The incredible array of helps from the Archdiocese of New Orleans; needed now more than ever

Archdiocesan network of services in midst of coronavirus




Affordable Housing
    

Christopher Homes, Inc., develops and manages dignified and affordable housing for the elderly and disabled. There are 21 Christopher Homes buildings at 14 sites, totaling 2,400 apartments, across the metro area. Residents and staff have been maintaining social distancing. Many residences have received donations of food and basic supplies, which are delivered to the residents’ apartments. The staff also has helped with grocery shopping and picking up prescription medicines. (504) 596-3460; christopherhomesinc.org.
    

The affordable housing ministry of the Willwoods Community helps applicants 18 and older find safe, secure and affordable housing at nine apartment communities in New Orleans, Metairie, the West Bank, St. Rose and LaPlace. (504) 830-3714; www.willwoods.org/affordable-housing. 

Assisted Living/Nursing Care/Hospice Care
    

Through Notre Dame Health System, the archdiocese offers a continuum of senior care from independent and assisted living apartments, skilled nursing, home care and hospice service, https://notredamehealth.org.

Chateau de Notre Dame offers apartments and nursing care, (504) 866-2741; Notre Dame Home Care and Notre Dame Hospice, (504) 227-3600; Our Lady of Wisdom Healthcare Center in Algiers, (504) 394-5991; Wynhoven Health Care Center in Marrero, (504) 347-0777.
    

Lafon Nursing Facility in eastern New Orleans is operated by the Sisters of the Holy Family. It is one of the oldest nursing homes in the U.S. (504) 241-6285; www.lafonnursingfacility.com.
 

Catholic Community Foundation
    

The Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) helps donors support life-giving ministries such as parishes, schools and nonprofits. It also offers archdiocesan ministries stewardship resources, leadership formation and development support. During this time of crisis, CCF is providing parishes, schools and nonprofits with best-practice resource guides to help them engage their constituents and reactivating the #iGiveCatholic website to accept donations through #iGiveCatholicTogether.

 

For more information, contact www.ccfnola.org or Cory J. Howat, executive director, at chowat@ccfnola.org. To learn more about #iGiveCatholicTogether, visit www.igivecatholic.org or contact Callie Kamath at ckamath@ccfnola.org. 
 

Cemeteries
    

New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries, an archdiocesan ministry, operates, maintains and restores tombs at 13 historic cemeteries, including the city’s oldest – St. Louis No. 1 on Basin Street, established in 1789. Catholic cemeteries are open to the burial needs of all faiths and recently added new burial and cremation properties to its historic acreage. During the city-mandated, “stay-at-home” order, offices are closed; however, staff is meeting with families for immediate-need burials by appointment.

 

Cemetery gates are locked Monday through Saturday to safely accommodate burials. Gates are open on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for families to visit, with the exception of St. Louis No. 1. Please call for an appointment to visit your family tomb in St. Louis No. 1. (504) 596-3050; www.nolacatholiccemeteries.org.
 

Disabilities/Special Needs
    

God’s Special Children, Family and Friends offers a monthly Mass at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Metairie for families with members who have special needs. www.godsspecialchildren.org. The May 3 Mass has been canceled. The next scheduled Mass will be June 7 at 2 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church, 444 Metairie Road.
    

God’s Northshore Blessings normally celebrates Masses on the third Sunday of the month at 2 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Church, 312 Lafitte St., Mandeville. However, all Masses have been temporarily canceled until the archdiocese allows public Masses again.
    

Padua Community Services, including Padua Community Homes and Padua House, provides services and residences for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (504) 392-0502; www.ccano.org/padua. Padua Homes continues to operate and take care of the residents in its care and is working hard to keep the medically fragile safe from the virus.
    

Therapeutic Family Services (TFS) places medically fragile children or those who have moderate to severe emotional, behavioral or developmental problems with families that provide specialized foster care. (504) 310-6939; www.ccano.org/tfs/. TFS continues to provide support to families with specialized support of the foster children in its care.
    

Catholic Charities’ Deaf Action Center (DAC) provides professional sign-language interpretation by certified interpreters and supportive services for people who are deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing. (504) 615-7122; www.ccano.org/deaf-action-center/. The DAC has been assisting at public news conferences in Orleans and Jefferson parishes with signing for the hearing impaired.
 

Disaster Response
    

Catholic Charities’ Spirit of Hope Disaster Response Services provides disaster case management to those affected by disasters. (504) 596-3097; www.ccano.org/disaster-response-services/. The Disaster Case Management response team continues to assist individuals who call looking for help enrolling for benefits and who are seeking direct assistance with essential needs such as housing and food. The number of phone calls has increased to about 15-20 per day. 
 

Domestic Violence
    

Catholic Charities’ Project SAVE (Stopping Abuse through Victim Empowerment) offers free, emergency legal representation for victims of domestic violence living in Orleans Parish. Staff attorneys help secure temporary restraining and protection orders, temporary child support, custody and use of property. The focus is on keeping survivors of domestic violence safe and protecting their legal rights. (504) 310-6872; www.ccano.org/domestic-violence-services.
 

Education
    

The Office of Catholic Schools has 74 Catholic elementary and high schools that educate more than 34,000 students. All elementary schools have pre-K4 programs, and most have pre-K3. There are nearly two dozen licensed daycare centers for 2-year-olds; some offer infant care. The remainder of the academic year is in flux due to the coronavirus. More information is available at nolacatholicschools.org and on Facebook @ NewOrleansCatholicSchools.
    

Several religious orders also run elementary and high schools and universities. There are three Catholic colleges in the archdiocese that have all gone to distance learning: Loyola University New Orleans ( www.loyno.edu), the University of Holy Cross ( www.uhcno.edu) and Xavier University of Louisiana ( www.xula.edu). St. Joseph Seminary College ( www.sjasc.edu) and Notre Dame Seminary ( www.nds.edu) offer studies for those discerning a vocation to the priesthood.
    

Before the coronavirus crisis, Catholic Charities operated five Early Head Start and Head Start Centers, but those centers have now closed and have ceased food operations. Catholic Charities has moved to Facebook-based interactions with children and parents. (504) 861-6359; www.ccano.org/head-start-program/.
 

Family/Parenting/Mentoring
    

Catholic Charities has two mentoring programs for youth. Isaiah 43 is a parenting and mentoring ministry that focuses on helping youth, families and church parishes by strengthening skills for peace-building, mentoring activities, parenting fellowship and family support. (504) 310-8772; www.ccano.org/isaiah-43/.
    

The Foster Grandparents’ Program seeks men and women 55 and older to volunteer as mentors and role models to local youth. (504) 310-6882; www.ccano.org/foster-grandparents/.
    

The archdiocese’s Office of Marriage and Family Life conducts marriage and family ministry trainings, marriage preparation and enrichment and other family enrichment programs. Currently, marriage preparation is being done either by video conference with a mentor couple (if the church parish has a mentor couple available) or through the approved online preparation program at catholicmarriageprep.com. Marriage and family enrichment resources are being made available on its website. (504) 861-6243; nolacatholic.org/mfl. 
    

Catholic Counseling Service provides quality counseling and psychotherapy services to individuals, couples and families through the lens of the Catholic faith. This office moved to South Carrollton Avenue across from Notre Dame Seminary. (504) 861-6245; nolacatholic.org/catholic-counseling-service. Teletherapy counseling options are available during the coronavirus crisis.
    

Catholic Charities’ School-Based Counseling works with the St. Charles Parish School Board Special Education Department to provide school social-work services to children and young adults. (985) 307-6882; www.ccano.org/school-counseling/.
 

Health Care
    

DePaul Community Health Centers (DCHC), formerly Daughters of Charity Health Centers, tests both current and new patients for the COVID-19 virus. DCHC now offers Telehealth appointments for patients and continues offering in-person visits at six of its 10 health centers. Call (504) 207-3060 or visit

DePaulCommunityHealthCenters.org for information on Telehealth and in-person appointments. Telehealth (video) and telephonic (phone) appointments/visits are available for behavioral Health patients. To schedule an appointment, call (504) 207-3064.

 

Dental and vision services are being scheduled on an emergency basis only: Call (504) 212-9550 for dental and (504) 212-9533 for vision. Curbside services are available for participants in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program. Call the Carrollton office at (504) 212-9545 or St. Cecilia/Bywater office at (504) 207-6281 to receive instructions for benefits pick-up. Curbside and mail-order services are available for pharmacy patients. Call Carrollton (504) 207-3019, Metairie (504) 488-3007, New Orleans East (504) 539-3860 or St. Cecilia/Bywater (504) 207-6287 to request a refill or schedule a prescription pick-up or delivery. Community Health Navigators are available to assist with resources like Telehealth appointments, food, unemployment resources and more. Call (504) 207-3060 and ask to speak with a navigator.
    

Mercy Family Center opened in New Orleans in 1992 to provide community-based mental health and educational services for children, adolescents, adults and families, regardless of income. Mercy has locations in Metairie, Mandeville and the West Bank.

 

Mercy also has the Learning Center in Mandeville for students with learning differences and runs a school-based mental health program called Project Fleur-de-Lis that supports and conducts interventions and trainings for children, families, educators, communities and members of the military impacted by traumatic events. (504) 323-9573. The center is practicing telehealth during the virus pandemic. Go to www.mercy.net and fill out the intake form to receive a call back.
    

Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa is the only Catholic hospital in the archdiocese. It is part of The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS) that also operates Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe and Our Lady of the Lake St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales. (985) 730-6700; www.oloah.org.
    

Catholic Charities has an adult day healthcare center, the Greenwalt Center, (504) 461-5889; www.ccano.org/adhc/.
    

PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) provides a comprehensive package of health services to keep elderly individuals (age 55-plus) living in the community. Services are customized and holistic to the particular needs of each participant and coordinated by an interdisciplinary team of professionals. PACE offers locations in Bywater and Marrero. (504) 835-0006; www.pacegno.org. PACE continues to provide in-home care and medical transport to the participants in its program.
    

Catholic Charities offers Health Guardians, which provides intensive medical and behavioral health-care navigation and case management to individuals with chronic mental illness. (504) 310-6911; www.ccano.org/health-guardians/. Health Guardians works with the City of New Orleans in its response to the homeless population and COVID-19 response.
     

The Healthcare Chaplaincy program of the archdiocese provides Catholic chaplains in hospitals for the spiritual and emotional comfort of hospital patients and families of all denominations. Through its pastoral ministry for the sick, the chaplaincy program uses priests, deacons, extraordinary ministers of holy Communion and chaplains to meet patient and family needs. (504) 227-3606; nolacatholic.org/hospital-chaplain-coordinator.
 

HIV/AIDS
    

Project Lazarus, a residence in Bywater for persons with HIV/AIDS, was co-founded in 1985 at the height of the AIDS epidemic by two Catholic priests as a hospice at which men and women could die with dignity. Housed in an historic former convent and rectory, Project Lazarus provides vital housing and support services to these individuals. Thanks to medical advancements, people with HIV/AIDS are living longer, healthier lives than ever before, but still struggle with issues such as homelessness, addiction, discrimination and mental illness.

 

Project Lazarus provides transitional housing for up to 23 adults, typically serving about 70 persons annually. (504) 949-3609; www.projectlazarus.net. Currently, the staff monitors residents’ temperature daily, and there is an associated facility available for the recuperation of anyone who might show virus symptoms. 
 

Homelessness
    

The archdiocese’s numerous anti-homelessness initiatives include The Rebuild Center, a collaborative of four Catholic entities on the grounds of St. Joseph Church on Tulane Avenue that provides weekday breakfast, lunch, showers, health screenings, transportation, help with photo IDs, mail service and art time. (504) 273-5573; www.stjosephchurch-no.org/st-joseph-rebuild-center/.

While the center is closed during the virus pandemic, take-away meals are being served to the homeless at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. (both lunch and dinner) by volunteers from Grace at the Green Light, St. Jude Community Center and Lantern Light Ministries. Financial donations are welcomed.
    

Ozanam Inn, a ministry of St. Vincent de Paul, has provided overnight shelter and other services to homeless men at its Camp Street hub since 1955. (504) 523-1184; www.ozanaminn.org.
    

CCANO Homeless Program provides case management services to individuals and families in need of rapid rehousing or permanent assistance. (504) 310-6907; www.ccano.org/homeless-services/.

The Bethlehem Housing program has seen a 37% increase in the number of families who have moved from homelessness or impending homelessness to stabilized housing.
 

St. Jude Community Center, a mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, serves weekday breakfast and lunch and Saturday lunch to walk-in guests. (504) 525-1551; www.judeshrine.com. The center is collaborating with the Rebuild Center, Grace at the Green Light and Ozanam Inn to provide three meals a day for the needy, distributed Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the St. Joseph Church parking lot, 1802 Tulane Ave., New Orleans.

The center also cooks three meals a day for the City of New Orleans Shelter and Engagement Center. Marianite Sister Beth Mouch said the center welcomes financial donations as well as donations of chips and sandwich items. Call her at (504) 931-6993.

Hotel Hope is staffed by the Sisters of the Presentation. It provides short-term, hotel-style housing and intensive case management to homeless mothers and their children as they work toward stable housing and employment. (504) 821-7773; www.hotelhope.org. Eight families have been moved to a hotel in the CBD.
  

The City of New Orleans Shelter and Engagement Center, a new 100-bed, 24/7 shelter in the former VA Hospital, counts St. Jude Community Center, Second Harvest Food Bank and Catholic Charities’ Health Guardians program among its service providers. (504) 658-4000. The center is currently suspending its intake of new people as a precaution against the coronavirus.

    

Covenant House New Orleans continues to provide food, shelter and medical services to homeless and at-risk youth Covenant House is on the front lines of the pandemic 24/7, serving as the last line of defense for our community’s most vulnerable youth. The center is open 24/7 – and is never full.

This past month, Covenant House averaged 202 youth and children. In the months ahead, it expects to care for 250 young people. Prayers and support are appreciated. For updates, www.covenanthousenola.org/covid19 or (504) 584-1102.
 

Human Trafficking
    

Because it rests along the I-10 corridor and is an international tourist hub (for Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and sporting events), New Orleans is a magnet for human trafficking. The archdiocese’s Respect Life Office works with community organizations to train groups to identify red flags for trafficking. The Human Trafficking Committee’s website – respectlifenola.org/archdiocesan-human-trafficking-committee – includes speakers’ videos from recent trafficking symposiums. The respectlifenola.org website also has videos and weekly updates on a variety of respect life topics. Men can go to neverforsale.org to sign the petition to end human trafficking; (504) 286-1119.

Hunger
    

Second Harvest Food Bank was founded in 1982 by Archbishop Philip Hannan, and, after Hurricane Katrina, it became the largest food bank in the U.S. It now provides food and support to more than 700 community partners in 23 civil parishes in south Louisiana. It also mobilizes food distribution across the country after natural disasters. Monetary donations are needed during the coronavirus pandemic because demand for food has spiked. (504) 734-1322; no-hunger.org/.
    

Catholic Charities’ Food for Seniors warehouses, packs and transports supplemental food boxes to more than 120 sites throughout the state for distribution to low-income seniors 60 years of age and older who meet USDA income guidelines. Executive director Tim Robertson says there is space available for qualifying seniors to participate in the free program. (504) 245-7207; www.ccano.org/food-for-families-seniors/. The Food for Seniors program continues to pack boxes, which are picked up at two sites on both sides of the river. Seniors continue to enroll in the program.
 

Immigration & Refugee Services
    

Catholic Charities provides free or low-cost legal immigration counseling and legal assistance to individuals and families who are eligible for immigration benefits but cannot afford private attorneys. It particularly serves at-risk groups, such as unaccompanied children, survivors of domestic abuse, trafficking victims and those detained in immigration facilities. It also offers ESL classes, social support and education, literacy and citizenship classes. (504) 310-6886; www.ccano.org/immigration-services/. Catholic Charities continues to provide legal support, ESL, citizenship and literacy classes via remote technology.
 

Literacy/Remediation/ Work Skills

Catholic Charities’ Integrated Workforce Services helps individuals who are unemployed connect with job resources, training programs and educational opportunities. (504) 310-6908; www.ccano.org/workforce-development/. Catholic Charities is currently assisting clients who have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
 

Maternity/Adoption Services
    

ACCESS Pregnancy is for women facing an unplanned or troubled pregnancy. Services include free, confidential and caring pregnancy assistance. (504) 832-1503; www.ccano.org/access-pregnancy-services/. ACCESS has seen an increase in calls for counseling and for requests for diapers and other infant hygiene supplies. Diaper distribution is open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and ACCESS will accept donations of diapers and other items.
    

Woman’s New Life Clinic, 4612 South Claiborne Ave., New Orleans, offers a pro-life medical and professional counseling center helping women and their families with unplanned pregnancies and related issues such as pregnancy testing and ultrasound.

Related services, such as post-abortive counseling, are offered here through Hope Woman’s Clinic and Hope Fertility Care Center. (504) 831-3117; womansnewlife.com. The clinics are closed because of coronavirus precautions, but telecounseling is available.
    

Catholic Charities’ St. Vincent Maternity Clinic in Metairie offers affordable, private medical care for low- to moderate-income women during pregnancy. (504) 837-6346; www.ccano.org/stvincent/. The clinic is continuing to see clients either via telehealth platforms or in person depending on the status of the pregnancy.
    

Domestic and international adoptions are facilitated by Catholic Charities’ Adoption Services. Through the open-adoption model, birth parents and adoptive parents can determine how closely they would like to be in contact with each other throughout the adoption process.

Open adoptions have benefits for birth parents, adoptive parents and the child. (504) 885-1141; www.ccano.org/adoption/. Adoptions are continuing. Catholic Charities actually placed a new baby with a loving family in the past two weeks. 
 

Mental Health
    

Catholic Charities’ Voyage House is an independent, permanent and supportive housing program for single, unaccompanied homeless women ages 39 and older who experience substance abuse, mental health issues or other non-mobilizing physical disabilities. (504) 269-3969; www.ccano.org/voyage-house/.
    

Catholic Charities’ Counseling Solutions is another venue providing counseling for individuals, couples, families and groups of all faiths. (985) 785-2113; www.ccano.org/counseling-solutions/. Counseling Services director Dr. Mark Taliancich continues to provide information and guidance on mental health counseling via the media. He is working with the state to develop mental health resources via telehealth.
    

Catholic Charities offers Ciara Permanent Housing, Ciara Independent Living, Voyage House and Bridges to Self-Sufficiency, providing shelter, case management and care focused on homeless families, homeless women and homeless men and women with chronic mental and physical health needs. (504) 523-3755; ccano.org/homeless-services/.
    

Mercy Family Center is a primary referral site for the identification and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders such as pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and other childhood disorders.

Families are helped with counseling, group therapy, educational and guidance services, cognitive assessments, anxiety management and mood disorders. Currently, the center offers a free screening tool to help direct persons to the most appropriate follow-up care for COVID-19 symptoms. www.mercy.net; (504) 475-3208.
    

University of Holy Cross Thomas E. Chambers Counseling and Training Center provides not only counseling services for the UHC family and the community at large, but also serves as an educational resource for students pursuing both master’s and undergraduate degrees in counseling. Teletherapy is currently being offered during the coronavirus pandemic. (504) 398-2168; www.uhcno.edu.
 

Prison Outreach
    

Connecting and reconnecting families during and after the incarceration of a family member is a priority. The archdiocese offers parenting courses, programs to strengthen family relationships and Bible studies. In 2007, Catholic Charities launched Cornerstone Builders, the first Re-Entry 72 project in the country for recently released prisoners. Returning citizens are met at the gate and offered employment for one month while they look for full-time jobs.

 

The archdiocese has advocated for “justice reinvestment,” which takes the savings from reducing the prison population and reinvests it in community grants creating job opportunities. There is a Catholic chaplain’s presence in every area prison. (504) 267-9727; nolacatholic.org/prisons-apostolate.
 

Religious Education
    

The Office of Religious Education serves the catechetical needs of all people in the Archdiocese of New Orleans by providing lifelong formation centered in the person of Jesus Christ that echoes Christ, his teachings and his invitation to discipleship. For more information regarding resources, certification classes, events, policies and guidelines, visit www.nolacatholic.org/ore. There is a special section on the website for the pandemic with resources for at home formation for families and schools – COVID-19: Time4Faith. (Web: https://www.nolacatholic.org/covid-19-time4faith)
 

Senior Services
    

Mercy Endeavors Senior Center, an adult day center on Jackson Avenue in New Orleans operated by the Sisters of Mercy, helps seniors in the Lower Garden District and Irish Channel stay active and healthy. (504) 568-0607. Because seniors are not currently allowed to congregate inside the building, the center delivers approximately 25 lunches each day.
    

The Peace Center is a neighborhood outreach center that offers services in computer classes, job readiness, homework assistance and gatherings for seniors as well as an available presence for the people of Gert Town. It is sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Peace. It is closed during the virus pandemic, but the Sisters are reaching out by phone to their regular participants, especially the elderly, who might need water or groceries. The Sisters also are trying to provide Kindle Fire tablets to children for use in their online homework. Summer camp may not be held. (504) 267-3342; thepeacecenternola.org.
     

The Congregation of St. Joseph operates two locations of the People Program with educational and fitness activities for senior adults. The programs are temporarily suspended. Check the program’s website, www.peopleprogram.org, and Facebook page for the latest information. New Orleans location, (504) 284-7678; Algiers location, (504) 394-5433.
 

Senior Living
    

St. Anthony’s Gardens, a senior living ministry of the archdiocese, offers private residences with maintenance-free living, access to quality short- or long-term care, personalized services and opportunities for social, educational and recreational activities enveloped in surroundings that are rooted in Catholic principles and tradition. Seamless transition to assisted living and memory care. During the virus pandemic, residents have been given daily health screenings, and meals are delivered to each resident’s apartment. The staff has assisted with online grocery shopping and social-media contacts with families. (985) 288-1075; www.stanthonysgardens.org.
 

Substance Abuse
    

The Substance Abuse Ministry (SAM) offers help, hope, healing and support to those either afflicted with or affected by a loved one’s drug or alcohol abuse. It is open to members of all faiths at six locations: Slidell, Mandeville, New Orleans, Destrehan, Metairie and Marrero. While those locations have been temporarily suspended during the outbreak, Deacon Louis Bauer says anyone needing help, resources or support can call him at (985) 640-4804 or email him at lbauer@arch-no.org.
 

St. Vincent de Paul Society
    

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is now serving as a second-tier service agent, remaining in constant communication with local and state service agencies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The central office, while working on a modified schedule, remains committed to providing services to members of our community. All necessary precautions are taken to ensure the health and safety of our staff, neighbors and volunteers. For updates on how the society will be helping others during and after this pandemic, please follow the society on its Facebook page: www.facebook.com/stvincentdepaulNOLA/.   

The Bethlehem Housing program has seen a 37% increase in the number of families who have moved from homelessness or impending homelessness to stabilized housing.
    

St. Jude Community Center, a mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, serves weekday breakfast and lunch and Saturday lunch to walk-in guests. (504) 525-1551; www.judeshrine.com. The center is collaborating with the Rebuild Center, Grace at the Green Light and Ozanam Inn to provide three meals a day for the needy, distributed Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the St. Joseph Church parking lot, 1802 Tulane Ave., New Orleans. The center also cooks three meals a day for the City of New Orleans Shelter and Engagement Center. Marianite Sister Beth Mouch said the center welcomes financial donations as well as donations of chips and sandwich items. Call her at (504) 931-6993.
    

Hotel Hope is staffed by the Sisters of the Presentation. It provides short-term, hotel-style housing and intensive case management to homeless mothers and their children