A History of 50 Years of

Providing Hope & Building Opportunity

Catholic Charities of Central Florida

October 8, 2012

1960s

The first Catholic Charities office in Orlando opened on October 8, 1962. With an

emphasis on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, Catholic Charities of Central

Florida saw the dignity and humanity of all the populations it served, from the

“exceptional children” educated at Morning Star School to the elderly residents of

the nursing homes operated by Catholic Charities at that time.

For most of the 1960s, Orlando was part of the Diocese of St. Augustine, but by

1968 there had been enough growth to justify the creation of the Diocese of

Orlando, under the leadership of Bishop William Borders. Soon after Bishop

Borders became the first bishop of Orlando, the diocesan Catholic Charities was

renamed Catholic Social Services, a name it retained through the 1990s before

being renamed Catholic Charities of Orlando and finally Catholic Charities of

Central Florida in 2006.

When the first Catholic Charities office opened in Orlando in 1962, many of its

services revolved around helping needy families with a particular emphasis on

placing babies into adoptive families. Catholic Charities even operated a maternity

home for unwed mothers, Maris Stella Villa, for much of the decade. Foster care for

older children was also an important part of Catholic Charities’ services.

Catholic Charities bureaus throughout the state and in other parts of the country

also played a critical role in placing the children of Operation Peter Pan (Operación

Pedro Pan) into foster homes. Between 1960 and 1962, more than 14,000 youths

arrived in Miami from communist-controlled Cuba under the sponsorship of the

Catholic Welfare Bureau in Miami. While half of these children were immediately

reunited with relatives, thousands of teens needed foster homes until they reached

their 18th birthdays or could be placed with other family members.

Throughout the 1970s, Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Orlando expanded as the

population of the region continued to grow. By the end of the decade there were

office branches in Winter Haven, Ocala, Daytona Beach and Vero Beach (now part

of the Diocese of Palm Beach) and regional offices in Orlando, Cocoa and Lakeland.

Services available through these offices included care for unwed mothers and

adoption services for childless couples, care for the aging, marriage and family

counseling, assistance for migrant workers and refugee resettlement.

Pre-marriage evaluations for young couples and post-annulment services were an

important part of Catholic Charities services during the 1970s and into the 1980s.

While family services and emergency relief accounted for more than half of the

agency’s services, the second largest caseload for Catholic Charities was marriage

and family counseling.

Societal changes impacted the scope of many of these services. The number of

newborn babies available for adoption sharply declined throughout the 1970s for a

number of reasons. Pregnant teens were no longer needing group maternity

homes, and an increasing number of unwed mothers opted to keep their babies.

Coupled with the legalization of abortion in 1973 and a declining birth rate, more

adoptive couples found themselves on long waiting lists, although foster families

were still in great demand.

Even events on the other side of the world had an impact on Central Florida. After

the fall of Saigon in 1975, thousands of Vietnamese refugees were resettled across

the United States. About 2,300 of the 5,300 Vietnamese refugees brought to Florida

were resettled through the Catholic Church. In Orlando, Catholic Charities was

responsible for resettlement services, with the generous help of pastors and

parishioners who would sponsor refugee families.

1970s

During the 1980s, Catholic Charities of Central Florida continued to increase its

services to meet the unique needs of the region’s population. Once again, Catholic

Charities immigration resettlement services came to the forefront as 125,000

Cuban refugees arrived in Florida as part of the Mariel Boatlift in 1980.

In 1982, Bishop Thomas Grady appointed Father Patrick Sheedy the Secretary of

Social Development and Director of Catholic Social Services. Father Sheedy soon

announced new department programs in these main areas: 1) aging, housing,

disadvantaged and prisons; 2) refugee resettlement; and 3) health and disabled.

In addition to these social services, pre-marriage evaluations continued at a steady

pace, and there was an increase in post-annulment evaluations as the

marriage tribunal of the diocese began to review more annulments. While the

basic programs of Catholic Charities continued, Father Sheedy sought to increase

parish involvement. Working with parishes through the deaneries, social

development personnel provided their professional expertise to parishes wanting to

organize thrift shops, soup kitchens and St. Vincent de Paul Society units.

Even with more parish involvement, the number of cases increased at the offices in

Orlando, Ocala, Lakeland, Daytona Beach and Cocoa, and Catholic Charities

began to seek more funding from the diocese and United Way. Eventually,

fundraisers became an important method of generating funds for Catholic

Charities to continue their vital services.

The current Catholic Charities of Central Florida headquarters on Semoran Blvd. in

Orlando was opened in 1986, after the organization had outgrown three separate

locations in Orlando. Their 25th anniversary was commemorated in a location that

would allow for even more growth during the next 25 years.

1980s 1980s

While many prospered in the 1990s, there were still families who struggled to make

ends meet. Catholic Charities had food distribution centers set up at the

Semoran Food Pantry in Orlando, the Agape Food Bank in Lakeland and the

Brevard Community Food Bank in Cocoa.

The devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 prompted Catholic Charities in the

Orlando Diocese to develop emergency management manuals. Having a mindset of

preparation and response proved beneficial in the aftermath of a late-night

tornado outbreak in February 1998, which killed 42 people and injured more than

260 others. There were immediate needs such as food and water that Catholic

Charities was able to provide, as well as counseling for survivors who were left

emotionally devastated by the storm.

Post-adoption services were expanded for the adopted child, adoptive parents, and

birth parents who comprise the “triad of love.” This was the result of a

societal shift away from the closed adoptions of the 1960s when it was assumed

that birth mothers and the babies they placed in adoptive families would never seek

each other out.

Another area of growth during the 1990s was the prison and jail ministry, an

outreach to law enforcement. Counseling services in addition to seminars and

training for law enforcement personnel were provided. Shelter for runaways and

people away from home was the purpose of Traveler’s Aid in Daytona Beach, while

the St. Francis shelter for women and children catered to Lakeland area families in

a crisis situation.

Catholic Charities experienced an expansion of the main headquarters on Semoran

Boulevard in Orlando to accommodate larger caseloads, especially for immigration

services.

1990s

With the dawn of a new millennium, the need to reach out to people beyond the

nine-county diocese was greater than ever. Money and supplies were collected for

those who were impacted by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It was one

of many tragedies where the agency stepped up to provide assistance, such as

gathering donations and finding local housing for people made homeless by

Hurricane Katrina or collecting money for the victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Their emergency management expertise was in demand during the 2004 hurricane

season, better known by local residents as the summer of Charley, Frances and

Jeanne. When three major hurricanes struck Central Florida within a six-week time

period, food, supplies, and counseling services were provided to those who had been

displaced. When another late night tornado outbreak tore through Sumter, Lake and

Volusia counties in 2007, Catholic Charities sprang into action with boxed meals,

hygiene kits, and other essential supplies.

Catholic Charities began partnering with parishes where the local population was

more likely to be uninsured. Free medical and dental clinics helped individuals with

the diagnosis and treatment of their medical conditions before they found

themselves in a crisis situation.

As the agency began to provide assistance on a broader scale, they also sought out

and received national accreditation from the Council on Accreditation of Services for

Families and Children.

Catholic Charities also experienced changes in leadership during the 2000s. After 40

years of service to the agency, Tom Aglio retired from Catholic Charities in 2002. He

was succeeded as director by Jerry Richardville, whom Aglio had hired as a

counselor for Catholic Charities in 1976. When Richardson retired in 2005, Arne

Nelson was named president, and soon afterward Catholic Charities of Orlando was

officially renamed Catholic Charities of Central Florida to reflect the broad scope of

services covered within the nine-county area.

2000s

With Catholic Charities now under the leadership of Bishop John Noonan, the fifth

Bishop of Orlando, serves the community in six main areas.

Strengthening Families

Preventing Homelessness

Alleviating Hunger

These pillars are the primary focus of the nearly 40 programs and services found in

the nine counties of the Diocese of Orlando and are based on the teachings of

Jesus Christ and the Scriptural call to action--“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did

for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

For the past 50 years, Catholic Charities of Central Florida has been the Church’s

outreach ministry to the local community. People encounter the love of Christ

through the ministry of Catholic Charities as it provides hope and builds opportunity

for the people of God. In 2011, Catholic Charities of Central Florida touched the lives

of more than 120,000 couples, parents, children, seniors and individuals.

Bishop Noonan appointed Joe Buranosky as the new Executive Director to lead

Catholic Charities of Central Florida effective April 30, 2012. Joe Buranosky is a 30

year military veteran with a strong commitment to his Catholic faith and social

justice. He has served in social justice ministry at numerous parishes helping

migrant workers and the homeless.

Catholic Charities’ mission is to provide vital social services for people in need,

regardless of their religious, social or economic background, and to improve the lives

of individuals, families and the community.

With decades of experience in services for women, children, and families;

emergency response; healthcare; housing; and aid to immigrants and refugees,

Bishop Noonan has said on numerous occasions that Catholic Charities provides

these services to those in need “not because they are Catholic, but because we are.”

Providing Access to Healthcare

Providing Affordable Housing

Welcoming the Stranger

Today