Your Impact

As a member of the deaf community, attending Mass for Diana Stallings once meant driving long distances just to find a liturgy she could fully participate in. She yearned for genuine spiritual empowerment and connection, which she found in the Deaf Formation Ministry thanks in part to the CMAA.

While working as a medical scribe, Joshua Solarz was struck by how most patients talked about their emotional sadness instead of their physical pain. He felt the Holy Spirit nudge his heart, saying: “Remember, Josh? This was you! What they’re missing is faith.” This experience triggered his journey to the priesthood, to which he will be ordained in 2027.

Seminarian Joshua Solarz left the classroom last summer to become a part of the Spanish language and culture immersion program in Mexico City, and he can’t wait to apply all he’s learned to minister to the Spanish speaking community in the Diocese of Joliet.

The goal of Daybreak is to guide clients back to independent living. Daybreak staff work one-on-one with clients to create individualized plans. Equally important is serving with compassion, because according to Barb Sullivan-Thurlby, “Being homeless doesn’t mean you don’t have feelings.”

Last summer the Diocese of Joliet hosted a youth conference that called nearly 2,000 teens together in worship, adoration, and spirited activities that enriched their faith and planted seeds for the future of the Catholic Church.

Through the Emmaus Mentor Program, supported by your gifts to the Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal, Colleen Carroll, the new principal of St. Jude Catholic School in New Lenox, was paired with veteran principal Carol Albreski of St. Andrew the Apostle in Romeoville, to create a dynamic support system to help her be successful in her new role.

Alex Buldak, Office of Mission Lead for the Diocese of Joliet, and ten faith-filled missionaries embarked on a journey to Villavicencio, Colombia last January that would not only change the lives of those being served but also the lives of those serving them.

Thanks in large part to CMAA donors, the counseling services of Catholic Charities has broadened their client base to include Daybreak Center, an emergency shelter in Joliet. Working with individuals and families, Daybreak’s mission is to help clients navigate the healing journey by building community to aid in the healing process.

Interview with Nancy Rita Kaz, a Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal donor