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December 17, 2020Caring for Oklahomans in need has been more challenging physically and financially during the pandemic. At the same time, the need has grown.
“We’re seeing people who thought they would never reach out to charitable organizations,” said Theresa Flannery, senior director for social services at Catholic Charities.
Some of them previously donated to Catholic Charities but cannot this year, resulting in both a decrease in contributions and an increase in clientele.
Flannery said people often resist seeking help because they are sure someone else has a greater need. One man recently reached out to the organization only after he depleted his savings and turned to payday loans.
As of Oct. 14, Catholic Charities had provided more than $93,000 in COVID-19 assistance across the archdiocese. Its staff also has helped distribute nearly $500,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to Oklahomans in need of rent and utility assistance.
“The need is great. I don’t think it will be improving for a bit,” Flannery said. “Every time we think we’ve turned a corner there’s a spike (in COVID-19 cases).”
She hopes the federal government will extend the deadline to apply for federal funds already allocated and will provide additional funds.
The pandemic response efforts come on top of the usual long-term recovery work Catholic Charities does to assist people affected by disasters like storms and fires, Flannery said.
Although Catholic Charities had to scale back its Christmas program, the organization was able to provide gifts for 241 children from refugee resettlement families and other lower-income families, she said.
“It’s such a blessing to work here,” Flannery said. “As great as the need is, I’m thankful every day to be here.”
End-of-life care
Parish priests also have had to make many adjustments.
“We’ll just keep doing our best to respond and move forward,” said Father Joseph Irwin, vicar for priests for the archdiocese and pastor at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Norman.
Father Irwin asked people pray for their pastors even more than in the past as they tackle the challenges of ministering to the faithful, including the dying.
Calls for end-of-life hospital visits and sacraments have been coming in since early in the pandemic, he said.
He put out a message for volunteers and formed a list of priests who are willing to go where they are needed. Some priests are immunocompromised and cannot go into the hospitals, while others are temporarily unable to go because they have been exposed to or contracted the virus, he said.
He said he was apprehensive the first time he went to anoint a COVID-19 patient who was dying.
“There was a sense of fear, but also a real desire to risk that for that person,” he said. “We want to love and serve people to the best of our ability.”
Each hospital has its own procedures. Some only allow chaplains already on their staff into patients’ rooms or no one at all.
“It’s sad when the family can’t go in there,” Father Irwin said. He recently prayed with a family outside a patient’s room and gave an apostolic pardon through the window.
“It’s a tough time. We’re trying to do the best we can and manage a situation that’s difficult,” he said. “It brings a weariness to everyone.”
Father Irwin said a lot of people are praying earnestly for the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Advent is a great time to do that,” he said. “There is a weariness but also there is a hope because we trust in the Lord. It helps to know that God is there for us.”
K.S. McNutt is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
If you need assistance related to setbacks, needs or loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City:
catholiccharitiesok.org
(405) 523-3000
(800) 375-8514
Photo: Oklahoma City residents wait outside Catholic Charities for gift cards to assist people affected by the October ice storm. The weather disaster compounded the need resulting from the pandemic. Photo provided.
