​Catholic Charities receives SA Bar Foundation Peacemaker Award for gifts of time and talent

Catholic Charities receives SA Bar Foundation Peacemaker Award for gifts of time and talent

Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc. was recently honored by the San Antonio Bar Foundation with its 2016 Peacemaker Award. Established in 1995, the Peacemaker Awards recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding individuals, organizations and companies who have promoted non-violent resolutions to conflicts and have demonstrated outstanding service to our community.

J. Antonio Fernández, president/CEO of Catholic Charities, Inc. accepted the award on behalf of the organization at a May 4 luncheon held at the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, prayed the invocation at the event.

“In the timeless lines of Psalm 101, we hear a hymn of praise to our God. The Psalmist sings these words: ‘I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing praise,’” the archbishop said. “In our God, love and mercy meet true and guiding justice. All the world is held together in that perfect marriage between divine justice and divine merciful love that draws us together into a society, a family of sisters and brothers.”

Catholic Charities, in 2015, served more than 74,000 people in 19 counties. It provided more than 25 bilingual and culturally sensitive programs, including food assistance, parenting classes for at-risk families, guardianship services, money management for seniors, and more.

In addition, through the Caritas Legal Aid Program, Catholic Charities provided low-income individuals with representation in civil legal matters. They also offered free walk-in legal clinics (Ask-A-Lawyer) several times throughout the year.