund, which assists local agencies throughout the diocese in providing food, shelter and support for low-income community members.
Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes will use its $15,000 grant to support the Geneva Community Lunch Program, which serves as many as 15,000 free and nutritious hot meals each year. Catholic Charities of Livingston County will use its $15,000 grant to support the Hope Youth Mentoring Program, which pairs at-risk youths between the ages of 6 and 14 with adult mentors to promote positive and healthy environments and foster caring relationships.
Bishop Robert J. Cunningham, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Rochester, said he was grateful for Fidelis Care’s generosity and compassion.
"These funds will be a blessing to the ongoing, crucial work of these ministries in a time of increased need," Bishop Cunningham said.
Fidelis Care, which is the health-insurance plan provider founded by New York state’s Catholic bishops, is dedicated to helping the elderly, the poor and the underserved, according to a statement from Father Patrick J. Frawley, Fidelis Care’s president and CEO.
"We are confident the grants will be used to improve the lives of the most at-risk portion of our population, and we are grateful for our ability to help," Father Frawley said.
